MINDA has been awarded the TOP 100 seal for 2026. This makes Minda one of Germany’s most innovative medium-sized companies. The award ceremony will take place during the German SME Summit in Heidelberg on June 26. Former German Federal President and Lower Saxony Federal Prime Minister Christian Wulff, who mentors the TOP 100 innovation competition, will also attend.
More than 100 evaluation criteria of the scientific selection process are evaluated by Professor Nikolaus Franke and his team on the basis of a questionnaire. “At TOP 100, we analyse thoroughly and comprehensively how innovation-oriented the applicants are. And those who are outstanding are confirmed with the TOP 100 seal,” says Professor Nikolaus Franke.
“We are proud to win this prize. It is the perfect proof of how innovative we are and that all the sweat, passion, and commitment we have put into every single project over the years has paid off,” says Robert Falch, Managing Partner, MINDA Industrieanlagen GmbH.
Dr. Kai Ventz, head of Minda’s research and development department, adds, “Innovative strength is in our DNA, because that is exactly what matters in customer-specific projects. We don’t offer off-the-shelf solutions – we make the impossible possible for our customers where others don’t even dare to try!”
In order to continuously advance corporate innovation, all employees at Minda are involved. The “Ideenschmiede” (think tank) is a central platform for employee suggestions that specifically turns employee knowledge into measurable improvements.
In addition, the comapny’s innovative strength is evident in the implementation of diverse projects:
“In the field of high-bay warehouses, we work with established partners, but when it comes to special requirements such as low construction heights, our innovative strength is needed to create the best possible solution for the customer,” explains Robert Falch. For example, a storage and retrieval machine called the Compact Crane was developed specifically for the company’s in-house storage solutions. The Compact Crane is used, for example, in the corrugated board and solid wood industries.
Minda is also focusing on the use of artificial intelligence as a driver of innovation. Examples include AI-supported detection of stacking strips in solid wood plants and the use of transfer cars in the corrugated board industry, where transport routes are optimised using artificial intelligence.
