Überlingen – The Eisenberg-based Gienanth Group has made it into the TOP 100 in the 26th year of the innovation competition. It will receive its award on 28 June from competition mentor Ranga Yogeshwar, TOP 100 coordinator Professor Nikolaus Franke and compamedia at Frankfurt’s Jahrhunderthalle events venue. TOP 100 uses a rigorous process of analysis to assess how SMEs manage innovation. Gienanth, which has 880 employees in Germany and just under 1,400 worldwide, particularly impressed the independent panel of judges with its successful innovations.
Gienanth is the oldest industrial company in the Palatinate region of south-west Germany and produces engine blocks and a wide range of engineering and automotive parts. The iron works, established in 1735, acquired the foundry SLR Austria and its two subsidiaries on 1 September 2018, consolidating its position on the international market.
The acquisition of the Austrian group expands Gieganth’s offering, which now includes automated cast iron production in horizontal flask mouldings and greater expertise in cast iron reworking. "This step has opened up new markets for us and increased our competitiveness," says CEO Dr Hans-Jürgen Brenninger.
The company’s competitive advantage lies in the ongoing development of cutting-edge products and processes. This unique innovation-process is manifested in Gienanth’s corporate culture and is pushing continuously new ideas. One of its most recent inventions is a fully automated and fully networked wire feeding system for molten iron treatment. This allows for a range of materials to be added to the molten iron. What sets this intelligent system apart is its ability to determine when and how much alloying element to add.
The TOP 100 competition
Since 1993, compamedia has been awarding the Top 100 seal of approval to SMEs with a particular ability to innovate and above-average success rates for innovations. Professor Nikolaus Franke has coordinated the project since 2002, and is the founder and director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. The TOP 100 is mentored by science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar and organised in partnership with the Fraunhofer Society for the Promotion of Applied Research and the German Association for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (BVMW). Media support for the company benchmarking competition is provided by manager magazin, Impulse, and W&V. Further information is available at www.top100-germany.com.
