Murrelektronik among the TOP 100

Core Competence Innovation

Murrelektronik has an intuitive feel for innovation. The global player and family-run company from Oppenweiler received a fitting accolade. The automation engineering specialist has been ranked among the best in the TOP 100 innovation competition. On 28 June the award was presented by the famous scientist and TV presenter Ranga Yogeshwar in his capacity as mentor of the well-established competition in the Frankfurt Centenary Hall.

Under the aegis of Professor Dr. Nikolaus Franke (Vienna University of Economics) the innovation management of SMEs and the resulting innovation successes were evaluated based on a scientific method. In this independent selection procedure Murrelektronik scored particularly well in the “External Orientation - Open Innovation” category. The reward: the company, whose vision and mission is to optimize machinery and plant installations and thus generate a competitive edge for its customers, has for the second time after 2008 been ranked among the innovation elite.

Murrelektronik was founded in 1975 by Franz Hafner and is a key player in automation engineering. Decentralization is the company's specialty. This is achieved by optimally connecting the control layer of machinery and plant to the sensor-actuator layer with proven concepts and innovative technologies. Special focuses include safety engineering, high performance power supply systems and an extensive portfolio for network installations. Murrelektronik concentrates on the incorporation of IO-Link components and makes its customers' path towards Industry 4.0 smoother.

And innovation is one of the keys to success. For this reason, Murrelektronik consistently opts to cooperate with customers and external partners on the development of new products. The company presents its development projects to a select group of customers at regular "Innovation Days" and has them assess the projects with a critical eye. This ensures that the innovations achieve high practical relevance and are suitable for deployment in a wide variety of industries.

A perfect example of the success of this approach is the smart Mico Pro power monitoring system, which was developed in close cooperation with machinery and plant engineering companies. As Murrelektronik Managing Director Jürgen Zeltwanger explains: "This system monitors power circuits and reacts in the case of overloading and faults at as late a stage as possible, but as early as necessary." This increases the runtime of machinery – an absolute must in practical terms. This shows how Murrelektronik succeeds in directly translating innovation processes into practical solutions that yield immediate improvements for customers.

Murrelektronik Managing Director Jürgen Zeltwanger is delighted with the award: "We know how important innovative power is on the market as the basis for a good and future-focused standing. Working with customers has proved to be a success factor in the past and we therefore do our utmost to encourage it. The renewed ranking among the TOP 100 is both a confirmation and incentive to further develop what is already an extremely innovative climate. The opening of our new development center, in which we invested EUR 6.5 million, is a key element of this endeavor.”

Bernhard Bühler is the major of Oppenweiler, the community in which Murrelektronik is headquartered. He, too, welcomes the award for the local family-run company: "As major, I'm very proud that a company from Oppenweiler is setting national and international standards. It is tackling the challenges in competitive field that is becoming increasingly global and digital. In the process, Murrelektronik strengthens its good image and we, as the local community, also benefit.”

The TOP 100 competition

The TOP 100 seal of quality for outstanding innovative power and success has been awarded to SMEs since 1993. The scientific management has been headed by Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke since 2002. Franke is founder and chairman of the Institute for Entrepreneurship und Innovation at Vienna's University of Economics. Mentor of TOP 100 is the science journalist and presenter Ranga Yogeshwar. Project partners are the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for the Promotion of Applied Research and the BVMW (German SME Association).