This year, ETO MAGNETIC GmbH is receiving the coveted TOP 100 seal of approval for the second time. The mid-sized company, founded in 1948, produces actuators and sensors that are particularly sought-after in the automotive industry. In the field of commercial vehicles in particular, all roads lead to this top innovator: virtually every prominent truck manufacturer uses ETO MAGNETIC products. As well as its headquarters in Stockach, Baden-Württemberg, the mid-sized company also has other branches in Vaihingen an der Enz and in Nuremberg. It also has a further five sites in Europe, Asia and North America.
To compete with businesses from the Far East, the company focuses heavily on basic research. “Our growth is based on new ideas and not on low wages,” says CEO Dr Michael Schwabe. Accordingly, the top innovator invests an eight-figure sum every year in developing new technologies. This has proved to be a successful approach: ETO MAGNETIC currently holds a total of 97 national and 126 international patents. The company has made a real breakthrough with its Magnetoshape technology. This new type of shape-memory alloy reduces the response time and power consumption of electronic drives many times over. The signs point to growth for the future as well: the company currently has 1,275 employees at the Stockach site and 2,160 employees worldwide. By the end of 2018, this number is expected to have risen by another 300.
TOP 100: the competition
Since 1993, compamedia has been awarding the TOP 100 seal to mid-sized companies for special innovative strength and above-average success in innovation. Since 2002, the scientific leadership has been held by Professor Nikolaus Franke. Franke is a founder and board member of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and a guest researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). With 18 research prizes and over 200 publications, he is one of the leading innovative researchers worldwide. The mentor of the TOP 100 is science journalist and TV moderator Ranga Yogeshwar. The project partners are the Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research and the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (BVMW). The media partner for the company ranking list is manager magazin. More information at www.top100-germany.com
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