Tesvolt wins innovation prize for SMEs

It secured first place in its size category of 51 to 200 employees in this contest for German small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The 24-member expert panel was impressed by the outstanding climate of innovation and the innovative technology that underpins Tesvolt’s energy storage systems. The TOP 100 trophy was presented on Friday as part of the German SME Summit in Frankfurt am Main’s Jahrhunderthalle. This was the competition’s 29th instalment.

An agile organisation: everyone can be an innovator at Tesvolt

“I believe that innovations are revolutionary ideas that make our world a better place. With many countries now seeking to gain independence from Russian gas imports, innovation in the field of renewable energies is more important than ever before,” commented Daniel Hannemann, Co-Founder and CEO of Tesvolt. “Most of the time, innovations are the result of spontaneous ideas – and then you need the courage and the right environment to transform ideas into marketable products. Anyone can be an innovator at Tesvolt thanks to our agile organisational structure. I am tremendously proud of our joint effort in becoming Innovator of the Year again.”

Tesvolt opted to implement an agile organisational structure four years ago. Since then, it has dispensed with classic hierarchies. All employees receive comprehensive training on the methods of the agile organisational structure. “At Tesvolt, decisions are made in the team – in line with an agile principle that rapidly leads to results. This approach works exceptionally well,” reported Tjorven Niels Graßnick, Corporate Agile Coach at Tesvolt. “All employees have also received company shares, which also promotes a climate of innovation.”

Technological innovation saves electricity costs

Tesvolt’s innovative energy management system (EMS) was also a crucial factor in the panel naming the Wittenberg-based company Innovator of the Year once more. The EMS captures the energy flows of all consumers and producers and controls them as efficiently as possible. This allows to combine a range of applications, such as optimised self-consumption and intelligent peak shaving. Previously, operators had to choose one of the possible uses in advance. So, the energy storage system adapts better to the individual requirements of commercial and industrial uses and thus saves even more electricity costs.

Scientific selection procedure

The TOP 100 innovation competition is based on a scientific selection procedure. Prof. Nikolaus Franke (one of the world’s leading innovation researchers, with 25 research awards to his name) and his team compared 436 SMEs based on more than 100 innovation indicators. They scrutinised the climate of innovation and the management team’s willingness to promote innovation, and the success of the resulting products on the market. The expert panel used this analysis to choose the winners. The panel is made up of experts from business, academia, the media and politics – including the likes of consultant Roland Berger and politician Gregor Gysi. The competition’s project partners are the Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research and the German Association for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (BVMW).

"The competition was very strong again this year and it was impressive to see how innovative SMEs have dealt with the changes and challenges of our time. From the large amount of applicants, we determined the best,” said Prof. Nikolaus Franke, Scientific Director of the contest. The jury awarded Tesvolt the top grade of A+ in the four categories of Innovation Promoting Top Management, Innovation Climate, Innovative Processes & Organisation and External Orientation.