SCHEUERLE Fahrzeugfabrik, a subsidiary of the Transporter Industry International Group (TII Group), has once again secured the title of “Germany's Innovation Leader” this year. This means SCHEUERLE has now won the award for two years in a row. The basis for the award is a study carried out by Prognos and the IMWF Institute on behalf of the F.A.Z. Institute. Researchers examined how many patents a company has registered and to what extent these innovations affect other companies.

"Innovations are the lifeblood of companies," explained the F.A.Z. Institute, a subsidiary of the renowned Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.) daily newspaper. On the other hand, those enterprises that do not develop its innovations to achieve market maturity will lose market share in the medium term, will be copied and imitated by the competition, and become less attractive for qualified employees. SCHEUERLE, a specialist for producing special vehicles, does not have to worry about falling behind in international competition. After 2019, the subsidiary of the Transporter Industry International Group (TII Group) belonging to the Heilbronn entrepreneurial family Otto Rettenmaier, will once again be able to hold the title "Germany's Innovation Leader" this year.

Attractive employer

With this award, SCHEUERLE Fahrzeugfabrik has proven that it is extremely well-positioned in the tough international market place - not only regarding vehicle sales but also in the fierce battle for skilled workers. SCHEUERLE is therefore a highly attractive employer especially for young talent. The title "Germany's Innovation Leader" is also recognition of the outstanding work carried out by all of the company's employees.

Evaluation of patenting activities over the past ten years

The award is based on a very detailed analysis. Market research company, Prognos, on behalf of the F.A.Z.-Institute and together with the IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research, examined the patent applications of 150,000 companies operating in Germany. In order to assess their patenting activities, the research partners used the data from the EPO Worldwide Patent Statistical Database (PATSTAT) of the European Patent Office and evaluated it for more than 500 technology and knowledge areas. All worldwide patents registered by the companies examined during the past ten years were included in the study.

Points for innovation and innovation leadership

The companies were able to collect index points in two categories namely "Innovativeness" which describes the innovative character of an invention, and "Leadership” which describes the effect of an innovation on other companies. Taken together, the index points of both categories in turn represent the degree of innovation leadership. In addition, the companies had to demonstrate what percentage of the innovation was actually developed in Germany. This was assessed based on the number and location of the researchers involved.