IST Metz GmbH from Nürtingen has made the leap to the top at the 26th edition of the TOP 100 innovation competition. The company was therefore honoured on 28 June by the mentor of the competition, Ranga Yogeshwar, as well as the scientific director at the comparison, Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke, and compamedia in Frankfurt. Using a scientific system, TOP 100 evaluates the innovation management of medium-sized companies. In the independent selection process, the medium-sized company with 350 employees particularly impressed with its innovation climate and innovation success. For 40 years, the family-owned company has been producing systems that cure printed products and coatings by means of UV irradiation. One of its most important customer groups is the printing industry. In recent years, this industry in particular has had to face up to digital change.
IST Metz has not only adapted to this change, but has also changed itself: Consequently, the top innovator has expanded its business field to include the coating of displays. The medium-sized company also uses the UV technology developed for the displays to refine wood surfaces.
Christian-Marius Metz, Managing Director, explains that a good climate of innovation and plenty of room for manoeuvre for the employees are important when working at the cutting edge. Here, the Nürtingen-based company relies on employees with inventive talent when it comes to personnel selection. Such self-runners benefit from the 350-man company's large scope for project implementation. The families of the employees are also taken into consideration: In the "parent-child office", employees can work during care bottlenecks, while their children play in the same room at the painting table or in the craft corner.
