German top managers have nominated Staufen AG the country’s best Lean Management Consultancy. For the renowned “Hidden Champions” industry study, consultancy expert Prof. Dr. Dietmar Fink interviewed more than 450 top managers of major German companies. According to the study, Staufen AG also ranks amongst the top five consultancies in the areas of technology and innovation management, operative efficiency, Shop Floor Management and Industry 4.0. “The award of the ‘Hidden Champion 2015’ title means very much to us, because we, too, always seek to benchmark ourselves against the major players in our industry,” Martin Haas, Staufen AG Executive Board member expresses his delight. “The great appreciation by leaders of large companies, SMEs and large family-owned enterprises fills us with pride.” This was the fifth time that the Hidden Champions of the German consultancy companies were chosen by the Scientific Society for Management and Consulting (Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Management und Beratung) under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dietmar Fink. A comprehensive survey of senior managers from large and SME enterprises was used to identify which highly specialised consultancies are credited by their customers with a greater expertise in their area of specialisation than the large all-round consultancies. This year, a total of 14 consultancies were chosen to join the exclusive circle of Hidden Champions. In addition to professional expertise, the study also looked at recent project experiences by customers with their consultants. Alongside praise for the above-average economic success of Staufen projects, customers had significantly more praise for the experiences and insights gained over the course of the project compared to those with other consultants. “It is not our intention to stand out for our secret knowledge, but to pass our expertise to our customers. This is one of the core elements of the Lean Management concept,” Staufen board member Haas explains. “The fact that this approach based on partnership is appreciated by our customers and at the same time leads to economic success, is further encouragement to us to continue on this path.” The “Hidden Champion” award is already the third official recognition that Staufen AG has received this year. In May, Brand eins Wissen and Statista nominated the consultancy as “Best Consultant”. Furthermore, in 2015, too, Staufen was once again nominated as one of “Germany’s Best Employers” according to a study by the Great Place to Work® Institute. Our Awards Official Website – Hidden Champions 2015 Download executive summary of the study results