We have received the TOP 100 seal of approval for the second time and have once again been recognised as a particularly innovative, medium-sized company.
On behalf of compamedia, the organiser of the competition, innovation researcher Prof. Dr Nikolaus Franke from the Vienna University of Economics and Business and his team examined the innovative strength of all participants on the basis of more than 100 criteria from five categories: Innovation-promoting top management, innovation climate, innovative processes and organisation, external orientation/open innovation and innovation success. “Are the companies able to create new products, new services, new processes and new business models? And are these achievements just coincidences or the result of a structured and targeted approach? These are the questions we analyse at TOP 100,” says Nikolaus Franke, explaining his approach to the review. It is also important how and whether innovations and product improvements have been able to establish themselves on the market (further information on the test criteria can be found at www.top100.de/pruefkriterien). We were already rewarded for our special innovative strength in 2021 and have since been able to measure further innovation successes, for which we have now been honoured once again.
Our innovations
Over the past two years in particular, we have made impressive progress in the area of sustainability, which represents not just growth, but a true transformation. “The creation of the position of sustainability manager, our membership of the WINCharta, our presence on the Sedex platform and the SilverScore we achieved with EcoVadis are clear evidence of our commitment. The promotion of biodiversity on our company premises and our cooperation with BUND Nordschwarzwald also emphasise our commitment to environmental protection,” says Martin Bruttel.
The jurors also rated the increase in work-life balance very favourably. “In times of a shortage of skilled workers, increasing the work-life balance was at the centre of our innovation efforts. We have implemented wage and salary increases, reduced the working week to 37.5 hours and increased the number of holiday days to 30. The employee profit-sharing scheme introduced in 2016 also underlines our endeavours to continuously improve the quality of life of our employees,” says Mike Günther.
To ensure equal opportunities, the TOP 100 seal is awarded in three size categories: up to 50, 51 to 200 and more than 200 employees. In the 31st edition of the innovation competition, 388 SMEs applied for the award. 287 were successful and have carried the TOP 100 seal since 1 February 2024. 100 companies can be awarded per size category.
On 28 June, all of the top innovators of the year 2024 will gather at the “congress centrum weimarhalle” for the award ceremony as part of the German SME Summit. Ranga Yogeshwar will be there to personally congratulate them on their TOP 100 success.
TOP 100: the competition
Since 1993, compamedia has been awarding the TOP 100 seal for special innovative strength and above-average innovation success to medium-sized companies. Prof Dr Nikolaus Franke has been the scientific director since 2002. Franke is the founder and director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. With 26 research prizes and over 200 publications, he is one of the leading innovation researchers internationally. The mentor of TOP 100 is the science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar. Project partners are the Fraunhofer Society for the Promotion of Applied Research and the BVMW association of small and medium-sized enterprises. The magazines manager magazin and impulse accompany the company comparison as media partners, ZEIT für Unternehmer is a co-operation partner. More information and registration at www.top100.de.
