EPI-USE Labs is delighted to have been recognised as one of the TOP 100 innovation leaders in Germany's SME sector in the 25th round of the TOP 100 awards.
The winning companies have been selected following independent scientific analysis by Professor Nikolaus Franke, who was joined by the competition's mentor, Ranga Yogeshwar, and its initiator, compamedia, at the fifth German SME Summit on 29 June in Ludwigsburg to present the winners with their awards.
From left to right: Dr. Tiaan Scheepers, CTO EPI-USE Labs; Ranga Yogeshwar, Mentor TOP 100; Henrik Stammer, Geschäftsführer EPI-USE Labs. Photo source: KD Busch / compamedia
EPI-USE Labs achieved this recognition in the category of "Successful Innovation". The panel recognised that EPI-USE Labs has made a name for itself internationally with its corporate philosophy of "Value through innovation".
As a global software company, EPI-USE Labs focuses on HR reporting, landscape transformation (SLO), DSGVO / GDPR compliance and test data in the SAP environment. The company, founded over 30 years ago in South Africa, is part of groupelephant.com. The German region has been based in Walldorf in Baden-Wuerttemberg since 2006.
To continue to be successful in the industry, the top innovator systematically expands its service portfolio. As a result, the TOP 100 company now has a high level of expertise in the area of SAP data copies and data migration. In addition, EPI-USE Labs is involved in the EU Data Protection Regulation and the integration of cloud solutions.
"We want to create intellectual property that gives us a unique selling proposition that you cannot copy easily," says Henrik Stammer, CEO of EPI-USE Labs GmbH. "We pay attention to the intuitive operation of our solutions. For example, the HR reporting tool can be easily operated through a drag-and-drop system even by non-SAP users. Our innovation philosophy has pai off; over the past five years, EPI-USE Labs has gained about 300 new customers in the DACH region alone - from SMEs to registered DAX enterprises."
"The way the TOP 100 companies approach challenges is really fascinating. They are using their creativity, determination, and audacity to achieve what we need as a society: novel solutions to problems, resulting in prosperity, growth, and employment," commented TOP 100's scientific director, Professor Nikolaus Franke.
Competition mentor Ranga Yogeshwar was equally impressed: "The TOP 100 are small and medium-sized businesses that are willing to shake things up and aren't afraid of letting go of the old. People who don't fear new ideas and practices, and indeed embrace change. Entrepreneurs, whose businesses remain stable and successful, precisely because they are constantly evolving."
Statistics from this year's competition illustrate the special status of the top innovators, with 120 German or global market leaders among the winners. These SMEs have together applied for 4,511 patents in the past three years. Their revenue growth over the same period was 21.1 percentage points higher than the average for their industries. The proportion of their revenue attributable to innovative improvements and products new to the market was 40 per cent. And their strong position is also driving employment, with around 14,000 new jobs being created between 2017 and 2019.
The TOP 100 competition:
Since 1993, compamedia has been awarding the TOP 100 seal of approval to SMEs with a particular ability to innovate and above-average success rates for innovations. Professor Nikolaus Franke has coordinated the project since 2002. He is the founder and director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, and worked as a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is one of the world's leading innovation researchers and has won 18 science awards and published over 200 articles. The TOP 100 is mentored by science journalist and television presenter Ranga Yogeshwar and organised in partnership with the Fraunhofer Society for the Promotion of Applied Research and the German Association for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (BVMW). Media support for the company benchmarking competition is provided by manager magazin, Impulse, and W&V.
Further information is available at www.top100-germany.com.
