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Success stories from the Stuttgart Region

See for yourself: Here you find stories about great companies, compelling business ideas, and outstanding research achievements, but also about the many reasons why the Stuttgart Region is such a wonderful place to live in.

Driverless buses in the Persian Gulf

Mvmant from Kornwestheim making Dubai a Smart City

12.04.2018 | Start-up firm Mvmant from Kornwestheim is currently setting up a special bus service in Dubai to optimise traffic in the city in the Persian Gulf. These “on-demand” buses will be managed using artificial intelligence. This means that an algorithm will calculate exactly where each of the buses has to be in order to reduce waiting times and ensure that the number of passengers is as high as possible. Passengers can order a bus via an app and have the bus drop them off at their desired stop. The project in Dubai came about through the “Dubai Future Accelerators” programme. The city aims to become a Smart City by the World Expo in 2020, i.e. a connected city with sustainable and autonomous traffic systems. There are currently eight Mvmant buses in Dubai, and they are used on two bus routes. Further routes are planned. The start-up company Mvmant is a member of the regional M-Tech ... more

Perfect sound: whether at the Oktoberfest, on board a ship or in the desert

18.09.2017 | Fohhn Audio AG from Nürtingen has been developing sophisticated sound systems for almost 25 years • The members of the band “One Way Ticket”, founded in 1983, were finding that the sound they produced on stage at their concerts was not being reproduced properly by the loudspeaker systems. Also, the systems did not ... more

Start-ups from the Stuttgart Region praise their location

25.08.2017 | Start-ups expecting growth and planning additional hires • The Stuttgart Region is considerably more attractive for start-ups than often assumed. This is the finding from a survey carried out by auditing and advisory firm PwC at 450 young companies across Germany, including 50 ... more The Stuttgart Region is considerably more attractive for start-ups than often assumed. This is the finding from a survey carried out by auditing and advisory firm PwC at 450 young companies across Germany, including 50 from Baden-Württemberg’s capital city region. 94 of the companies surveyed rate the local start-up ecosystem as good or very good – on a national level, on average just 86 percent of start-ups rate their location so positively. Two-thirds of Stuttgart-based start-ups expect to increase revenue this year, and 70 percent want to hire additional staff. 84 percent of Stuttgart-based start-ups also believe that their region will gain in significance as a start-up location in the coming years. This is due among other things to the strong economic power and the wide range of assistance measures in the region. In general, Stuttgart’s start-ups rate the hard location factors consistently better than the soft factors. For example, 46 percent praise the digital infrastructure, but only 24 percent praise the general start-up culture. Only 16 percent believe that there are enough start-up competitions and similar initiatives. 72 percent of Stuttgart-based start-ups describe the search for suitable employees as difficult or very difficult. This puts the region ahead of the national average of 68 percent. International start-ups from the field of mobility are welcome at Startup Autobahn in Stuttgart. The programme is a cooperation between high-profile companies such as Daimler and Porsche, US investor Plug and Play and the University of Stuttgart. Startup Autobahn supports young companies by offering them space, equipment, employees and funding opportunities. Start-ups in the region can also get assistance from Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart GmbH (WRS). Together with partners, WRS offers start-ups various industry-related services and access to networks and helps them to find industrial spaces. It organises and supports initiatives for start-ups such as the partner network for start-ups from Stuttgart third-level institutions (PUSH!), Stuttgart Region High-Tech Enterprises (HiTURS), Inventio and Stuttgart Region Business Angels. startup-region-stuttgart.de

Top of the class in Europe in culture and creativity

11.07.2017 | Stuttgart gets first place for “Creative industries” • Stuttgart and Karlsruhe are amongst the leading cities in the European Union when it comes to creativity and culture. That is the result of a comparative survey presented by the EU Commission. The comparison of 34 “XL” ... more

Special glazing for unique buildings

10.07.2017 | Glaswerke Arnold in Remshalden is one of the most innovative glass manufacturers and processors in Europe. • With the revolutionary invention of the multiple-pane insulating glass with a flexible edge seal in 1959, Alfred Arnold set new standards for the glass industry. With this development as a replacement for the permanent ... more

