HOF reaches Germany’s innovation elite for sixth year in succession

The German-based leader in high quality tailored freeze-drying lyophilization solutions, HOF Sonderanlagenbau GmbH, has been named as one of Germany’s TOP 100 Innovator companies for 2021, following similar awards every year from 2016.

This is the 28^th edition of the TOP 100 awards that recognise Germany’s most innovative companies in several categories and from a wide variety of industries. The award is based on an independent test based on a scientific system, overseen by TOP 100 director, Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke, who is an eminent innovation researcher at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

Innovative culture

Dr. Franke rated HOF as particularly convincing in the categories “innovation success” and “innovation climate”. The company’s award is based on its performance on several measures, including effective and visionary management, a company culture of innovation, innovative processes and organization, external/open orientation, and market success, as well as innovative responses to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic.

HOF’s award cites a number of particular features about the company:

• The managing director champions innovative development projects personally
• Special working hours granted for innovation projects so that employees involved can act and react flexibly
• A culture of ​​innovation that spans HOF products and services as well as sustainability
• Daily and continuous exchange of knowledge between mechanical and electrical construction as well as software development, promoting individual personal idea development
• Goal-oriented and intensive practical implementation across all project phases
• In-house quality management system that manages and organizes collation of ideas in various areas, with evaluation and implementation carried out at management level, with external QM consultant
• Quarterly meetings to discuss quality and improvement management specifically

Anticipating COVID emergency

The success of this system can be seen in the way HOF has avoided supply and delivery bottlenecks during the COVID-19 crisis and has used web meetings to sustain maintenance on its pharmaceutical freezers in Japan and customer training in overseas markets. At an early stage of the Covid emergency, HOF established a group of service technicians to support customers.

The TOP 100 scientific director was very impressed by the award-winning medium-sized companies: “The TOP 100 companies have consistently aligned themselves to be as innovative as possible,” said Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke.

“In essence, it was about the question of whether innovations are the result of a planned procedure or a coincidental product, i.e. the repeatability of innovation achievements. And about whether and how the corresponding solutions will establish themselves on the market.

“HOF has successfully asserted itself in this demanding selection process and will therefore again be one of the most innovative companies in Germany in 2021,” said Dr. Franke.

Awards presentation

Commenting on the award, HOF Managing Director, Dr. Alexander Hof, said:

“It is a great pleasure to be among the winners again. We would like to thank all employees for their motivation and innovative strength and of course our customers for the regular exchange of knowledge.”

HOF’s award will be presented at a year-end online event, replacing the previous awards ceremony during the summer.

The science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar, who has accompanied the innovation competition as a mentor for ten years, will personally congratulate the winning TOP 100 companies.

About HOF Sonderanlagenbau

HOF Sonderanlagenbau GmbH is a world-class and highly innovative special equipment manufacturer of lyophilization freeze-drying, freeze-thaw and loading/unloading systems for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

Founded in 1988, this German family-owned company has become one of the world’s most respected names for high quality just in time freeze drying (lyophilization) solutions, with more than three decades of experience.

Sonderanlagenbau is German for ‘special equipment manufacture’ and in this case, refers to HOF’s lab scale, pilot scale and production scale freeze drying solutions, loading and unloading systems, and freeze-thaw units for the pharmaceutical, biotech and life science industries.

From its advanced manufacturing base at Lohra, north of Frankfurt, HOF designs and constructs specifically tailored freeze-drying and associated solutions for companies all over the world under its motto of “Just in time quality for demanding customers”.

HOF Sonderanlagenbau does not offer off-the-shelf products but has instead constructed a fully integrated total design and build environment in which every machine is unique, exactly specified in partnership with customer and manufactured to meet very specific requirements.  The partnership ethos extends into ownership, with our comprehensive service and maintenance offerings designed to ensure that no one needs to work on a HOF machine except its own experts.

Resources

Click on For the sixth time in a row TOP 100 for other information.