The company in the Welp Group was one of 26 finalists in the competition
4,674 companies from across Germany were nominated in 2021, under the slogan “Now more than ever”
This year, IndiKar Individual Karosseriebau GmbH in Wilkau-Hasslau was a finalist in the “Grand Prize for Medium-sized Businesses” as part of the Welp Group.
The “Grand Prize for Medium-sized Businesses”, which has been awarded annually by the Oskar Patzelt Foundation in Leipzig since 1994, is one of the most coveted business awards in Germany. The competition is organized by volunteers, privately financed and subject to certified quality management. And: the prize is not awarded in cash – for the participating companies, the honour lies purely in the public recognition of outstanding achievements.
This year’s awards gala of the Oskar Patzelt Foundation took place at the Würzburger Hotel Maritim on Saturday 18th September 2021, as part of the 27th competition for the “Grand Prize for Medium-sized Businesses 2021” for the regions of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin/Brandenburg, Hesse, Saxony and Thuringia.
On the night, around 400 invited entrepreneurs and numerous guests from business and politics were greeted by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Reinhart, Member of the Committee of the Oskar Patzelt Foundation, former Minister and Vice President of the Baden-Württemberg Landestag, and Hans-Jürgen Friedrich, CEO of KFM Deutsche Mittelstand AG, as the main sponsor of the competition for 2021
This year, a total of 4,674 small and medium-sized companies, banks and municipalities were nominated for the competition by more than 1,000 institutions in the 16 states. Of these, 667 nominees made the “jury list”. Ultimately, 26 entrepreneurs were awarded the title of “Finalist” during the gala – and IndiKar Individual Karosseriebau GmbH too was among those to receive one of the coveted official certificates from the foundation.
IndiKar Individual Karosseriebau GmbH was first nominated for the “Grand Prize for Medium-sized Businesses” in 2010. This year, the nomination for the award came from Reichardt GmbH Steuerungstechnik and members of the Bundestag, among others.
From the reasoning for this year’s selection as a finalist: “When it comes to the development and production of civil, automotive armouring solutions, from assemblies to entire vehicles, IndiKar is the clear market leader in Europe. The armoured vehicles are tested under the toughest conditions for use around the world in tailor-made vehicle refinements – be it in crisis zones on aid missions, or for the protection of at-risk prominent individuals. Meanwhile, the company fosters cooperation as an elementary driving force for continuous development.
From a business perspective, IndiKar Individual Karosseriebau has always utilized capacity balancing, access to new markets and time savings to its advantage, as well as an organisationally structured information network. Cooperative partners in science include local universities, such as WHZ Zwickau and the Universities of Chemnitz and Dresden. When it comes to research, IndiKar is well-connected to the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology.
This profiling is made possible by a team that is prepared to keep adapting to new market conditions and standards of knowledge. IndiKar provides training and workshops for this purpose. This not only benefits the company’s 205 employees, but its 11 apprentices and two students too. In addition, students have the opportunity to complete internships, write theses or work as a working student.
Motivation and employee enthusiasm guarantee a strong emphasis on a healthy work-life balance. Company events such as the annual company run, the go-kart cup or family day round off the company’s long-term efforts to form a highly qualified team. Only then will it be possible to continue supplying excellent products and solutions with zero defect tolerance in an innovative and dynamic environment.”
The slogan of the competition for 2021 was “Now more than ever”. From the speech of Dr. Helfried Schmidt, Chairman of the Oskar Patzelt Foundation and founder of the competition: “The high number of companies participating in the competition, despite the constraints associated with the coronavirus, speaks of the strength, resilience and regenerative capacity of medium-sized businesses. The ‘Grand Prize for Medium-sized Businesses’ offers the ideal platform for this. “
A list of all of this year’s award-winning companies, banks and municipalities – organised by state or region – can be found at www.mittelstandspreis.com. There you will also find further information about the competition, the jury members and the Oskar Patzelt Foundation.
