• thyssenkrupp Carbon Components convinced the jury of the 27^th round of the innovation competition for medium-sized enterprises
• 2^nd place in category B (51 to 200 employees)
• TOP 100 competition honours innovation management and successes

Focus on progress: The innovative enterprise thyssenkrupp Carbon Components convinced the jury of the 27^th round of the innovation competition TOP 100. As a result, the carbon specialist belongs to the TOP 100 tier of German medium-sized companies from today, June 19^th 2020 on. Since 1993, compamedia issues the TOP 100 seal for outstanding innovation strength as well as respective innovation successes. The German company impressed in a scientific selection procedure with approximately 120 criteria in the category B, which includes companies with 51 to 200 employees. thyssenkrupp Carbon Components scored above average value in almost all criteria and, therefore, secured the second position. 

The TOP 100 company develops products used for lightweight construction. Using the largest radial braiding machine in the world, ultra-lightweight, braided carbon wheels for cars and motorcycles are manufactured at the production site in Germany. The company has its origins in a joint-venture of the lightweight centre Saxony and the thyssenkrupp group, which recognized the potential of lightweight manufacturing. Subsequently, a start-up with characteristics generally more typical for Israel or the Silicon Valley was founded in Saxonian Kesselsdorf in 2012. 

The secret of success: The top innovator combines university findings and internal research to develop new products using raw carbon fibre material as a base. The significantly reduced weight, resulting from the patented technologies used in the process, led premium manufacturers such as Porsche and BMW to include the wheels in their flagship products. Another, sustainable innovation are the carbon reinforcement bars for concrete structures, which are implemented in a first pilot project in Saxony. Through their use, the need for concrete will be reduced by fifty percent. Additionally, the carbon reinforcement bars do not corrode and do not have to be replaced after thirty years, which is common practice today. 

“Everything we do is something the world hasn’t seen before. We are not afraid of change, but rather we see it as an opportunity. Our core business has always been and will always be innovation”, CEO Dr Jens Werner explains.