NEWS

Christian Bader, Director Quality and Market Access, and Carmen Panero, Product Development Manager
from Bentley at the award ceremony in Würzburg.

Bentley named an award finalist for middle-sized companies for its medical innovations

The Baden-Württemberg-based company was a high flyer at Germany’s top business awards, the ‘Großer Preis des Mittelstandes’

With its ‘Made in Germany’ medical technology, the Hechingen-based company Bentley is held in high esteem by physicians around the world. So high, that the company, which was founded in 2009, was named a finalist in the prestigious ‘Großer Preis des Mittelstandes’, one of Germany’s top business awards. Bentley boasts a successful history of developing and manufacturing products, vascular implants for treating vascular constriction and aneurysms, which are available in over eighty countries.

The stent producer currently employs over 190 employees, and one of its strengths is the fact that it pools all its expertise at its Hechingen headquarters. In keeping with its motto of ‘Engineered and Manufactured in Germany’, all products are exclusively developed and produced in Germany – a quality feature that will continue to be strictly adhered also in the future. Bentley also places great emphasis on feedback from the doctors using its products, and considers this in its product developments. Nearly a third of its total workforce operates in the areas of product development, quality assurance and market access. ‘This is an exceptional figure, and one that is nearly twice as high as what you would find at other medical-technology companies. It lays the foundations for our fast product development and the speed at which we launch new products on the market’, says CEO Sebastian Büchert.

‘We are pleased to see Bentley named a finalist in the “Großer Preis des Mittelstandes”’, Büchert adds. ‘Because this award serves as recognition for every single Bentley employee, who all play a key role in the company’s success. For this reason, the wellbeing of our staff is also our top priority. If things are going well at an individual level, they will also go well at a broader company level.’ Bentley identified this early on, maintaining a flat hierarchy despite its rapid growth.

The HR department is constantly coming up with new ideas in keeping with the motto of BeBentley to encourage a positive working environment. Moreover, staff health is of great importance at Bentley: In addition to the option of leasing a bike, they also offer massages, free fruit, water, coffee and, as of recently, a partnership with a local gym. In-house information events are held regularly to promote exchange and cohesion among staff. They are continuing to run even during these times of the COVID-19 pandemic, with staff being kept informed of precautionary measures regularly and early on as part of online meetings.

‘It is a huge honour to be recognised at the “Großer Preis des Mittelstandes”, for which we have this year been nominated as a finalist for the first time. This drives us to keep going as we are, if not improving further’, says Christian Bader, Director Quality and Market Access. More than 4,970 companies across Germany have been nominated for the popular ‘Großer Preis des Mittelstandes’ award, with over 1,110 just from the federal state of Baden-Württemberg alone. What makes this award ceremony unique is the fact that only companies that have been nominated by other companies can participate.

The judges who nominate the companies make their decision based on the criteria of ‘overall business development’, ‘creating and securing jobs and apprenticeships’, ‘innovation and modernisation measures’, ‘involvement in the region’, and ‘service, customer focus and marketing’. Only eight companies from Baden-Württemberg were chosen as finalists by the panel of judges from the Oskar Patzelt Foundation this year. Fortunately, Bentley was one of them and was able to shine in all of these areas, and accept the honours at the awards ceremony in Würzburg.

Press enquiries: Kerstin Stotz, Communication & Event Coordinator, k.stotz@bentley.global, telephone +49 7471 98499559