Product ideas and manufacturing processes were the focus of the first Founders’ Night at the Schlachthof. More than 100 guests attended and the organizers were very satisfied.
Lahr. Representatives from start-ups, traditional industrial companies, institutions such as the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and local politicians were invited to the Schlachthof on Wednesday by the regional business development company nectanet and the city of Lahr, or rather its business development department in the person of Robin Derdau.
According to Derdau, the aim of the event, which lasted around four hours, was to provide an opportunity for presentation and exchange. For the first time, start-up companies in particular were addressed. The response was extremely positive. The intention was also to bring company founders together with representatives of established companies.
The range was wide; from the company LBC Solutions from Friesenheim, which was only launched in 2020, to the Schiltach-based company Hansgrohe, which has long been at home on the world market, and the small specialty injection molding company Hans Fleig GmbH from Lahr to the start-up Everdrop from Munich, Tobias Fischer also presented the start-up center “ImmoLaB33” on the Lahr airfield site.
LBC Solutions (Friesenheim): Lukas Lisker, Max Bühler and Jannik Vogt, all former apprentices at Schaeffler, ventured into self-employment in 2020. They had previously been looking for lucrative side jobs during their studies. They started developing special frames made from aluminum profiles in a barn belonging to the grandfather of one of the trio. These are now used in vehicles, as workstation systems in companies such as the Julabo branch in Lahr or as functional mobile containers for the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief.
Police are also customers
According to Max Bühler and Lukas Lisker, the highlight in the company’s history to date was the agreement with the police to equip the trunks of their vehicles. Their company philosophy? Solving their customers’ problems. The hurdles at the start? The bookkeeping, which was solved thanks to a clever tax consultant.
Hans Fleig GmbH (Lahr): Christian Haas described how the company, which was founded more than 30 years ago and was originally only involved in tool and mold making for injection molding technology, has changed and is now also active in the fields of household electronics, vehicle construction (ignition sinks) and medical technology. The most recent example is the development and production of reusable beverage cups. Production had already started in 2019 – albeit in the “high-budget sector”. In the meantime, a 100% recyclable cup that can be individually printed by laser can also be offered in the low price segment.
Hansgrohe (slaughterhouse): Start-ups are “problem-solving machines”, said Steffen Erath, who is responsible for the sustainability and innovation division at the company founded in Schiltach in 1901. As a result of climate change, said the representative of the global company, completely different laws such as demand and supply determine the price. Hansgrohe has used the lack of water to encourage customers to value this vital commodity more. Despite all the ideas of a “dream bathroom”, a “green vision” was developed. As a result, the company has achieved an increase in value – and at the same time reduced the resources used. In this context, Steffen Erath described start-ups as guarantors of innovation. And: despite all the skepticism, artificial intelligence must be a means to an end.
Everdrop (Munich): Everyone knows a credit card, it’s made of plastic – in the amount that everyone eats in a week. David Löwe, co-founder of Everdrop, began his statement with this observation. The idea: to do away with plastic bottles for bathroom cleaners, for example, as their contents are largely made of water anyway. Effervescent tablets and reusable bottles as alternatives became the business idea. The range now includes more than 40 products.
According to the company itself, 19 million plastic bottles have been saved, as well as 275,000 square meters of plastic film. Last year, Everdrop was named the test winner for dishwasher tabs by Stiftung Warentest. According to David Löwe, the company now has more than one million customers. The proportion of retail presence is increasing. The majority of business is conducted online.
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