Seal manufacturer is one of the most innovative companies in the German SME sector
The Niederwinkling-based seal manufacturer Wallstabe & Schneider received the Top 100 seal in recognition of its innovative performance. This award honors the most innovative companies in the German SME sector. Beforehand, Wallstabe & Schneider had to prove its innovative strength in a scientific selection process.
On behalf of compamedia, the organizer of the TOP 100 innovation competition, which took place for the 28th time this year, innovation researcher Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke and his team evaluated the innovative performance of the seal manufacturer. The researchers based their assessment on around 120 test criteria from five categories: Innovation-promoting top management, innovation climate, innovative processes and organization, external orientation and innovation success. The core question was whether the company’s innovations are the result of a planned approach or a product of chance, i.e. the repeatability of innovation performance. And it was also about whether and how the corresponding solutions can establish themselves on the market.
Wallstabe & Schneider convinced the jury with its innovation strategy, which has already resulted in numerous innovation projects. The company focuses on product and service innovations as well as resource conservation.
Specially developed low-friction seals, which are installed in automatic transmissions, enable smooth shifting and require less energy thanks to reduced friction. PTFE-foiled seals are used in the cooling circuit of vehicles. The rubber seals, which are pressed together with a thin film, also reduce frictional forces and thus also save CO2. Vehicle manufacturers can use smaller components because of these innovative sealing solutions, thus saving weight and, of course, costs. In the field of electromobility, Wallstabe & Schneider has developed battery lid seals and is currently conducting research to improve the desired material properties, such as shielding electromagnetic radiation by the seal. The Top 100 jury was also impressed by the seal manufacturer’s efforts to use a wood-based filler as a carbon black substitute in rubber compounds.
Managing partner Christian Wallstabe emphasizes, “We are very proud of this award, which recognizes our internal innovations. We can only survive in international competition and thus secure jobs in the company through innovative solutions, precisely tailored to the requirements of our customers.”
Due to the current situation, this evaluation round also included a special section in which the corporate response to the Corona crisis was examined. Wallstabe & Schneider also scored points here: “We established a crisis team very early on, in February 2020, even before the lockdown in Germany, and thus managed to protect our employees and maintain stable supply chains,” reports Technical Managing Director Kai Peters, who heads the crisis team at Wallstabe & Schneider. (ew)
