When we think of champions of manufacturing today, we tend to think of some of the big companies such as Boeing, Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM. But companies don’t form themselves, and patents don’t automatically mean innovation—people do.

Not all companies have inventors. However, all companies can, and probably do, have innovators.

An invention is a product or process that has been created and then documented legally. Many patents are granted, and then nothing is done with them. But innovation is how a patent or idea is put to use. And connecting people with the opportunity to innovate is key.

A computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine operator at a small shop in the United States didn’t invent the CNC machine, but what that talented machinist can do with that invention can be innovative—if the machinist is given the opportunity.

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