Hidden Champions

Medium-sized companies: no. 1 in their segment - worldwide

Global market leader – no mean achievement. But one that it is not hard to find in the Metropole Ruhr. Because although the region is not a classic medium-sized company area, it nonetheless boasts an astonishing pedigree of "hidden champions", medium-sized companies that are global market leaders in their segment – whilst retaining a low profile at the same time. The public at large is often as unfamiliar with their outstanding performances as it is with their ability to reinvent themselves, an ability that has not only seen them survive the period of structural transformation, but to actively influence it. The wmr aims to turn the spotlight on these "hidden champions", to tell the story of their capability, their boldness in innovation and their history.

One of those companies is the Mülheim wire cable manufacturer Pfeifer Drako. Plant constructors worldwide place their trust in the special steel cables from Mülheim. Many of the lifts in the largest skyscrapers hang from Drako cables - including in what is currently the world's tallest building under construction, the Burj Dubai. An example of a medium-sized company with high innovative performance is LOIK AG, which has set itself the goal of offering environmentally-friendly alternatives to standard products - with those alternatives made from maize. The recipe is one for success, the holding now comprises a range of companies, achieving annual sales of several million.