You are here :

CEO Speak

Technology is there to help us, make our lives easier and more productive. Philips is committed to delivering products and solutions that are easy to experience, advanced and designed around you. We keep it simple for you, no matter how advanced the technology.

Alexius Collette

“We PICians, are proud to be a part of the global Philips Innovative Network, contributing significantly to the Philips brand promise of “Sense & Sensibility.” We add value to our business partners through our innovations based on superior domain competence, creativity & well oiled processes. My enjoyment lies in supporting all PICians to be successful- from a fresh engineer to a seasoned expert. I do put in a lot of energy, but it doesn’t feel like that way because “my” PICians energize me everyday.”


1. What sort of global R&D work do you do at Philips Innovation Campus in Bangalore for your parent Royal Philips?
The Philips Innovation Campus (PIC) was established in August 1996, with the objective of meeting the growing need for high-quality, cost-effective software development capacity within the Philips organization. With the expertise of about 1000 of the finest professionals, we develop software solutions and products which are integrated into hardware products for the Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting sectors. We are an Innovation Hub, like an airport we are connected to many R&D centers across the world; we are seen as their colleagues. We play key roles in the early part of the Innovation process (roadmap and concept development) as well in the delivery of building blocks and applications.

2. Globally your focus has shifted to consumer lifestyle, healthcare and lighting. How does this impact the R&D work at PIC?
In line with ‘Vision 2010’, we will aim to fuel growth through sharpened strategies for Healthcare and Lighting and an integrated approach to Consumer Lifestyle. The new composition will simplify the organizational structure. PIC will align itself to this structure and undertake R&D to develop high-end customer-centric products for the market. The shift of focus to Consumer Lifestyle, Healthcare and Lighting has enabled us to concentrate more on the end-user. This is the premise in the ‘Sense and Simplicity’ brand promise. The products are designed around the customer’s needs with the use of advanced technology and the ease of experience.

3. How many patents does PIC, Bangalore has to its name till date? Do these patents generate revenue besides being used at Philips?
PIC is a highly active organization in the research arena not only in India, but the world over. As already mentioned, we also patent our products and inventions. We have filed for over 376 patents. We already have got 80 patents. These patents provide the base support for our products. Apart from that, they also get us license income, which is managed globally.

4. Innovation is the biggest driver in today's competitive scenario. How do you nurture and drive innovation at PIC?
We at Philips believe strongly in the ‘Sense and Simplicity’ statement. We aim at percolating this statement up to the grass root levels of our organization. There are various initiatives that we take in this regard. The ‘Simplicity Day’ and the ‘Innovation Day’ at our organization are examples for breeding innovation at Philips. The ‘Simplicity Day’, celebrated on November 15, is an effort from our end to incorporate simplicity at the grass root level. The ‘Innovation Day’ at Philips was a two day program held at the Philips Innovation Campus in Bangalore on October 15-16, 2007. The Innovation Day 2007 was recognition of the ideas that are incubated at the Philips Innovation Campus. Each of these days serves its purpose of fuelling innovation while keeping in mind the ‘simplicity’ factor. We encourage our employees to come up with innovative ideas to us that may be implemented in our products. There is also the Technology Innovation Management Team which drives the Innovation Culture by various activities: technical symposia with in- and external speakers, patent workshops, conference papers, Innovation Exhibition, idea generation, training (a.o. venturing, creative thinking) and leadership. Thus, we encourage innovation with simplicity at the grass root level itself.

5.What products has PIC developed for the local market?
PIC is an international organization set up in Bangalore. We develop world class products with the Indian market in mind. More importantly, we develop it for the Indian markets too. We have started to work on products for the emerging markets next to our global delivery. Perhaps, one of the most successful products of Philips, the water purifier has been completely indigenously developed. It has been developed keeping in mind the local market requirements, yet it is world class. The Set Top Box (STB) is another product that has been developed for the local markets by us. There are many more products that are in the pipeline.

6. What is the difference between a firm like PIC and other outsourcing companies?
Firstly, PIC is a dedicated centre for innovation across verticals for Royal Philips Electronics, the parent company. The primary beneficiary for our patents is Royal Philips Electronics. We are not an outsourcing center, but a key competence center integrated and respected in the Philips Innovation and business community. Through our domain competence and use of advanced technology, we contribute in the profitable growth of Philips.