Letting go of the old and daring to try something new: innovative companies like the Lenze Group from Hameln are not afraid of change, but rather see it as an opportunity. With this credo, the automation specialist convinced the top-class jury of the renowned TOP 100 innovation award. Since 19.06.2020 the company can now officially call itself Top 100 Innovator. Lenze impressed particularly in the categories "Innovative Processes and Organization" and "External Orientation/Open Innovation" in a scientific selection process.

All over the world, machine builders are looking for ways and means to accelerate the development cycles of their machines, to reduce production costs and at the same time increase their flexibility, availability and transparency. Machine operators are interested in making machine maintenance more predictable and operation as intuitive as possible. There is also no way around the Internet of Things. This increases the complexity of automation, which Lenze makes controllable with its range of hardware, software and "brainware", namely its own experts. Digital innovations are essential here, and Lenze is also strategically oriented towards them - which was one of the decisive points for receiving the award Top 100 Innovator.

Pioneer for digital transformation

Lenze-CEO Christian Wendler says: "A unique selling point and competitive advantage that is important for the Lenze Group is our focus on digital innovations. For us, thought leadership means shaping digital transformation from within and not by means of disruptive incubators detached from the corporate core". In 2018, the company bundled its expertise in this area in the new "Lenze Digital" division. In the young innovation lab DOCK ONE in Bremen, an interdisciplinary team of IT specialists is working on digitization ideas for the Smart Factory using artificial intelligence.

Smart innovation management, continuous investment in research and partnership-based cooperation with customers and in association with science, industry and politics - this triad sums up the path Lenze has taken and has now resulted in being awarded innovation champions.

TOP 100: the award

Since 1993, the TOP 100 seal for special innovative strength and above-average innovation success has been awarded to medium-sized companies. Since 2002, the scientific direction has been in the hands of Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke. Franke is founder and director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. Mentor of TOP 100 is the science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar. Project partners are the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for the promotion of applied research and the BVMW. As media partners, manager magazin, impulse and W&V accompany the company comparison. More information at www.top100.de