Problem-Solving The Russian Way | Gateway Park hides center for problem-solving
Well, that's the type of training that Worcester's own Technical Innovation Center Inc. can offer businesses. The center, located in the biotech incubator at 100 Barber St., offers training in the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, also known as TRIZ (pronounced Treez).
Developed in Russia more than 60 years ago, its main premise is that many problems have already been solved in the past, and if you had those methods, with its 40 principles at the ready, you could solve most of the technical problems you come across.
History Repeats Itself
The theory and principles are surprising simple: there is a general principle that has already been identified, from a specific problem, which can be applied to a specific problem. Forty general principles of TRIZ were identified by a Russian beginning in the mid-1940s.
I know this sounds rather vague, but here's an example of how it works. My favorite example is the difficulty in making a certain novelty chocolate. The chocolate was shaped in small bottles and it was to be filled with syrup, which was difficult to pour into the chocolates. If the syrup was heated, it would pour better but could melt the chocolates.
By using the TRIZ principle, âchanging the state of an object's physical property,â the syrup is frozen into little bottle shapes, and then dipped in liquid chocolate. Voila, problem solved.
I could go on and on with principles and examples, but you get the idea.
Its simplicity and logic captured Richard Langevin, CEO of the Technical Innovation Center, as soon as he became familiar with it. âIt's very fascinating. It's also very rewarding to see people benefit from TRIZ problem-solving,â Langevin said.
He was smitten after answering a want ad by Lev Shulyak, a Russian engineer that wanted help translating a TRIZ manuscript by another Russian, Genrikh Altshuller. âI didn't know anything about TRIZ, but I basically followed him around after that.â
Shulyak was trying to translate the book because it helped him solve problems and within a year of reading it, he had his first patent. After designing and building concrete plants and hydropower stations in Russia, Shulyak emigrated in 1974 to Worcester, where he worked at Norton Co.
Langevin and Steven Rodman worked with Shulyak and carried on the TRIZ work following Shulyak's death in 1999. The Altshuller Institute for TRIZ Studies, which promotes TRIZ and is working on a common certificate for TRIZ trainers, is also located at the center.
The training has attracted engineers from Mexico, Singapore Turkey and other countries, but Langevin's biggest frustration is that over the years he can't seem to interest many local companies in the training.
âYou have to be open to suggestions and be willing to try to think a little differently,â Langevin said.
The training certainly seems to work for the Turkish engineers the center trained. Overall, they've trained 75 engineers at multiple levels of TRIZ knowledge, and they have developed more than 50 new patents for an array of appliances like washers, dryers and refrigerators.
âThere's always a more efficient way for these to operate and to make them,â Langevin said.
Of course he doesn't mean American firms don't use TRIZ. The center has trained several engineers from integrated circuit chipmaker Intel Corp.'s Hudson plant, and Intel has its own internal TRIZ division. Intel also presented several papers on TRIZ at the 10th anniversary TRIZ conference, which was organized and sponsored by the Altshuller Institute.
Ford Motor Co. has also used TRIZ, mostly to improve the quality of some of their car components, and it has also been adopted by other major companies like HP, Motorola and Siemens.
But Langevin also thinks it would have a big effect on the many technological, scientific and biotechnology companies in Worcester and surrounding communities.
âTo survive, problem-solving is an important skill to have to round out your life.â
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