The SGL Group – The Carbon Company – has been
awarded as one of the “Top 100” most innovative German companies in Düsseldorf on
Friday evening. This is the second consecutive year of the company’s wining the same
prize due to its excellent innovation management activities. The prize was awarded by
Lothar Späth, the mentor for Top 100 and also the former premier of the German federal
state of Baden-Württemberg. SGL Group was ranked the fifth out of 340 candidates
firms in total.
SGL Group wins this award due to its outstanding innovation management based on
the close intercommunication with academic research institutes and universities, establishment
of the innovation marketing department within the company, as well as the
company’s involving customers into innovation activities at an very early stage. Concerning
quality management, the SGL Group keeps pursuing the SIX SIGMA methodology
(Design for SIX SIGMA - DFSS).
Dr. Hariolf Kottmann, Member of the Executive Committee of SGL Group: "This award
gives us encouraging incentive to keep striving for innovations. Growth is ultimately
driven by innovation, for which reason we are working closer than ever with universities
and research institutes. This is also the purpose of our sponsoring the professorship for
carbon fibers and carbon fiber composites at the Technical University of Munich."
The SGL Group has bundled its global research and development activities, named as
“Technology & Innovation (T&I)”, at the Meitingen site (near Augsburg). The new Technology
& Innovation Center (T&I Center) has been inaugurated in Meitingen in the end
of May, where around 150 T&I experts are engaged in developing new products and
materials to enter future markets.
The annually held cross-sectional comparative study Top 100 evaluates innovation capabilities
of mid-sized German companies in five main areas: Top-Management’s support
to Innovation, innovation climate, innovative processes and organization, innovation
marketing as well as innovation success. In the last three categories, the SGL
Group (2008) ranked among top ten out of all candidates.
This comparative study “Top 100” is conducted by innovation experts of Vienna University
of Economics and Business Administration under the supervision of Professor
Nikolaus Franke.
The experts begin by assessing the innovative potential of the applicants
by means of a questionnaire and use a second questionnaire to evaluate the
central aspects of innovation management. Franke then compiles individual studying
results in a detailed benchmarking report respectively for each award-winning company.