Infiana Once Again Honored as Innovation Leader

Infiana remains among Germany’s most innovative medium enterprises. At the Deutscher Mittelstands-Summit, the Forchheim-based specialty films manufacturer received the hotly contested trophy for a third time in a row, earning plaudits in the category “Innovative Processes and Organization” from a high-ranking jury of business, political, and media figures. “In the age of Industry 4.0, it‘s essential to continuously improve our internal processes, to digitize and simultaneously work with the newest technologies. Only in this fashion can we create a basis for innovative products. We are very happy about our newest recognition. It is both a compliment and an encouragement to keep working,“ said Infiana CEO Peter K. Wahsner. Digitization Promotes Improvement The specialty films manufacturer was able to impress innovation researcher Dr. Nikolaus Franke and his jury with initiatives that addressed the megatrend of digitization. “By digitally supporting our personnel development, feedback processes, and internal communication, we see a chance to create greater transparency and thus support a substantial transformation in our corporate culture,” Wahsner continues. In mid-2017, the company added the Infiana Excellence Program InEx, targeting improved process and problem-solving capabilities for every employee on a day-to-day basis. InEx teams set themselves ambitious targets, break them down right to the production level, and create transparency through the use of digital shop floor management. This allows management and team members to track machine performance at any time anywhere in the world. Importance of Innovation Further Magnified How important the topic of innovation is to the company was underlined at the beginning of 2017. With Dr. Herbert Bader, Infiana once again strengthened its innovation capabilities. As Director of Innovation, he brings over 25 years of experience in this field to Infiana‘s innovation processes. “With our philosophy ‘From Core to More,‘ we describe a targeted expansion of our core competencies,“ he explains. “We are already delivering highly functional films at current. However, we must target the integration of additional functions, particularly in regards to ensuring that our films can remain part of the finished product.“ About TOP 100 compamedia has been recognizing Germany’s most innovative medium-sized businesses with the TOP 100 signet since 1993. This year, around 470 participants submitted an application, of which only 288 were awarded with a signet. Beyond Infiana, the awardees include another 120 global and national market leaders. In the past three years, the TOP innovators registered a combined 4,511 international and national patents. Their revenue growth in the previous five years was 20 percent above the average growth for their respective industries. In addition, 40 percent of their revenue came from new products and innovative improvements.