Systematic innovation makes Toyota Material Handling Europe more competitive

Many large industrial companies view innovation as a strategically important issue – but also something that is difficult to achieve in practice.

A unified approach to innovation work

Toyota Material Handling Europe has therefore taken a comprehensive approach to innovation work in order to build a clear structure for how new ideas should be developed, prioritised and refined.

"If you just hope that innovation will happen ad hoc, there is a risk that it will both be too slow and go in the wrong direction. You need knowledge to drive innovation issues; you need to understand that if the work is to be scalable," says Maria Bolin Anvill, Innovation Manager at Toyota Material Handling Europe.

Toyota Material Handling Europe manufactures and sells forklift trucks, warehouse equipment and automation solutions for material handling in warehouses and factories, and has several locations across Europe.

They have long had a strong R&D operation, but have also seen a need to complement it with a more pure innovation focus. This can involve everything from increased safety and smarter functions in the trucks to digital services, energy efficiency and solutions that take into account the customer's entire business.

Special function working in an exploratory and long-term manner

To strengthen its long-term innovation efforts, the company has therefore established a Research and Innovations Office to complement its existing R&D activities. The unit is still part of the R&D organisation, but has a clearer mandate to work in a more exploratory manner and with a longer time perspective.

The function was built with the ambition of bringing together many different perspectives. The team was therefore assembled from specialists, managers and people responsible for development work.

"Some have worked extensively with innovation, while others have done so to a much lesser extent. For us, it was important to establish a shared understanding of what innovation management entails and how we should work together. We needed a common language", says Maria Bolin Anvill.

In order to create consensus, the group decided to conduct training in innovation management.

Prior to the decision, several different educational providers were compared. The assignment was ultimately awarded to RISE.

"Many training courses get bogged down in tools, in how to brainstorm or hold workshops. We wanted to make it a much bigger issue, one that dealt with leadership, methods and processes – and how to actually evaluate ideas," says Maria Bolin Anvill.

Toyota Material Handling Europe was impressed by how RISE training approached innovation management on several levels and from different perspectives.

"Not just purely operational aspects, but also innovation strategies and innovation management at a higher level. It was also clear how the training was linked to ISO standards," says Jonas Klang, Innovation Manager at Toyota Material Handling.

Training based on international innovation management standards

The training, which was conducted in 2025, is based on international innovation management standards in the ISO 56000 series, where ISO 56001 and ISO 56002 provide guidance on how organisations can work systematically with innovation management.

The standards bring together established knowledge about what needs to be in place for innovation work to be systematic and sustainable in the long term.

"They don't tell you exactly how an organisation should operate, but they help you ask the right questions. This allows you to take a holistic view of innovation work and see more clearly how strategy, working methods and culture are interlinked," says Natalie Gustafsson, Innovation and Process Manager at RISE.

For RISE, innovation partnerships and training in innovation management are about giving organisations the conditions they need to develop their work over time – rather than delivering ready-made solutions.

"Many organisations have been working with innovation for a long time, but still feel that it is not really taking off. This is often because they lack a coherent structure for how the work should be managed and followed up," says Natalie Gustafsson.

Change in how innovation issues are handled

Toyota Material Handling Europe is already experiencing a change in how innovation issues are handled internally.

"We have developed a common understanding that enables us to have completely different discussions today than we did before. The training has also helped us refine our internal working methods and processes," says Maria Bolin Anvill.

As the company's Research and Innovations Office has become clearer in its mission, collaboration with other parts of the organisation has also developed.

"At first, it took time for other parts of the business to understand our mission and how we could contribute. Today, we are increasingly seeing R&D turning to us to discuss ideas and how they can be taken forward," says Jonas Klang.

At the same time, innovation management is not something you introduce and then tick off your list, but rather a way of working that needs to be developed over time.

"For us, it's basically about making better decisions about which ideas to pursue and when. This is crucial if we are to create value beyond the product itself and remain strong in an increasingly competitive market," says Maria Bolin Anvill.