HOBART is again among the 100 most innovative German mid-sized companies in 2008. For the second consecutive year, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial dishwashing technology has been selected as one of the "Top 100" enterprises.

On July 4^th HOBART director of sales and marketing Silvio Koch accepted the coveted seal of quality "Top 100" at a ceremony in Düsseldorf from Lothar Späth, the mentor of the project and former minister-president of Baden-Württemberg. HOBART general manager Ralf Hübner: "We are pleased and proud to belong to the ‘Top 100’ for the second consecutive year, especially because this award acknowledges the work of our entire company and therefore of each individual employee."

The performance of HOBART in the five central categories "innovative processes and organization", "innovation marketing", "innovation success", "innovation-promoting top management" and "innovation climate" convinced the top-notch team of experts in the 16^th year of the nationwide comparison of enterprises. In particular, HOBART was praised for its systematic, well thought-out and accordingly successful innovation management.

The Offenburg-based company pursues a definite and far-sighted innovation strategy, in which especially the employees are integrated. All suggestions and new ideas from employees are collected and the market chances are assessed by an inter-departmental team. HOBART also places special emphasis on market research. Marketing teams analyze new trends and developments in dishwashing technology around the world. The insights gained from these analyses are incorporated in the development of new machines.

For HOBART, innovations are the basis for economic success. That is why the dishwashing technology manufacturer invests intensively in the research and development of new technologies and will increase these activities in the coming years.

HOBART can take advantage of the know-how of the ITW Technology Center of the parent company Illinois Tool Works in the United States. Approximately 100 experts from various disciplines with their bundled expertise conduct basic research at the center. The experts also made a significant contribution to the development of the latest innovation from HOBART - the PREMAX, a unique line of dishwashers launched last year.

With the flight-type dishwasher PREMAX FTP, the under-counter dishwasher PREMAX FP and, starting this autumn, the hood dishwasher PREMAX AUP, HOBART is setting global standards in efficiency and economy. PREMAX dishwashers use up to 50% less water, up to 30% less energy and up to 80% less chemicals and emit less CO₂ than comparable dishwashers, with no loss of performance. This reduces operating costs and protects the environment.

HOBART general manager Ralf Hübner: "We see our inclusion in the ‘Top 100’ as an acknowledgment of our long-term innovation strategy, which is a cornerstone of our corporate philosophy."

The 100 most innovative mid-sized German companies are selected by a committee of experts headed by Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke of the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. "Top 100" is an annual nationwide comparison of companies to distinguish outstanding innovation management in mid-sized enterprises.