International, young and well paid

30.01.2017 | Stuttgart has the highest density of academics in Germany, and it is where the highest salary satisfaction levels prevail. In addition, the state capital is becoming more international and younger. These are the • The employer rating portal Kununu examined which German city has the highest level of salary satisfaction amongst employees. The review is based on more than 120,000 anonymous employer ratings over the past two years. ... more

Invisible yet essential

22.02.2016 | Telemotive AG from Mühlhausen im Täle is one of the best-known automotive suppliers for entertainment, information technology and driver assistance systems • Telemotive in Mühlhausen im Täle is all about electronic connectivity – both within a vehicle and between a car and its surroundings. The company is an essential partner to high-profile car manufacturers such as Audi, ... more

Between the mainstream and a gap in the market

17.09.2015 | An inventor from Dettingen unter Teck develops the world’s first cleaning device for swimming pools • No chlorine is used to clean an eco swimming pool. Instead, special plants are responsible for cleaning the water. One disadvantage of this method is that algae also thrive in natural pools. To address this issue, ... more

Monopoly over a plant

26.02.2015 | Speick Naturkosmetik from Leinfelden-Echterdingen enjoys lasting success • Since the Speick plant was placed under protection in 1936, Walter Rau GmbH from Leinfelden-Echterdingen is the only company in the world permitted to use the plant for commercial purposes. For 87 years now, the company ... more Since the Speick plant was placed under protection in 1936, Walter Rau GmbH from Leinfelden-Echterdingen is the only company in the world permitted to use the plant for commercial purposes. For 87 years now, the company has been using it to produce an absolute classic in the world of natural cosmetics: Speick soap with its memorable orange colour. What was once a soap manufacturer has now become a producer of natural cosmetics with a range that also includes creams, shampoos, shower gels and deodorants. All of the products are based on a plant that grows above the tree line at an altitude of 1,800 metres in the Austrian state of Carinthia. In the Nock Mountains Biosphere Reserve, alpine farming families with harvesting licenses are permitted to harvest the valerian plant. The dried plants are subjected to in-depth laboratory analysis in the company headquarters in the Stuttgart Region and distilled to produce the precious raw material. The essential oil is contained in the roots in particular. It cannot be manufactured artificially. "Artificial production would not be acceptable to us anyway", emphasises Wikhart Teuffel, grandson of the company founder and CEO of Speick Naturkosmetik. His grandfather Walter Rau ventured to found the company in 1928, in the midst of the global economic crisis. As an offshoot of the Stuttgart-based family business "Vereinigte Seifenfabriken", he wanted to carry on his parents' soap-making tradition, but as a dedicated anthroposophist he did not want to make "just" a product. His idea was to create a gentle and natural soap for body care. He rediscovered Speick, which had all but been forgotten. The plant is said to have a calming effect on the central nervous system while simultaneously stimulating the vegetative nervous system. Rau provided further training for his employees, set up a company crèche and put local recreational facilities in place for his employees. The company still operates according to these sustainability principles today, and with its 50 staff is in a very strong position. The body care products are exported to 34 countries, but Germany still represents the mainstay of sales. Speick products are available not only in chemists and health shops but also in drug stores and in supermarkets. The company has now also established online shops, and was awarded the CSR Award by the German Federal Government in 2014. speick.de/en

Into space - with micro drive systems from Faulhaber (Photo: Faulhaber)

