Egmont H. Petersen always kept up with developments abroad. Throughout his life he was ahead of his competitors in introducing new printing methods in Denmark. In 1892, he led the way in printing a picture in graduated shades, and in 1985 he was the first to use only three complementary colours to print copies of drawing in pastels.
It is management’s responsibility to create the framework for innovation, but everyone at Egmont has the important role of ensuring we think resourcefully and act innovatively. From left to right: Steffen Kragh, Michael Ritto, Kjeld Lucas, Tommy Melle, Hans Carstensen and Frank Knau. Read about the current status of all divisions on the following pages.
Egmont Nordisk Film Michael Ritto, Executive Vice President 1) The innovation process was launched in January 2008 – how has it impacted on your division? Innovation has been part of Nordisk Film’s DNA ever since the company began back in 1906. Just think of Ole Olsen, who changed the endings of his silent movies to match the intended target
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audiences. That’s innovative thinking! And neither was Erik Balling slow to come up with new and different solutions in his many Matador and Olsen Gang productions. So for us it’s not a question of inventing innovation but of rediscovering our culture of innovation. That said, however, various tools and methods have inspired us since January 2008. For one thing, Herman Gyr, one of the world’s most influential professional coaches and the man who invented the COSTAR model, visited us in spring to help us with methods for optimizing both products and processes. I’d like to stress that when we discuss innovation at Nordisk Film, process optimization is just as important as new products. Innovation is also about thinking smarter in order to increase profitability.
2) Which concrete examples of innovation in your division can you highlight? I’d like to draw special attention to Nordisk Film Operations, which has been innovative in adapting to customers and the market. NF Operations has been through a turnaround that has generated enormous savings, faster delivery times and higher quality delivery for the benefit of both customers and our business. Another example is our movie theaters, which are doing an excellent job of offering events that give audiences novel movie-going experiences. In the coming months, our guests can look forward to attending a James Bond concert featuring Szhirley and the Danish Broadcasting Corporation’s Big Band,