Overview
In 2019, Birla Carbon launched “Share the Idea,” its global innovation journey designed to build a culture of innovation that would empower employees, enhance problem-solving, and support long-term business resilience.
Since then, the company has expanded its innovation capabilities into a global program. Structured methods, collaborative tools, and strong internal champions have helped turn employee ideas into measurable improvements. In 2024, this progress was recognized with an InnoLead Impact Award, honoring the organization's success in integrating innovation across teams, geographies, and business units.
The Goal
Birla Carbon set out to make innovation part of its everyday operations, driven by employees in every region and function. The goal was to create a repeatable system that supported problem-solving at the local level while contributing to global business priorities.
“Innovation is a way of thinking how we look at the world differently and it enables us to think of challenges as opportunities. We are then able to get past the biases that we all engender that prevent us from doing things differently, in the process. With synergies in our skill sets and capabilities, innovation is truly boundless for us as a global business. The goal of innovation for our business is to inspire and empower individuals to think differently, which eventually would instill a culture of innovation at Birla Carbon in the years to come.”
– John Loudermilk, President and Chief Executive Officer, Birla Carbon
The Initiative
In June 2022, the company hosted its first Birla International Innovation Gathering (BiiG). More than 120 employees came together to build innovation capabilities and bring new energy to their local sites.
To support the initiative, Birla Carbon partnered with:
- Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT), who introduced structured methodologies that helped teams approach challenges from new angles
- HYPE Innovation, who provided the digital platform to manage idea capture, evaluation, and execution across the organization
These efforts helped build internal capacity for innovation while enabling greater visibility and collaboration across teams.
“Our partnership with HYPE has been instrumental in scaling innovation across Birla Carbon. Their platform gave us the structure to connect people, ideas, and execution, turning local momentum into global impact.”
– Maria DaSilva, Innovation Project Coordinator, Birla Carbon
The Rollout
To maintain momentum after BiiG, Birla Carbon launched an Innovation Roadshow in July 2022. This hands-on initiative brought training and ideation activities directly to frontline employees:
Innovation Learning Days
Global Reach
Leadership Support
“The roadshow made innovation real for people. It signaled that leadership was listening—and that employees had both the permission and support to drive meaningful change.”
– Caitlin Lawrence, Manager of Training & Development Innovation, Birla Carbon
The Results
The outcomes have been both strategic and tangible:
- 14 ideas activated through the roadshow, including 7 fully implemented and 7 in development, contributing to a total of 61 ideas implemented across Birla Carbon’s global innovation program
- $71,070 in cost savings achieved in five months through a logistics project at the Korea plant that increased container load capacity for specialty products by 9%
- $42,147 in projected annual savings from replacing over 150,000 single-use plastic bottles at the Brazil site
- 22 volunteer Innovation Ambassadors and a certified cohort of Innovation Coaches (iCoaches) established, ensuring sustained innovation at the local level. iCoaches have led over 70 ideation sessions focused on sustainability, safety, operational excellence, quality, and DEI
- 500+ employees engaged across global sites, with growing ownership of innovation at the local level
These cumulative results reflect the strength of the program’s foundation. More recently, Birla Carbon has continued to scale its efforts.
In fiscal year 2025, Birla Carbon continued to scale its innovation efforts:
- 300 employees submitted more than 600 ideas, including 100 generated through iCoach sessions
- 120+ employees participated in the evaluation process
- 80 employees contributed to innovation projects across all functional areas
- 28 ideas were fully executed, with 23 more in development
The Final Word
From its roots in “Share the Idea” to a global network of empowered problem-solvers, Birla Carbon’s innovation journey demonstrates what’s possible when strategy, systems, and people align.
By investing in employee capability, partnering effectively, and linking innovation to sustainability, Birla Carbon has built an enterprise-wide innovation engine that delivers meaningful and measurable impact.
“This isn’t a short-term initiative. It’s a long-term journey grounded in a mindset shift. With support from HYPE, we’re integrating innovation into how we work—everywhere, every day.”
– Caitlin Lawrence
Key Questions to Ask Your Employees
Discover the best questions to engage your employees, spark meaningful ideas, and turn workplace insights into impactful innovation.
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