Only creative companies with vision and a feeling for new ideas make it into the ranks of the top 100 most innovative SMEs. An outstanding climate of innovation has ensured that Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau came top in the category of the same name. The Top 100 seal of approval and the category winner's trophy was presented by Lothar Späth, the project mentor, in the Baltic resort of Warnemünde.
'It takes two to tango' is the motto of Peter Huber, the firm's founder and keen tango dancer, and reflects the company's attitude of partnership. It systematically drives forward new ideas through its international users' club and by working closely with universities.
‘We avoid rigid working structures and consciously foster spontaneity within the innovation process’ is how managing director Daniel Huber describes the recipe for this innovative company's success. The Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration also stressed that the corporate culture at this leading international specialist in dynamic temperature control is extremely conducive to innovation, adding that around 90% of its revenue is generated by innovative products.
A family-owned company, Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau organises regular team-building events for its staff of 220, a motivational measure for generating new ideas in a collaborative spirit. It has proven extremely worthwhile, as 80% of suggestions are implemented and staff are rewarded with bonuses.
‘The high degree of self-motivation and creativity among employees show that there is a genuine climate of innovation and not one that is imposed from above,’ commented Top 100 panel member and strategic adviser Professor Roland Berger, the founder of the global management consultancy Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and of the Roland Berger Foundation.
Over a period of several months, the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration scrutinised the innovative capabilities of 272 small and medium-sized German firms, Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau among them. The 100 best companies bear the Top 100 seal of approval for one year.
‘Creative ideas and fresh thinking are more than a means of increasing revenue for us; we are passionate about our business, and we want to make a difference. We are proud to have been awarded this prize and it proves that working as a team pays off,’ said managing director Joachim Huber.
The 100 SMEs who were awarded the seal of approval in 2011 generated total revenue of €11.2bn last year. In 2010 alone, 769 German and 1,865 international patents were registered. Forty-eight of the 100 companies are top in their respective sector in Germany, and 19 are global market leaders. In the past three years, 88 of the 100 award-winning firms grew faster than the average for their respective sector – by an average of around 16%.
