LOGIS is one of the 100 most innovative medium-size businesses.

The company, with sales of approx. 6.5 million euros in 2007, has specialised in the development of special plastics and the machines required for processing them, and was acknowledged during the course of the “Top 100” in particular for the exemplary incorporation of marketing in the innovation process. Hence, it is absolutely inconceivable for the Heldenstein company to develop new products without the direct and early involvement of the marketing employees. Even before the development department starts their actual work, the marketing colleagues are active and prepare the first sales forecasts based on discussions and surveys with customers. In addition they initiate practical tests: Pilot customers are given new products to test under everyday conditions and in constant dialogue with LOGIS AG.

One of the most significant innovations, which LOGIS developed this way in the past three years, is the noise dampening plastic coating for truck floors and lift gates. The completely innovative product reduces the noise level, for example for night-time loading of food, by around 90% and has very high satisfaction among customers. Furthermore, the plastic experts brought six other innovative products to the market in the same time period, making up 20% of their sales. In addition, the company achieved 12% savings in 2007 through process innovations.

To receive the honour, the medium-size businesses had to successfully face a strict, two-stage process by the Business University of Vienna. Prof. Nikolous Franke rated the innovative power of the applicants and selected the best 100. Among this year’s “Top 100”, there are 49 national market leaders as well as 17 world market leaders. The results in other areas also document the exceptional position of the “Top 100”, as shown by a comparative study by the Viennese researcher. Accordingly, the “Top 100” are approximately twice as successful in their innovation success as medium-size businesses from the comparison group. They achieved 67% of their profit with innovations and innovative improvements in the last 3 years. In an equally structured sample, it was only 35%. So-called internal risk capital, i.e. money with which the employees can pursue their own innovative ideas, is available in 58% of the “Top 100” – and only 2% of the surveyed “average medium-size businesses”. “This figure impressed me greatly, even though it wasn’t a surprise. Ultimately, a certain amount risk taking is indispensible if one wants to initiate radical new products along the way and be successful,” says Prof. Franke. People at LOGIS are that much more proud to have a place in the “Top 100”, as board member Martin Haag confirms: “We are now one of the 100 most innovative companies in the German medium-size business sector. This shows us that we are on the right path.”

All 100 companies are presented in the book called “Top 100 – The 100 Most Innovative Companies in the Medium-Size Business Sector” published by Späth, as well as on the website www.top100.de. The medium-size business initiative was organised by
Überlingen’s compamedia GmbH. Altogether, 342 companies applied to “Top 100” this year. The next round of the noted medium-size business award starts in September 2008.

Mentor, project partner and scientific director
The mentor of the project is Lothar Späth. Project partners are the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V., RKW – Rationalisierungs- und Innovationszentrum der Deutschen Wirtschaft e. V., Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik (VDE) as well as the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI). The media partner is the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The scientific directorship is the duty of Prof. Nikolaus Franke from the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation of the Business University of Vienna.

The organiser: compamedia GmbH
compamedia is specialised in the organisation of benchmarking projects for medium-size businesses and the establishment of medium-size business networks. compamedia supports the innovation project “Top 100 – The 100 most innovative companies in the medium-size business sector“, the employer comparison ”Top Job – The 100 best employers in the medium-size business sector” as well as ”Ethics in Business – Forerunners of ethical action“.

The text is available in digital form at nakoinz@ compamedia.de. General artwork of the event will be available in the press area as of Saturday July 5th from
www.top100.de. Your contact person there has artwork prepared for you from award-winning companies.