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1. within the automotive supply industry, Swoboda passed a rigorous selection process and was counted among the top innovators for the first time. The company has made a name for itself in particular as a specialist manufacturer of sub-assemblies based on metal-plastic components, sensors and actuators. “Our products make mobility safer, more comfortable and more energy-efficient,” said Dr. Klaus Skrobanek, Chief Technology Officer at Swoboda. Innovation plays a particularly important role at the family company, which has a presence in three continents and six countries. “Our development team has a global network and works very closely with our customers to create the innovations of tomorrow,” added Skrobanek. Swoboda has already built up over 75 years of experience and renown in the various segments of the automobile industry. “We see the TOP 100 innovation award as recognition of the fact that we have been successfully helping the automotive industry to transition to electric mobility, autonomous driving and connectivity for years. That’s why all large automobile manufacturers (OEM) and suppliers come to us,” said Christian Göser, Chief Sales Officer at Swoboda.

Selection criteria

On behalf of compamedia, the organizer of the competition, the innovation researcher Prof. Nikolaus Franke from the Vienna University of Economics and Business and his team evaluated the innovativeness of all the contenders based on over 100 criteria across five categories: pro-innovation senior management, culture of innovation, innovative processes and organization, public-facing stance/open innovation and success in innovation. “Are the companies able to create new products, new services, new processes and new business models? And are these achievements down to coincidence or the result of a structured and purposeful approach? These are the questions we investigate at the TOP 100,” Nikolaus Franke said of his evaluation process. He also stressed the importance of whether and how it would be possible for new developments and product improvements to succeed on the market (for more information on the evaluation criteria, please see www.top100.de/pruefkriterien).

On June 28, all the top innovators of 2024 will gather in the “congress centrum weimarhalle” for the award ceremony as part of the German Mid-Size Business Summit (Deutscher Mittelstands-Summit), where Ranga Yogeshwar will congratulate the TOP 100 in person on their success.

For more information go to www.top100.de.