Creativity and ideation within industrial design, when applied to productive contexts, can be key for regional businebes looking to achieve product differentiation and competition in the globalized marketplace. The Bío-Bío region of Chile is recognized as a major manufacturing centre, historically known for its production and manufacturing industries. Nonetheleb, the degree to which creativity and ideation are incorporated into industrial design in the development of new products is largely unknown. The present preliminary study, which surveys 17 manufacturing businebes in the region, demonstrates that while on a regional level creativity and ideation are present throughout product development, these practices often manifest as a result of external demands from clients or competition and do not necebarily form part of an integrated and proactive strategy for innovation. The present analysis identifies the lack of integration of creativity and ideation within industrial design, particularly in the context of regional production.