Letting go of the old and daring to try something new: Innovative medium-sized companies like Venjakob Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG from Rheda-Wiedenbrück are not afraid of change, but see it as an opportunity. This is how the company convinced in the 27th round of the TOP 100 innovation competition. Venjakob Maschinenbau will officially be among the TOP 100 from 19 June. In the scientific selection process, the company impressed in the size class C (more than 200 employees), especially in the category "Innovative Processes and Organisation". Venjakob Maschinenbau is among the top innovators for the second time.
Staying on the ball - this is the principle that Christian Nüßer, the commercial director, was taught early on. "Drive innovation - my father always taught me that", reports Nüßer, who is the third generation of the Venjakob family to run the Westphalian company. And the father also advised the son: "Be careful that you don't go like Nokia or Kodak. They had great products in the drawer, but didn't put them on the market." In order to find out which innovations are in demand, the TOP 100 company focuses on the problems of its customers, compares them with its own repertoire, considers which machines can be modified - or constructs something completely new if necessary. What matters to the two-time top innovator is not the technical optimization of individual tools, but the improvement of the process itself.
The special-purpose machine builder sees himself as a consultant to his customers, and he supports them in improving their own processes. "This is not only about faster, higher, further, but often also about the question of how processes can be simplified and streamlined," explains technical managing director Rudolf Eickhoff. Innovations close to the customer - with this strategy, new developments are brought to market immediately and do not gather dust in the drawer.
TOP 100: the competition
Since 1993, compamedia has been awarding the TOP 100 seal of approval for special innovative strength and above-average innovation success to medium-sized companies. Since 2002, the scientific management has been in the hands of Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Fran-ke. Franke is founder and chairman of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. 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. As media partners, manager magazin, impulse and W&V accompany the company comparison. More information is available at www.top100.de.
Staying on the ball - this is the principle that Christian Nüßer, the commercial director, was taught early on. "Drive innovation - my father always taught me that", reports Nüßer, who is the third generation of the Venjakob family to run the Westphalian company. And the father also advised the son: "Be careful that you don't go like Nokia or Kodak. They had great products in the drawer, but didn't put them on the market." In order to find out which innovations are in demand, the TOP 100 company focuses on the problems of its customers, compares them with its own repertoire, considers which machines can be modified - or constructs something completely new if necessary. What matters to the two-time top innovator is not the technical optimization of individual tools, but the improvement of the process itself.
The special-purpose machine builder sees himself as a consultant to his customers, and he supports them in improving their own processes. "This is not only about faster, higher, further, but often also about the question of how processes can be simplified and streamlined," explains technical managing director Rudolf Eickhoff. Innovations close to the customer - with this strategy, new developments are brought to market immediately and do not gather dust in the drawer.
TOP 100: the competition
Since 1993, compamedia has been awarding the TOP 100 seal of approval for special innovative strength and above-average innovation success to medium-sized companies. Since 2002, the scientific management has been in the hands of Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Fran-ke. Franke is founder and chairman of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. 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. As media partners, manager magazin, impulse and W&V accompany the company comparison. More information is available at www.top100.de.
