in the case of HPM, the managing director estimates that about 30 percent of input to new ideas comes from “bouncing ideas around and innovating ideas in the think tank environment of the one-hour daily management meeting each morning each morning.” This process is supported by site visits by executives to international fairs and exhibitions like those in Hannover and Washington, and talking to other manufacturers worldwide that are producing similar product ranges. Rather than copied, these are used to stimulate thought processes as input to HPM’s own innovation. Benchmarking with selected companies is conducted for technology reasons and not for efficiency comparisons, as is the usual basis for competitive benchmarking Since