It’s Not All About Digital, Take It Away Sir Dyson

‘Young people need confidence to be inventive and the support to be bold’. Not our words, but those of Sir James Dyson – he might just have a point… He’s famous for bag-less vacuum cleaners and extremely good hand driers, he also happens to be a man of great wisdom. Sir James Dyson, the inventor genius, is the epitome of an innovator in every sense – bold, daring, persevering and extremely forward thinking. So when Mr Dyson speaks about how business can move forward through innovation, his words carry credence more than most. One of Britain’s most successful ever inventors, Dyson is a legend and a perfect example of a talented risk taker succeeding. As Dyson himself said: “Investing in the new and unproven is a risk; I found that out myself, having launched new technology during one of the worst recessions. Eighteen years on, we’re thriving – last year we were the second highest filer of patents in the UK after Rolls-Royce”. But as Dyson points out, the problem is that inventiveness isn’t being encouraged in modern Britain. The quick fix mentality that has crept in means that the chances of finding a new maverick like Dyson are few and far between. The proposed ‘silicon roundabout‘ is sure to boost the tech industry, but have we forgotten that innovation doesn’t begin and end in the digital sphere? “Hands and brains can offer us pole position in engineering, creating and exporting. The government is right to take measures to cut the deficit: it’s essential for putting the economy back on track. But it needs to demonstrate an ambition to help business grow and nurture talented young minds, which are imperative for the economy to thrive once again”. Dyson, as ever, is right – today’s world is a digital one, but we would be foolish to forget that engineering and making Britain a large exporter of physical goods is a sure way of easing financial woes. In a tough economic climate, isn’t that an important thing to try and achieve… What do you think? Have we all suddenly become Internet and digital mad at the expense of engineering? Let us know your thoughts…