Nabaltec AG recognized as an agent of progress once again in 2013

- Nabaltec awarded the 'Top 100' prize for the seventh time;

- 'integrated sales' wins over the jury.

Schwandorf, 8 July 2013 - Nabaltec AG was named one of the most innovative German small and medium-sized enterprises for the seventh time in 2013. At the award ceremony in Berlin on 5 July, mentor Ranga Yogeshwar presented the company with the 'Top 100' innovation award.

The prize is awarded based on a scientific analysis conducted by the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. This year, the innovation experts examined a total of 245 companies and recognized the best of them with the coveted quality seal. According to Johannes Heckmann, member of the board of Nabaltec AG, 'we regard the receipt of this award, together with our successes in the market, as confirmation of our innovation management practices. The results of this study reinforce our determination to keep the bar high.'

Nabaltec AG was once again able to win over the 'Top 100' jury with its innovative marketing activities, because customers are intensively involved in the development of new materials. After undergoing testing in the company's own technology center, materials are used by selected reference customers in their own production processes so that they can be tested under actual operational conditions. The company has entered into long-term development partnerships with around ten key customers. These customers receive comprehensive insight into Nabaltec AG's technological projects, and Nabaltec AG, in turn, receives insight into the technical requirements of its customers. 'Such a partnership can only work based on absolute mutual trust,' says the member of the board Gerhard Witzany. 'It creates a real win-win situation for both sides, because customers often receive exclusive access to our latest technologies.'

In order to secure its ability to innovate in the future, Nabaltec has also adopted an ideal system for the internal organization of its innovation processes: 'integrated sales.' In accordance with this principle, applications technology, sales and research and development activities are not assigned to separate departments, as is usually the case, but instead form a single unit. According to Johannes Heckmann, 'this integrated structure is a real innovation driver for us.'

compamedia, in collaboration with the Vienna University of Economics and Business, recognized 102 companies in all, in three size classes, including 51 national market leaders and 21 global market leaders, as well as Nabaltec AG.

Mentor
The project's mentor is the journalist and television presenter Ranga Yogeshwar.

Project management and partners
Since 2002 this project has been managed by Professor Nikolaus Franke from the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. The focus of his research is on entrepreneurship, innovations management and marketing. He is one of the world's leading experts in the field of user innovation. The Fraunhofer Society for the Promotion of Applied Research is acting as the Top 100 project partner and the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper is the media partner.

Organiser: compamedia - mentor to the best SMEs
compamedia GmbH was founded in 1993 and has a team of 19 employees who organise the Top 100, Top Job and Top Consultant benchmarking competitions for German SMEs. It also launched the Ethics in Business initiative. It supports and awards prizes to small and medium-sized firms for outstanding achievements in the fields of innovation, human resources management, consulting and corporate social responsibility. compamedia works closely with leading universities on these projects.

About Nabaltec AG:
Nabaltec AG, with registered office in Schwandorf, a chemicals business which has received multiple awards for innovativeness, manufactures, develops and distributes highly specialized products based on aluminum hydroxide ('ATH') and aluminum oxide, as well as other raw materials, on an industrial scale through its 'Functional Fillers' and 'Technical Ceramics' divisions. The company's product range includes halogen-free flame retardant fillers and eco-friendly additives for the plastics industry. Flame retardant fillers are used e.g. in cables in tunnels, airports, high-rise buildings and electronic devices, while additives replace stabilizers containing heavy metals in PVC processing. Nabaltecalso produces base materials for use in technical ceramics, the refractory industry and catalysis. Unlike halogenated flame retardant fillers, the products manufactured by the company's 'Functional Fillers' division contain no hazardous substances and do not require separate disposal. Rather, the company's flame retardant fillers actually decrease the development of fumes hazardous to human health and the environment in the event of fire. Nabaltec maintains production sites in Germany and the US and plans to continue to consolidate its market position by expanding capacity, further optimizing processes and quality and making strategic extensions to its product range. On the strength of its specialty products, the company strives to attain the market leadership in each segment.

Contact:
Marina Fuchs
Nabaltec AG
Phone: +49 9431 53-205
Fax: +49 9431 53-203
E-mail: mfuchs@nabaltec.de  

Frank Ostermair
Better Orange IR & HV AG
Phone: +49 89 8896906-14
Fax: +49 89 8896906-66
E-mail: frank.ostermair@better-orange.de