Ascon Systems is winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 in the category Young Companies

Press release
Dag-Stefan Rittmeister
Press and Public Relations
+49 711 9881 15980
dag-stefan.rittmeister@de.ey.com

EY honors innovative entrepreneurs with the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Awards

Germany’s best entrepreneurs

• Ventilator and motor manufacturer ebm-papst wins in the “Established Companies” category
• Ascon Systems from Stuttgart receives the prize in the “Emerging Companies” category
• ebm-papst will represent Germany at the “World Entrepreneur Of The Year”

Stuttgart, 22 October 2020. The winners of the “EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020” award demonstrate entrepreneurship, innovative strength and personal commitment. The prizes were awarded to entrepreneurs in the “Established Companies” and “Emerging Companies” categories on 22 October 2020. With this prize, the auditing and consulting firm EY has celebrated the best owner-managed, mid-sized German companies for the 24th time.

The winners were announced for the first time at a virtual awards ceremony, which was hosted by the newsreader Judith Rakers.

This year there were 19 finalists vying for the title of “Entrepreneur Of The Year 2019”, An independent jury shortlisted entrepreneurs for the title “EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020”: The ventilator and motor manufacturer ebm-papst and the Industry 4.0 company Ascon Systems. Ebm-papst will also represent Germany at the “World Entrepreneur Of The Year” in the coming year.

The winners of “Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020” Established Companies: ebm-papst Group, Mulfingen, Germany Award accepted by: Gerhard Sturm, Ralf Sturm, Stefan Brandl

ebm-papst is a leading global manufacturer of ventilators and motors. The company ebm (Elektrobau Mulfingen GmbH & Co. KG) was founded in 1963 by Gerhard Sturm and Heinz Ziehl, and initially concentrated on producing small external rotor motors. Today, its portfolio includes ventilation technology, air conditioning and cooling technology, heating technology, the automotive industry, machine construction, information technology, gastronomy/household appliances, intralogistics and medical technology. For decades Gerhard Sturm has abided by the corporate philosophy that each newly developed product must be more ecological and economical than its predecessor. For example, under the label “GreenIntelligence” the company is looking towards new solutions in the future, which combine the highest levels of energy efficiency with the advantages of digital connectivity. For his social commitment and entrepreneurial activities, Sturm, who celebrated his 85th birthday last December, has received numerous honors – these include the German Federal Cross of Merit, the Medal of Merit of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg and the Diesel Medal, the highest award for inventors. Globally, ebm-papst has around 15,000 employees spread over 29 production sites. In 2019/20, the hidden champion generated revenue of just under EUR 2.2 billion.

Emerging Companies: Ascon Systems GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany Award accepted by: Mathias Stach, Alexander von Klein, Kilian Grefen, Dr. Raimund Menges, Uwe Rettich

Ascon Systems also calls itself “The Digital Twin Company”. With digital twinning, the company has made it significantly easier to introduce and operate Industry 4.0. The technology combines planning, production, artificial intelligence and Big Data analyses, and allows companies to secure production plants as early as the planning stage, and monitor and optimize the way they work during ongoing operations. For this reason, in 2018 Ascon Systems was one of only four companies in the world to be included in the “Cool Vendor” list by Gartner, which honors new and innovative providers and products. The company was founded in 2017 and now employs around 80 employees at four locations.

About “EY Entrepreneur of the Year”

The “Entrepreneur of the Year” program was launched in the US in 1986. The competition has since spread to 60 countries and is among the most renowned entrepreneur awards worldwide. The German competition is taking place for the 24th time this year and is sponsored by leading companies and media organizations, including LGT, strategic communications consultancy Kekst CNC, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Manager Magazin. Besides honoring successful entrepreneurs, EY also promotes emerging entrepreneurial talent with its “EY NextGen Academy” program.

About EY

EY* is one of the largest professional services firms in Germany and the market leader in tax services. EY employs more than 11,000 people in 20 locations and generated revenue of EUR 2.1 billion in fiscal year 2018/2019. Joining forces with the roughly 300,000-strong global EY organization, it serves its clients all over the world.

EY offers large and medium-sized companies a comprehensive portfolio of services in the areas of assurance, tax, law, strategy and transactions, consulting and real estate advisory services.

For more information please visit the following website: www.de.ey.com.

Press contact:

Dag-Stefan Rittmeister, Head of Press and Public Relations
Ernst & Young GmbH
Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
Flughafenstrasse 61, 70629 Stuttgart
Tel: +49 711 988 11 59 80
E-mail: dag-stefan.rittmeister@de.ey.com