Innovation and progress are firmly rooted in the corporate culture of ebm-papst, the leading fan and motor manufacturer headquartered in Mulfingen. This has just been officially recognized with the TOP 100-Award 2021. This long-standing award (in its 28^th year) honors particularly innovative medium-sized companies. ebm-papst had passed their scientific selection procedure gauging innovative strength with flying colors.

With the TOP 100 competition, innovation researchers took a very close look at the company from Baden-Wurttemberg and applied about 120 assessment criteria in 5 categories: Innovation-fostering top management, innovation climate, innovative processes und organization, external orientation/open innovation and innovation success. At the core of this research is the question whether innovations are the result of a planned approach or accidental, i.e. the reproducibility of innovative performance. A side question is also if and how relevant solutions succeed and prevail in the market. Due to the present situation, there was a special part in the competition examining the corporate response to the corona crisis. In light of their instant and comprehensive corona management, ebm-papst has already been hailed as shining and positive example numerous times. 

“Apart from competitiveness, a company’s sustainability is of vital importance. Using our newly implemented technology and innovation management (TIM), each member of staff can share new ideas and thus shape and influence the future of the company”, says Dr. Stephan Arnold, ebm-papst Group Director R&D / Purchasing. “Involving everybody allows us to take a transparent, broader and comprehensive view, fostering and boosting new innovations and product solutions.”

On top of a comprehensive and stringent innovation process, a product portfolio getting more and more efficient is of equally vital importance. Proof of their technological leadership is the patents registered by ebm-papst which, according to the data analysis company Patent Sight, have been increasing in number for years holds and the quality of which is far above average. In the last business year, ebm-papst invested about € 110 million in R&D.

ebm-papst also focuses on digitization and all the innovation opportunities this offers. They do so, for instance, with their start-up ebm-papst neo GmbH & Co. KG, which started as think tank in the autumn of 2017 and which no is in charge of developing, supporting and launching data-driven solutions and new business models in the markets. Those solutions are, for instance, used in monitoring air quality in buildings. ebm-papst neo is located at the  Technologiezentrum Dortmund.

On 26 November 2021, all winners in this year’s TOP 100 will meet to at the 7^th Summit of German Medium-Sized Companies in Ludwigsburg where Ranga Yogeshwar will present the awards. Throughout the last 10 years, the science journalist has been supporting the innovation competition as a mentor.