Materials to boost companies innovation. Systemic production network and technological crossbreed

The origin of resources and location of suppliers and manufacturers are key elements in environmental sustainability. Equally important are the potential new areas of application and the development of further production. The aim of this article is to investigate how designers can help manufacturing companies providing sustainable solutions that envisage a future beyond processes, by considering the complexity of a territory and its production system. The creation of “zero-km” contacts network among companies, dealers, producers and suppliers could be useful for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in order to improve their production in a sustainable way. Moreover, developing new products and investigating on new potentialities of the currently produced series drive manufacturing companies towards (eco) innovation. Doing so through envisioning unconventional interpretations for materials, semi-finished products and components alike, through technological crossbreed. This is the direction through which material libraries should seek to progress: in fact on the one hand today’s materials and production/finishing processes are smart and encase performance and functionalities that require complex systems. On the other hand the origin of resources and localization of local suppliers and manufacturers are key elements when it comes to environmental sustainability. The article presents an analysis of the potentialities of material libraries and the activity of an academic material library, conceived not only as an archive but also as a support to boost companies’ innovation management. In this last case, the support offered to firms is characterized by a strong design slant and ensures the methodologies and principles of Eco-Design, Exploring Design and Advanced Design (ADD) paths: following these methodologies, solutions related to firms productive district are defined, taking into consideration materials/semi-finished products that can be renewed by transferring them to different manufacturing cycles. In material libraries the designer’s role is to transform the intangible aspects associated with territorial and technological dimensions into tangible solutions. This article will present case studies of SMEs working in different fields, which started to produce new objects and updated their production using new materials and semi-finished products.