A moment with Innovation winner Matt Oren
Matt Oren is the Research and Development leader at Orascoptic, our brand dedicated to manufacturing high-quality loupes. He leads the product development efforts of a 15-person cross-functional team, which introduced eight products to market in a 12-month period across 2022 and 2023. In fact, almost 50% of the Orascoptic products that customers purchase today didn't exist 16 months ago.
Every year, we honor an employee who best represents our CIRCLe values of Customer Centricity, Innovation, Respect, Continuous Improvement, and Leadership. Matt received our Innovation Award for 2023 as a result of his legacy of introducing new products to the marketplace.
Regarding innovation and getting a product to market, Matt says it’s only 10% idea and 90% is execution.
To come up with a successful idea, he says you need three things:
- Know your customers: To provide a solution, you need to know your customers’ needs and their pain points. You must also know your internal customers, such as your sales team, because they must believe in the solution and convey the product's value.
- Be curious: If you have an idea, pull on that thread, see where it leads, and ensure your team has the margin to explore that curiosity without penalty.
- Have a bias for action: Don’t sit on an idea. Always take the next step, to further develop it.
"At Orascoptic, we created a funnel of ideas that can come from anyone in the organization, and we meet periodically to review those ideas," said Matt. "Once we decide on an idea we want to pursue, we assign a champion to lead that project and from idea to product launch.
According to Matt, a cross-functional team is assembled that uses a visual daily management system to drive toward a best-case schedule. He says that measuring and counter-measuring are critical to successful product development, just as they are in sales and manufacturing.
Of the products Orascoptic has brought to market recently, Matt is most proud of the Dragonfly™ loupe, which springboarded a rapid sequence of product introductions starting in the late fall of 2022. What differentiates the Dragonfly from other products on the market is that it’s a powered loupe with an integrated headlamp, uniquely configured for each customer segment: Dentists, hygienists, and students.
"Most clinicians who buy loupes also buy a headlamp, so it made sense to combine the two," said Matt. " It is not unlike how people used to carry a cell phone and a camera. Smartphones removed the need for most people to carry both devices. The same is true with Dragonfly loupes when it comes to magnification and illumination."
When reflecting on what his team has accomplished in the past year and a half, he says he is encouraged by their progress. "I am grateful for what we accomplished because it takes a lot of focus to bring so many products to the market in such a short period of time. I believe any team can yield the same results with the right elements, including an execution mindset and a good understanding of their customer base."
