AIT WINS TOP 100 INNOVATION AWARD – INNOVATIONS FOR A BETTER CLIMATE

Excellent innovation work: ait-deutschland GmbH from Kasendorf in Upper Franconia has won the 29th round of the TOP 100 competition as a top innovator. For this, it has been awarded the TOP 100 Seal 2022. This award is only given to particularly innovative, medium-sized companies. On June 24, ait-deutschland will additionally be honored in person for these achievements by the competition's mentor, science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar.

At the heart of the TOP 100 innovation competition is a scientific selection process that all participants must undergo. Innovation researcher Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke and his team examined ait-deutschland on the basis of more than 100 innovation indicators from five categories: Top Management Promoting Innovation, Innovation Climate, Innovative Processes and Organization, External Orientation/Open Innovation and Innovation Success.

ait-deutschland made it into the top 100 at the first attempt. The company has made a name for itself in heat pumps, with its alpha innotec and NOVELAN brands, and in cooling systems with KKT chillers. The on-site Technology Center underscores ait's innovative strength and technological market leadership. All current requirements for testing and inspection of heating, cooling and ventilation equipment as well as chillers are bundled here - for short distances and close networking.

"We are really proud of this award. Innovations are part of our corporate DNA and we promote and support them throughout. Our innovative products and processes enable us to forge strategic partnerships and conquer new markets," says a delighted Managing Director Sjacco van de Sande.

Innovation has many faces at ait-deutschland: In addition to the Research & Development (R&D) department, for example, the new digitalization department acts as an interdisciplinary interface for internal teams as well as with external partners, networks and users. Through this, business processes and products are constantly optimized and customers and the company are networked with each other.

"This award not only measures innovation success, but also the potential that lies within our company. And it is precisely this potential that we, together with our employees and customers, want to exploit," says Marco Roßmerkel, Managing Director at ait-deutschland. "That's why we are also investing in our future with the regional site expansion in Thurnau."

"How focused is a company on innovation? How consistently do its structures follow this goal? At TOP 100, we examine this," explains Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke, the

scientific director of TOP 100. "The most innovative SMEs receive the seal. It shows that they are excellently equipped to meet future challenges."

There will be a second cause for celebration on June 24, when the top innovators of the 2022 cohort will gather in Frankfurt am Main for the award ceremony at the German SME Summit to receive congratulations from Ranga Yogeshwar. The science journalist has been mentoring the innovation competition for eleven years.

TOP 100: THE COMPETITION:

Since 1993, compamedia has been awarding the TOP 100 seal of approval to medium-sized companies for special innovative strength and above-average innovation success. Since 2002, scientific management has been in the hands of Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke. Franke is the founder and director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. With 25 research awards and over 200 publications, he is one of the leading innovation researchers internationally. The mentor of TOP 100 is 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 magazines manager magazin and impulse accompany the company comparison as media partners. More information and registration under www.top100.de.

More information as well as general photo material on the TOP 100 competition can be found on the Internet at www.top100.de/presse or by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. For more information on the award-winning company ait-deutschland, please contact Katrin Hendrich.