The German Economy Award, which was on May 9th 2018 by the German-Slovenian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the German Embassy in Slovenia, went for the sixth time to an innovative Slovenian company. This year's winner is the chemical company Unihem, which has been developed from a family business to a market leader in the field of flooring systems.

The expert jury consisted of Dr. Bernhard Lauer, Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy in Slovenia, Peter Frankl, CEO and Publisher of the Slovenian media company "Finance", Dr. Thomas Sichla, member of the management board of RWE Ljubljana d.o.o., Maruša Kmet, Director of the publishing house and last year's winner Založba Rokus Klett and Gertrud Rantzen, President of the German-Slovenian Chamber of Industry and Commerce. The jury decided unanimous that Unihem deserved to be this year's winner because of their extraordinary innovative approach in the field of flooring systems. Furthermore, the company ensures high quality of the professionals of the next generation and creates synergies in the building industry with their further training they are offering to their business partners.

 

 

The sales manager for the central- eastern European region and authorized signatory of Unihem, Uwe Miess, accepted the price with the following words: "We are very proud, that the jury appreciated our work among all the other excellent competing companies with the German Economy Award. Our company is innovative in the field of flooring systems, guarantees the highest environmental standards and belongs to the best 10 percent of Slovenian companies when it comes to value added per employee. We are confident that the jury recognized our focus on innovation and development and the supply of the best services possible for all our customers. We will continue to invest in the further development of our processes and technologies to ensure that we still belong to the leading companies in the field of technological and environmental issues. This award is an acknowledgement for the excellent work of our employees and the best motivation for even better work in the future. Therefore this is a good moment for marking the start of a new era under the new name Uzin Utz Slovenija d.o.o."

The other two companies nominated by the expert jury were Steklarna Hrastnik and Amibit. They convinced with their focus on further development, entrepreneurial spirit and the achievement of ambitious goals. Many small and medium sized enterprises as well as big Slovenian companies - some of them also with German capital - applied as well for the Germany Economy Award. Requirements for an application was information about the export share, the innovation efforts and the implemented CRS-measures. It should have become clear why the companies stand out from the competitors.
The German Economy Award is the first bilateral innovation price in Slovenia. The partners of the German Economy Award honor the most outstanding technical, entrepreneurial and intellectual innovations and concepts of Slovenian companies.