Patron of the ife

The project, contract and individual manufacturers are an important engine of the economy in the German-speaking region. Among them are many "export world champions" and "hidden champions". In the public perception, however, these companies, most of which are medium-sized, unfortunately only play a minor role and ife would like to give them a stage, also in Europe.

The ife network for individual manufacturers has been under the patronage of the President of the European Economic Senate, Dr. Ingo Friedrich, MEP (ret.), since November 2018.

The Award:

Bloomberg news agency ranks Germany as the most innovative nation in the world in 2020. The country owes this ranking mainly to its strong engineering sector and not least to its project and individual manufacturers. Unlike series manufacturers, these companies are constantly confronted with new challenges for every customer and therefore have to be highly innovative in order to meet the requirements. The fact that project and individual manufacturers are among the leading innovation drivers in the economy often plays only a secondary role in the public perception. The ife would like to change this with the Lot Size 1+ Innovation Award.

For this reason, the ife - network for make-to-order manufacturers - awards companies for developments and processes in make-to-order manufacturing that successfully master major market challenges with an impressive innovation.

The aim is to generate due attention to make-to-order manufacturers with the help of this award and the exceptional performance of the award-winning players.