The Top 100 seal certifies a company’s innovative strength and therefore its future viability. For the first time, the print shop Vollherbst, now in its fourth generation, applied – and was recognised immediately. Innovation researcher Prof. Dr Nikolaus Franke and his team assessed the companies against 120 criteria in five categories: innovation-promoting top management, climate for innovation, innovative processes and organisation, external orientation/Open Innovation, and innovation success.
Vollherbst scored particularly strongly in top management and innovation culture. Matthias Vollherbst has led the company since 2014 and initiated many changes. For example, he established a values pyramid that does not merely exist on paper, but is lived by him and his employees: at the top stand premium quality, innovation and efficiency, as well as quality for the customer. Management communicates with every employee as equals and takes time for professional as well as personal concerns. Matthias Vollherbst: “We speak with each other personally and directly, rather than about each other. Both the good and the bad are addressed very transparently, mistakes are accepted among colleagues, and everyone tries to learn. As management, we want to live this openness every day.” Internally, Vollherbst sets up expert teams, uses brainstorming and mood boards, offers workshops or honours the best work each year. For customers, new products are created for differentiation, such as „craftLABEL“ – a label that makes origin tangible.
