Which technologies will influence your sector?

Data analysis is a clear front-runner among the new technologies mentioned by the survey respondents and is also the most established. Just about all respondents said this technique was important and most of them already use it for organisational processes, products and services. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a logical continuation of data analysis, and a similar number of respondents said this was important. We expect this technology to be used increasingly in the near future. A third of all respondents already use AI and many respondents have already taken part in pilots and other practical applications.

Blockchain leads to critical reactions

At the moment, blockchain is rarely used, even though the majority of respondents have already experimented with it. We noticed that respondents who use blockchain rarely use it to reduce costs, even though improved efficiency - and thus lower costs - is one of the main advantages one can expect. The coming years will demonstrate to what extent blockchain will really take off. We have noticed that our clients are still critical about the returns of blockchain-related investments. Ilja Linnemeijer: "Although blockchain was first seen as something magical, the initial enthusiasm now appears to have faded somewhat. This slight disappointment is in keeping with what happens during most hypes. However, I still think enthusiasm can be restored with a few good use cases, which I expect to appear within a few years."

Intelligent things under development

Using intelligent things is another trend that is currently under development. Intelligent things are objects that collaborate with people and their surroundings via AI and machine learning, like via the Internet of Things. The majority of respondents do not yet use this technology, but are trying to put things in place for their own organisations. Linnemeijer: "Access to a 5G network is crucial for intelligent things. The Internet of Things will really take off once we can share a lot more data via the network. When this happens, we will also see a rapid change in business models."

Mixed reality - the neglected child

Mixed reality and speech technology are now barely used by our respondents. And even if they do use them, they mainly do so to improve customer experience and product quality. Contrary to our expectations, it is rarely used to improve customer experience or increase knowledge about employees, even though it is ideal for doing so. Linnemeijer refers to mixed reality as a "neglected child”. Ilja Linnemeijer: “When combined with AI, it offers fantastic opportunities. For instance with regard to e-learning, maintenance work, communication with customers, and remote control. We will certainly hear more about it in the future, even though developments are currently slower than expected."

Most innovative companies

When it comes to the most innovative Dutch organisations, we have noticed the same three big names in the top five in recent years: ASML, Philips and DSM. ASML stands out above the rest this year. Payment service Adyen made a huge leap in the ranking, probably due to its public offering that generated a lot of publicity. Booking.com suffered a notable drop in the ranking. It appears the company, which is in the same phase of maturity as Coolblue, is less effective when it comes to putting its innovation capacity in the spotlight.

Agrifood and offshore

Ilja LInnemeijer: “ASML and DSM are excelling thanks to brilliant technologies, and Adyen and Coolblue are particularly effective when it comes to customer focus. However, I notice that, for example, no global players were mentioned from sectors like agrifood and offshore, which are more closely involved with b2b. My tip? Also look at such companies and try to learn from them. Our 2018 Global Innovation 1000 study also highlights a top three for technological companies with the largest R&D expenditure aimed at the consumer market: Apple, Amazon and Alphabet. They caught the eye of many respondents."

For the fourth year in a row, PwC researched the innovation climate in public and private organisations in the Netherlands. The Innovation Survey Netherlands 2018 involved interviewing almost one hundred participants about five themes: challenges, process and core values, cooperation, trends and the digital transformation. A third of all respondents work at C-level and another third occupy positions that involve innovation or R&D. A sizeable majority work for organisations with a turnover ranging from at least fifty million euros to one billion euros. Two thirds work for organisations with more than 250 employees.