Steinbeis has hit the 1K mark: Professor Dr. Michael Auer and Manfred Mattulat, the board duo of the Steinbeis Network, staged a welcome with a difference at this year’s Steinbeis Evening: a large-as-life tribute to the size of the now global network. Since the summer of 2014, there have been 1,000 active Steinbeis Enterprises – reason enough to celebrate at the traditional gala event in Stuttgart’s Liederhalle Convention Center. There was no less pomp and circumstance for tributes to long-standing members of the network and the climax of the evening: the bestowal of the Steinbeis Foundation transfer prize.
Around 600 guests from around the world followed the story of how the network has evolved over the decades. Starting with the first center in 1983, the number on the stage gradually rose to show the figure that was already prominently featured during the daytime event and was still there in the evening: 1,000 Steinbeis Enterprises, many of which were represented at the event by directors and their clients.
The bestowal of the transfer prize continued the number game: The prize was first awarded ten years ago by Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Johann Löhn, the former chairman of the Steinbeis Foundation board. Again, the jury honored two teams in this year’s awards for the excellent manner in which they achieved knowledge transfer. The prize was awarded to the Steinbeis Transfer Center for Applied Production and Joining Technology/ARGOS Systems Engineering (Oldenburg), which worked with Volkswagen AG on a project involving the adaptive control of welding processes. A prize also went to the Steinbeis Transfer Center for Laser Processing and Innovative Manufacturing Technology (Pforzheim), which joined forces with Daimler AG to develop a process for laser hardening camtronic camshafts. Prof. Dr. Joachim Goll, director of the Steinbeis Transfer Center for Software Engineering, was awarded a special prize for his long-standing and excellent contributions to knowledge and technology transfer in the Steinbeis Network.
A Steinbeis Evening never ends without looking forward to the next year: The 2015 Steinbeis Day will take place on 25 September 2015.
Two videos have also been made with more details on the 2014 winners. The videos are available in the media library on the Steinbeis website (www.steinbeis.de).
For more information about the Steinbeis Foundation transfer prize, go to www.loehn-preis.de. Entry forms for the 2015 award can be downloaded on the website.