"Diversität leben - eigentlich ist das für uns alle Alltag. Aber diese Diversität wollen und müssen wir auch im Arbeitsleben noch konsequenter abbilden. Davon profitieren wir, Diversität ist heute Grundvoraussetzung für Erfolg!" Das Statement kommt von Herzen. Sehen Sie selbst!
Dear Readers,
June is always a special month for RWTÜV. There are many meetings and dates to attend, such as the committee meetings or the publication of the annual reports. We take a close look at the past year, but above all we look ahead.
As we look ahead, we have focused on two other important matters: Firstly, we have expanded the RWTÜV Group by acquiring stakes in two extremely innovative and exciting companies.
One is isn - innovation service network, already known to interested parties as our partner for the RWTÜV Campus or the innovation competition 'Innovation inside'. The other new member of the group is the young company House of Plasma. Attentive newsletter readers will know it as the winner of the startup prize awarded by RWTÜV in the anniversary year 2022.
Secondly, Thomas Biedermann attended the introductory meeting of the ewa volunteers who started their training as cyber security experts in May. And last but not least another important signature was signed: From July 1, 2024, RWTÜV will be a member of the EWMD - European Women's Management Development initiative. You can read what this is as well as further details on the topics mentioned above in the following newsletter. Have fun!
Enjoy!
Thomas Biedermann and Fabian Fechner
For around three years, RWTÜV has had an active culture of innovation, including an annual internal innovation competition. The aim is to drive forward its own consistent development and that of its subsidiaries. This process is supported by the Austrian company isn - innovation service network, in which RWTÜV is now acquiring shares. "We have a competent and experienced partner here who has been providing services and tools for innovation-intensive players since 2001. Together with isn, we have quickly established our innovation management with know-how and a digital innovation platform for the entire Group," explains Thomas Biedermann, CEO of the RWTÜV Group.
RWTÜV regularly creates future-oriented value with strategic investments in innovation-oriented start-ups and companies such as ensun and critisLAB. Now the Group wants to initiate further innovation: "There is a great need for innovation in several sectors in Germany," analyzes Fabian Fechner, Managing Director of RWTÜV. The innovation services from which RWTÜV benefits are now to be brought closer to customers. "We are thus promoting economic dynamism, which in turn is good for RWTÜV," plans Fechner. For its part, the RWTÜV Group expects the cooperation to give it direct access to innovation trends so that it can continue to play a pioneering role in the evaluation and promotion of technological innovations.
Since May 2022, after House of Plasma won 70,000 euros and the RWTÜV Startup Prize, the RWTÜV management has been in regular contact with the founders and managing directors Dr. Moritz Oberberg, Maria Schnober and Geoffrey Mellar.
The multipole resonance probe measurement technology from House of Plasma enables a significant improvement in the quality of manufacturing processes for plasma surface treatments. Industrial applications include the surface treatment of solar cells, spectacle lenses, lenses, PET bottles and electronic devices.
RWTÜV now wants to enable further scaling with an investment: "We have been able to observe the successful development with enthusiasm. We believe in the team and the idea and now want to pave the way for further growth," commented RWTÜV Managing Directors Fabian Fechner and Thomas Biedermann.
"RWTÜV stands for innovation as well as safe and reliable high-tech. That suits us extremely well," said the House of Plasma team, who were also delighted with the new partnership.
The goals of making qualified women in management positions more visible and encouraging them in all areas and organizations, as well as raising the quality standard in management and enriching the management culture with more women and greater diversity, could have been taken from the RWTÜV Group's catalog of values.
In this wording, however, they originate from EWMD – European Women's Management Development, an international network founded in 1984 by women for women and men in management.
The idea to join came from the internal RWTÜV competition on the occasion of International Women's Day in March. By signing up for membership from July 1, 2024, the Management Board is not only once again demonstrating its firm commitment to equal rights and diversity, but is also showing consistency and speed in its implementation.
The ewa research project, which is funded by the RWTÜV Foundation and the NRW government and focuses on the further training of female career changers to become cyber security experts, is also picking up speed. On June 8, the eleven participants met for a first joint workshop and get-together in Bochum at the headquarters of ewa partner R.iT GmbH.
After a video message from NRW Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur and a personal welcome from RWTÜV Foundation Board Member Thomas Biedermann, the participants worked through the content of an initial learning module, which had been prepared in advance online and in self-study, in lectures, Q&A sessions and tandem working times. An explicitly practical approach is intended to teach key skills that are urgently needed by companies on the job market in times of increasing digital threats.
Thomas Biedermann was delighted with the atmosphere in Bochum: "It's great to finally see this long-prepared but previously abstract project come to life and to experience the motivation of the participants. The concept seems to be working!" A second group of women will start the course in August, which will then be certified and offered commercially.
How can interest in the innovation competition be kept high? How can even more employees participate regularly in the CIP? How often and through which channels should the RWTÜV Campus team communicate? The RWTÜV Campus is the Group's internal online platform, which houses the Group-wide intranet as well as the innovation platform. Here you can find news, direct chats, expert groups, the CIP pipeline and much more.
At the end of last month, the RWTÜV community held an open workshop to discuss the innovation platform. The agenda included an evaluation of the acceptance and processes of the Campus, as well as considerations for process optimization and broadening the user base of the innovation network.
In the four-hour, very varied workshop with short presentations and discussions in breakout rooms in groups of different compositions, open discussions, criticism, analysis and planning took place.
The remote meeting was led by Reinhard Willfort. He, together with the team led by Kim Tran and Natascha Winter, developed the RWTÜV Campus, and now continues to support the establishment process. His assessment of the meeting was a very positive one: “At every workshop, you can feel how the innovative strength of RWTÜV is increasing and the internal innovation network is growing ever stronger! All of the participants are highly motivated and have precise innovation questions, it is great fun to moderate this joint process!" Fabian Fechner, Deputy Managing Director of the RWTÜV Group, also praised the event: “We can see that our efforts are bearing fruit. Interest and willingness to get involved are growing. Word is getting around that our own company and our employees benefit personally from this commitment. We'll keep at it!"