The universe and beyond

18.02.2015 | Fritz Faulhaber GmbH from Schönaich is a specialist for micro drive systems • November 2014 marked the first time in the history of space travel to witness a successful landing on a comet. Since then at the latest, the micro drive systems from Faulhaber in Schönaich are known even outside of ... more November 2014 marked the first time in the history of space travel to witness a successful landing on a comet. Since then at the latest, the micro drive systems from Faulhaber in Schönaich are known even outside of specialist circles. The landing robot called Philae incorporated a total of 14 different drive systems made by the company. These systems withstood the harsh conditions in a vacuum with extremely low temperatures to travel more than 500 million kilometres through space. Faulhaber drive systems are also at play in the large-scale telescopes used by scientists for stargazing. The miniature drives control up to 4,000 glass fibres in order to evaluate the laboriously collected light in the telescope in as small an area as possible and with a high light density. This is the only way to detect even the tiniest of faint objects. "Faulhaber offers the largest consolidated portfolio of innovative miniature and micro drive technologies in the world today", says head of marketing Andreas Seegen. The parts are used in a vast range of different industries. For example, a micro drive dispenses fluids with an accuracy of up to 0.001 millilitres. Window wipers with pressure-resistant casing for biotechnological or chemical reactors are also designed in Schönaich. Modern electromechanical door lock cylinders have to reliably complete hundreds of thousands of locking cycles over many years. Even car displays benefit from the micro drives, which carry out their work almost invisibly and have to withstand large fluctuations in temperature as well as vibrations. Also, some of the more unusual designs would not be possible without the miniature drives. For example, one design tap by Hansgrohe, the premium manufacturer of bathroom fittings based in Baden-Württemberg, features water running over a rim and a quiet motor that controls the addition of water and the water temperature. Micro drive systems from Schönaich are also integrated in the handheld machines used to create tattoos and apply permanent make-up. Surgeons too are working on objects that are getting smaller all the time. Because the human eye can see tiny structures only with great difficulty, a microscope worn on the surgeon's head like a pair of glasses has set new standards. Tiny multiphase motors adjust the magnification and sharpness to suit any eye. The company's success story started in Murrhardt in 1947. "Dr. Fritz Faulhaber Feinmechanische Werkstätte" was initially dedicated to the manufacture of electrical devices and safety locks. Just two years later, the production site was moved to Schönaich. The service portfolio of the fledgling company at the time included the manufacture of machines for the leather-processing industry as well as lathes, grinding and milling machines. In the early days, means were so scarce that the young company founder used the backs of calendar pages, packing paper and old cardboard to draw his designs on them. He laid the foundations for the company's success story eleven years later when he filed a patent for an ironless rotor coil. This new technology, known as the bell-type armature motor, allowed electrical drives to be reduced to a minimum size, heralding a new era in measuring and control technology as well as in the world of model train sets. Today the family-managed group has development and production locations in Switzerland, the USA, Sweden, Romania and Hungary in addition to its headquarters. There are also sales partners and branches in more than 30 countries around the globe. The drive systems specialist currently employs over 1,600 employees, 600 of whom are based in Schönaich. "We always want to have a big technological lead with small products", says Dr. Fritz Faulhaber jun. when describing the company philosophy. faulhaber.com/en/de

Well protected by the specialist in helmets

04.02.2015 | Cratoni Helmets from Rudersberg is a premium brand with global operations • When motorcycle dealer Günter Krauter founded the Cratoni brand in 1985, the wearing of helmets for any other sport was still relatively uncommon. 30 years later, it is clear that the entrepreneur had a good feel for ... more When motorcycle dealer Günter Krauter founded the Cratoni brand in 1985, the wearing of helmets for any other sport was still relatively uncommon. 30 years later, it is clear that the entrepreneur had a good feel for what was to come. Nowadays around 80 percent of all skiers wear helmets, while the figure for cyclists is also in the high double digits. During the intervening years, the Swabian helmet specialist with the Italian-sounding name has become a premium brand with global operations that shapes the market with its innovative technology and trendy designs. In addition to helmets, Cratoni soon also produced sports eyewear. With representatives in more than 70 countries around the world, the Rudersberg-based company is now one of the leading helmet and eyewear specialists in the sports sector. Top-class athletes such as German mountain bike legend Sabine Spitz also use the products in their races. Because professional users in particular have extremely high demands, the feedback from the athletes is taken into special consideration during product development. "Integrating practical experience helps to develop new techniques and constantly improve product quality", says boss Günter Krauter. In terms of safety, a perfect fit, ventilation and design, Cratoni products are among the best in kind. They are consistently awarded top points in various tests. The company headquarters in Rudersberg has 30 employees working in management, sales, development and design. The striking architecturally designed building, which is designed in the shape of a visor, also features a showroom. There is a starting ramp for a bike park installed on the roof of the building that enjoys regular use. The Cratoni helmets are already scrutinised in the company's own testing laboratory during the product development phase with equipment for physical tests such as shock absorption, strap strength and roll-off testing. Cratoni is always state of the art: The Swabian company was one of the first manufacturers to produce a special helmet for users of e-bikes with speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour. The helmet looks like a bicycle helmet but also fulfils the standards for motorcycle helmets. cratoni.de/en

Success Stories from the Stuttgart Region