PINK GmbH Thermosysteme has impressed the TOP 100 jury: the panel voted the medium-sized company from Wertheim near Würzburg “Innovator of the Year” in size category B (51 to 200 employees in Germany). This puts PINK in first place in this class. Ranga Yogeshwar congratulated the company on winning the title at the German SME Summit in Mainz on Friday, June 27. The science journalist accompanied the TOP 100 innovation competition, which was held for the 32nd time, as a mentor.

Do innovations just happen by chance or are they the result of structured innovation management? This question is at the heart of the TOP 100 innovation competition. 262 out of 364 medium-sized participants, including PINK Thermosysteme, successfully completed the selection process led by innovation researcher Professor Nikolaus Franke and received the TOP 100 seal of approval on February 1 (maximum 100 per size category). The top three SMEs in each of the three size categories then went through to an additional selection round. The TOP 100 jury, made up of well-known personalities from politics, the media, science and business, then selected the “Innovator of the Year” for each size category, i.e. the first-place winner. The title was officially awarded at the German SME Summit in the Rheingoldhalle in Mainz.

In size category B (51 to 200 employees in Germany), the panel chose PINK Thermosysteme. In its statement, the jury wrote:

“Since its foundation in 1979, the family-owned company PINK GmbH Thermosysteme has developed from a metal construction company into a leading global supplier of vacuum brazing, sintering, low-pressure plasma and vacuum drying technologies. PINK develops, designs and manufactures high-precision systems that are used by leading companies in the automotive, semiconductor, electronics, battery, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The consistent innovation orientation of Managing Director Andrea Pink, whose management style is characterized by a high degree of market proximity, entrepreneurial courage and a clear focus on values, has played a major role in this.

The company’s customers face major technological and economic challenges: In the high-tech production of semiconductors and power electronics, the highest quality standards are essential, while at the same time manufacturers must achieve high throughput rates in order to remain competitive in mass production. In battery cell and semiconductor production, the efficiency of the systems used determines the production costs and therefore the competitiveness of customers. PINK meets the increasing demands of its customers with modular and innovative solutions. The company combines technological leadership with efficiency by first developing prototypes and then producing series systems. This minimizes customers’ risks in the mass production of their products and enables PINK to offer high-quality process solutions.

PINK offers its employees an innovation-friendly environment that encourages creative solutions, but also demands high standards of confidentiality and technological excellence. This includes creating scope for employees to develop their own ideas. The three-time TOP 100 company can be characterized by an agile and hands-on innovation climate, which is characterized by direct collaboration and fast decision-making processes. Another defining feature is the value-oriented management, which has been systematically developed in recent years, for example with the development of clear core values that are anchored throughout the company.”

TOP 100: the competition

Since 1993, compamedia has been awarding the TOP 100 seal for special innovative strength and above-average innovation success to medium-sized companies. The scientific management has been in the hands of Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke since 2002. Franke is the founder and director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. With 27 research awards and over 200 publications, he is one of the leading innovation researchers internationally. The 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 association of small and medium-sized enterprises. The magazine manager magazin accompanies the company comparison as a media partner, the magazine “ZEIT für Unternehmer” as a cooperation partner. More information and registration at www.top100.de.