The winners were honored in Karlsruhe on June 22, 2017. David Kehler, Head of Sales Germany at ebm-papst, accepted the prize on behalf of his company, saying "We’re very pleased about this prize. Trust is no accident. Trust has to be earned through hard work, and for us it also means a commitment to keep giving our customers the best quality and service." Kehler succeeded Alfred Müller in April. Special voting process The assessment process took a new approach. The judges had to be qualified to vote to ensure that manufacturers were excluded from judging. Only customers, equipment manufacturers, energy consultants, planners and operators could vote. All told, 536 judges provided 25,600 assessments in 14 product categories. About the Trust Award The judging for awards is traditionally based on assessments of products, systems or design, but not of customer satisfaction. The Trust Award goes further, addressing questions about the quality of advice or about service and recommendations. Recommendations mean trust in companies and their products and employees. The award was created by cci Dialog GmbH, a provider of specialist information services in Karlsruhe.