Manufacturing industries are characterised by large fixed items of capital equipment. Transport and many public services have substantial infrastructure. This paper asks how innovation takes place once new plants have been built and investment in civils has taken place. Stretch is the mechanism by which established items of capital equipment incorporates improvements in process and product technology and make higher output and new products as a result.

A taxonomy of “stretch” is proposed looking at five inter-related features: improved intensity of hardware use through experience and better maintenance; system wide effects of improvements in feedstock and downstream processing; “bolt-on goodies” and physical reconstruction of existing plants; and quality enhancement and new products. Intensity of use encompasses familiar learning effects, but also enhanced maintenance. The concept has wide application across process industries, manufacturing, transport and services. From a theoretical point of view stretch is the expression of evolutionary problem solving.