Some call it tradition; others, experience. One person’s old-fashioned habits might be another’s lifetime of learning, but could the case be the same in business? The desire to keep on growing, with a wealth of ideas that turn innovations into reality, can certainly help companies to lead the world.
This undoubtedly holds true for the companies that feel right at home in the idyllic Salzkammergut, putting down deep roots in the region, which is European Capital of Culture 2024.
The “Culture meets Internationalisation and Innovation” video project strives to integrate the fields of business and culture by showcasing 14 companies from the region. Despite their international operations, the Salzkammergut remains their home base and many of the firms can look back on a long history here, having been family-owned for generations. They appreciate the area as especially fertile ground for creative and innovative enterprises.
Wolf Systembau is active in civil engineering. It all started with the construction of silos on a farm more than 50 years ago, but the firm now has an international footprint, operating branches in 19 countries.
Wolf Systembau’s strength lies in its broad diversification; the company manufactures buildings for agriculture, industry and trade, along with cladding for round containers (e.g. for silos and biogas plants) and pre-fabricated structures.
The use of a wide range of materials (steel, timber and concrete) allows Wolf Systembau to produce bespoke solutions to suit individual requirements, and their local representation means it can offer joined-up service, from planning to delivery.
Artweger manufactures high-quality shower enclosures and shower tubs. Everything they produce is made in their factory in Austria and about half of their output is exported.
Artweger’s attractively designed products have been leading the field in innovation, top quality and functionality for more than a century, as the company ably demonstrated with its invention of the wooden clothes peg before conquering Europe in the late 1950s with the “Ruck-Zuck” clothes rack and its concertina mechanism – you are still likely to find both products in many homes.
Artweger’s latest innovation is a walk-in shower that is still fully functional as a bathtub.
Schunk Carbon Technology creates components for vehicles and sets the pace in the mobility sector. The company produces e.g. carbon brushes for electric motors for a wide variety of applications; several hundred million of these fittings are installed round the world every year, making Schunk the market leader in this segment.
The company manufactures carbon strips for pantographs for the railway sector and has also taken to the air, developing low-weight, highly heat-resistant components to be used in aviation and astronautics.
All their products are of the highest quality and help to make modern eVehicles safer, more efficient and more eco-friendly.
The video project is a cooperative production by the Upper Austria Export Centre and ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA.
