DDW Die Deutsche Wirtschaft has awarded us the seal “Excellence Business of the German Mittelstand.” The business network came to this conclusion by analyzing a total of 26 corporate governance factors in the categories of innovation; certifications; employer performance; commitment to employees, the environment, and society; and key business indicators – with VINCORION achieving excellent results in each of these categories.
“We’re delighted to have received this award. We systematically strive to achieve business success, and this seal is an additional confirmation of our efforts,” explains Managing Director Dr. Stefan Stenzel. The “Excellence Business of the German Mittelstand” award recognizes the achievements of an organization as well as its culture.
Our Achievements: Tailor-Made Technologies in Sync with the Zeitgeist
As a long-standing partner to the civil aviation, rail, security, and defense industries, meeting specific customer requirements is part of our daily business. This requires innovative solutions that will function for several decades, even under extreme conditions, and reliably withstand all kinds of wear and tear. As these are highly regulated areas of application, there are a multitude of certifications, guidelines, and standards of quality that must be met.
Close collaboration with our customers, usually in the context of long-term partnerships, is crucial in order to meet these high, sometimes extremely specific requirements. In addition, our product development and optimization activities follow defined megatrends. In particular, sustainable and climate-friendly technologies are playing an increasingly important role at VINCORION. We can ideally apply our expertise in the field of green defense, as energy efficiency has always played a central role in our gensets.
Our Culture: The Value of Employees
In this context, our success is largely driven by our employees, who each make an individual contribution to the security of our society through their work for the civil aviation, rail, and defense industries. We define the way we want to work together and the values that form the foundation for this in our “Guiding Principles for Our Collaboration” and “Leadership Compass” for managers. After all, long-term business success can only be achieved in an environment in which employees feel comfortable. We believe this also includes a healthy work-life balance through concepts such as flexible work schedules, daily working hours that employees can largely set themselves, and the ability to work remotely. We support the development of expertise and stimulate innovation processes through personalized advanced training programs. Our employees also enjoy other perks such as pension benefits, health management, and additional incentives.
VINCORION Named Business of Excellence
The industry award for innovative production and logistics solutions was presented in Gerlingen near Stuttgart, and VINCORION received an award in the “Customer Focus” category. The benchmarking competition for “best practices” in the industry is supported by the German Logistics Association.
The award is presented each year by an independent jury of experts made up of former MX winners under the scientific direction of the Technical University of Berlin. It recognizes innovative production and logistics solutions. The aim of the award is to strengthen Germany as an industrial location by identifying best practices, promoting cross-industry collaboration, and creating a platform for exchange.
Technology company VINCORION specializes in power systems for safety-critical applications – including generators, electric motors and drives, gensets, power electronics, and hybrid power systems. Specific customer requirements are part and parcel of VINCORION’s daily business.
Products Have a Long Service Life
Whether in the air, on the rails, or in military use, solutions from VINCORION must be able to withstand extreme loads. The products are usually in use for several decades and must function reliably over a long product life cycle. As these are all highly regulated areas of application, compliance with a wide range of certifications, guidelines, and standards of quality is a basic prerequisite.
“Our customer focus is therefore based on several pillars: collaboration as partners, in-depth dialogue, and long-term service. To this end, we not only constantly monitor the market in order to meet our customers’ expectations as precisely as possible, but also make customer satisfaction measurable on the basis of specific key figures,” explains Dr. Stefan Stenzel, Managing Director of VINCORION.
Customer Satisfaction as a Measurable Metric
In order to make customer satisfaction comparable on the basis of key figures, VINCORION restructured the company. For this purpose, discussions were held with the nearly fifteen most important customers, in which they disclosed their needs and desires with respect to customer support. Based on this feedback, VINCORION developed new structures and processes. For example, each “top customer” was assigned a key account manager as a point of contact to handle all their concerns and develop a deeper understanding of the customer and their business.
Together, up to four metrics were defined to make customer satisfaction measurable: These include: 1) Adherence to deadlines: Will the product be delivered on time by the agreed upon date? 2) Adherence to ordered quantities: Will the agreed upon quantities be delivered? 3) Complaint rate: Did any errors occur within the warranty period? 4) Communication: Were potential deviations communicated to the customer at an early stage? Once a quarter, customers submit an evaluation of these criteria according to a points system. Finally, VINCORION’s self-assessment and the customer’s external assessment are compared.
Ideas for Product Advancements
VINCORION has been an established supplier for many years, such as for the hydraulic rescue hoist for the NH90 helicopter, which is used in alpine emergencies or rescue missions in flooded areas. In discussions and interviews with helicopter manufacturers and users, the team received ideas for ways to improve the existing product. On this basis, they are working on a new electric rescue hoist, the ERH premierv, which sets new standards in terms of performance, reliability, and safety.
The Leopard 2 is a good example of just how long VINCORION technologies have been in service – the very first units were deployed by the German Armed Forces at the turn of the year 1979/80, and the tank is still in service. VINCORION supplies the weapon aiming and stabilization system for the Leopard 2. In this context, the company uses easy-to-maintain assemblies and modular systems. In addition, the company considered and made the technical preparations needed to allow for further development right from the start.
Maintaining Technology Used for the Long Term
“We face the constant challenge of thinking ahead and developing new products. At the same time, we often have to maintain technology that has been in use for a long time and constantly adapt it to changing challenges,” emphasizes Dr. Stenzel. “The results of the MX Award benchmarking competition provide us with further valuable input in this regard, enabling us to leverage optimization potential at VINCORION and position ourselves for the future even better as a company.”
Registration for the MX Award for the year 2023 is open.
Klaus Lübbers (DIRKS Group), Dr. Manfred Jagiella (Endress+Hauser Gruppe), Marco Lienau (VINCORION), Marcus Golchert (VINCORION), Dr.-Ing. Daniel Roy (MX) und Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wimmer (MX) are happy about the award (from right to left).
Photo: Marcus Krüger
Media Contact:
Florian Hanauer
PR Manager
VINCORION Advanced Systems GmbH
Feldstrasse 155
22880 Wedel, Germany
Phone: +49 4103 60-2250
Mail: florian.hanauer@vincorion.com
About VINCORION
VINCORION is a technology company that specializes in innovative power systems for safety-critical applications, including generators, electric motors, and drives, gensets, power electronics, and hybrid power systems. As a partner to the civil aviation, security and defense, and rail industries, VINCORION develops and manufactures solutions tailored to its customers’ specific requirements on the basis of an in-depth dialog. A high-performance customer support team provides assistance and service to users of the company’s own products and those from third parties throughout the entire product life cycle. With approximately 700 employees at sites in Germany, and the United States, VINCORION generated revenues of approximately 145 million euros in 2021.
For more information, visit our website www.vincorion.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.