In an industrial sector where innovation has historically been driven by technical experts, Axens is opening it up for the first time to its 2,000 employees through a global challenge designed to experiment with new ways of innovating and collectively imagine new services.
A renowned engineering company known for its technical excellence, Axens operates in an environment where projects are traditionally driven by expert teams and R&D, and developed with a high level of rigor before being brought to market.
In a context of strategic transformation, and with the ambition to position innovation as a core value of the Group, the challenge was to broaden its scope: mobilize 2,000 employees worldwide, raise awareness, build an innovation mindset, and foster collaboration at a global scale.
To address these challenges, Axens launched an initial innovation challenge focused on customer relationships, user experience, and the development of new services. The goal was to generate a wide range of high-potential ideas while introducing a new innovation dynamic, breaking away from traditional processes: experimenting earlier, testing concepts faster (MVPs, market validation, maturation), and validating the most promising initiatives in real conditions before turning them into concrete projects.
With Yumana, Axens deployed the DoMinno (Do Mutual Innovation) digital platform, structured around several key topics: decarbonization and energy transition, industrializing innovation, competitiveness and profitability, skills development, as well as CSR and QHSE.
Alongside this flagship initiative, Axens also aimed to progressively embed a sustainable innovation framework, enabling employees to submit initiatives beyond the challenge itself as part of a continuous improvement approach.
The program marked a turning point in the Group’s innovation dynamics, with:
actively involved
within the community
at the end of the ideation phase
by the Executive Committee
moved into the exploration and market validation phase
Some projects were reintegrated into the Business Units’ pipeline, while others generated valuable strategic insights. The program helped increase visibility, strengthen credibility, and demonstrate the tangible impact of an innovation challenge driven through a digital platform.
“Launching our first innovation program was a real challenge. We needed a partner who could guide us and secure the approach. Yumana’s support was instrumental.
Their team quickly understood our challenges, challenged our thinking, and adapted the platform to fit our context. Beyond the tool itself, we benefited from genuine expertise to structure the approach and maximize engagement.
With DoMinno, we rapidly created internal momentum and demonstrated that innovation challenges can generate real value. This initiative laid the foundations for a more collaborative innovation culture within the company.”
Isabelle Conso
Digital Innovation Director
Axens
Powered by Yumana, the platform turns collective intelligence into a core driver of Axens’ innovation strategy.
The challenge was structured around five key phases:
IdeationCommunity votingSelectionMaturationDeploymentThanks to Yumana, each stage of the journey, from ideation to project execution, created strong synergies and actively contributed to the emergence of a more cross-functional innovation model.
Axens leveraged Yumana’s innovation management platform to maximize the reach and adoption of the initiative:
A fully customized platform and refreshed visual identity helped drive participation.
The ability to support favorite ideas strengthened ownership and boosted engagement.
Quickly builds cross-functional, multidisciplinary teams, enhancing collaboration and improving the overall quality of projects.
Provide visibility into participation, idea maturity, and project progress.
Several key levers helped ensure the impact of the DoMinno program:
The involvement of the CEO and Executive Committee gave the program immediate credibility.
Entity leaders, engaged early on, actively promoted and supported the initiative.
Weekly webinars, leadership roadshows, manager briefings, internal communications, and local relays across countries ensured broad engagement.
Ease of use, thoughtful design, and community-driven features helped drive adoption.
Selected projects were showcased at internal events and integrated into the Innovation Awards, with a dedicated “DoMinno” prize.
With DoMinno, Axens laid the foundations for a more open and collaborative innovation culture, driven by the engagement of its employees worldwide.
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