Kludi is a ‘TOP 100 Innovator’
Science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar presented the prestigious award
Last Friday's 7th Deutsche Mittelstands-Summit, the summit for German SMEs held in the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt, saw a special honour for Kludi (www.kludi.com). The Sauerland-based fittings specialist was awarded the TOP 100 Innovator award for German SMEs, which was handed over by the famous science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar. Arndt Papenfuss, Group Director Marketing, and Guido Wiesendahl, Group Director Innovations, represented the manufacturer of premium bath-room and kitchen fittings at the awards ceremony and accepted the prize: “This award from such a reputable institution is solid evidence for us that we are on the right tracks with our clearly defined innovation process that puts the customer first.”
To make it into this illustrious group of innovative enterprises and think tanks, SMEs are subject to a scientific selection process that considers more than 100 factors. The economic analysis was designed by the well-known innovation researcher Professor Nikolaus Franke – founder and director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business – and his team. Kludi particularly impressed the researchers in the Innovation Success and Innovative Processes and Organisation categories. One of the areas in which Kludi scored good points here was category management. This requires good market proximity to ensure that key trends are identified as soon as possible and integrated into the innovation process.
Kludi – The Sauerland-based fittings specialist
Kludi - the fittings specialist from the Sauerland region of Germany
Kludi GmbH & Co. KG - founded in 1926 in the Sauerland region - stands for almost 100 years of experience in the development and manufacture of high-quality fittings for bathrooms and kitchens. This tradition as a fittings specialist has given rise to the claim that Kludi products combine excellent manufacturing quality "Made in Germany", maximum functionality, innovative technologies and first-class design in a unique way. Time and again, Kludi has given important impetus to developments in the bathroom and kitchen with pioneering solutions. Around 170 inventions and 100 patents can be attributed to the medium-sized company with its headquarters in Menden. It is no coincidence that Kludi has received many awards for this, most recently the "German Innovation Award", the "Red Dot Design Award" and as one of the "TOP 100 Innovators" in the German SME sector.
Kludi fittings are not only used in countless private houses and flats, but also in many prestigious projects such as the L'Oréal "Horizon J1" German headquarters in Düsseldorf, the elegant Kayumanis Private Villa & Spa Hotel in Yangshuo, the five-star "Sheraton Grand Krakow" hotel in Krakow, the "Karolinenhof" residential complex in Regensburg or the trendy "Urban Loft" boutique hotel in the heart of Cologne.
The Kludi family has around 900 employees in sales and production companies in eleven countries in Europe and Asia. In addition to the fully integrated main plant in Menden, Kludi manufactures its fittings in Hornstein/Austria and Diósd/Hungary as well as in the United Arab Emirates. From there, they are exported to over 100 countries. Kludi has been part of the RAK Ceramics Group since 2022. You can find out more about Kludi - the fittings specialist from the Sauerland region - at www.kludi.com.