Stockert GmbH is one of the three most innovative small and medium-sized businesses in 2017. We place a great deal of emphasis on creativity and new development at our company, and these efforts pay off. At the beginning of November, Stockert GmbH was awarded third place in the competition ‘Deutschlands innovativste Mittelständer 2017’ (‘Germany’s most innovative small and medium-sized businesses in 2017’). Business magazine, Wirtschaftswoche, worked with consulting firm Munich Strategy Group (MSG) to analyse several thousand small and medium-sized companies and award them an innovation score. To do this, they looked at trends in sales and profits and the extent to which the companies stand out on account of their ongoing innovations and are regarded as innovative within their industry by customers, the media and competitors.
“Innovation must permeate the whole company,” emphasises MSG founder, Sebastian Theopold. And that’s clearly what particularly impressed the judging panel about our company. Not only do we develop unique products, we also take a completely new approach to after-sales service. At the heart of our range is an inconspicuous little white box that combines many years of development work. The SmartAblate brings together all the processes required to treat various types of cardiac arrhythmia: Minimally invasive surgical procedures are undertaken to insert flexible catheters into the patient’s groin which are then threaded through the blood vessels directly to the heart. There, the SmartAblate can detect the tissue responsible for the arrhythmia and remove it using radiofrequency. The correct rhythm of the heart is then restored. Treatment using the SmartAblate makes treatment easier and patients recover much faster. “The procedure replaces open-heart surgery in many cases,” the judging panel noted, impressed.
In addition to innovative products, at Stockert we also offer exceptional services. “We look to ensure approval on all markets,” explains Managing Director, Norbert Dieterich. The route to gaining approval is typically a lengthy process, as medical device guidelines in the US and European markets are extremely strict. We took the approval procedures into our own hands at an early stage of product development and this has paid off particularly for our sales partners. Just three years have passed since the product was launched and the SmartAblate has firmly established itself all major markets.
The fact that we were awarded the prize for innovation is by no means a coincidence. For a long time, the Freiburg-based company has attached great importance to a corporate structure that enables creativity and pioneering achievements in development. “Leading the way is an essential part of our philosophy” explains Norbert Dieterich, and sees our company with its over 80 employees well positioned for future challenges.
