Collaborative and open innovation agency
Partnership and collaboration of companies is now a major key to innovation. A strength that allows, small to medium companies as well as large industrial groups to access the know how of others to develop new products and services impossible to achieve alone or even unimaginable before the joining of strenghts. Open and collaborative innovation allows for faster development of projects and an intelligent split of costs and revenues but it must be well controlled as there are numerous risks.
Groupe Zebra’s success comes from collaborative innovation. Our first experience is that of the development of the Babolat tennis shoe dating 2005.
The Babolat Propulse shoes: born of participative innovation
When in 2005 we are working on the diversification of BABOLAT in the tennis shoe market, we develop a complete solution based on the subtle observation of players and their leg mouvements. The concept is immediately seen as very relevant. The brand’s credibility when it comes to shoes is yet to be built though. Having worked for many years with Michelin on expanding their brand into new businesses, our teams come up with the idea of a strategic alliance of the two companies with such complimentary know how.
This is how within a few months the first BABOLAT shoes are fitted with soles developed by MICHELIN engineers.
Know as BABOLAT Propulse, the model is fundamentally different thanks to its highly technical sole which incorporates both companies’ strong points. The world specialist in rubber and grip brings its expertise to soles adapted to different playing grounds.
The success of collaborative partnerships
Following up on the success of the tree way partnership with Babolat and Michelin, Groupe Zebra has since then built other strategic alliances and made open innovation one of its strong points. Today collaboration is seen as one of the major pillars of technological innovation. By putting together their skills and specific technological know how companies and industrial groups can offer new products born from a tight collaboration and shared objectives. Collaborative innovation has the added advantage of reducing costs and maximising profits on different projects.