Innovative through research: NESS commitment honoured by Stifterverband
In addition to the planning, distribution and manufacture of process heating systems, NESS Wärmetechnik GmbH attaches great importance to the continuous further development of its products and services. Many years ago, a separate department for research and development was created within the company.
On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), this commitment has now been awarded the “Innovation through Research” seal by the Stifterverband.
Dominik Weidler is CITO at NESS and contributes significantly to development and further development. “In product development, we usually work hand in hand with our customers. No one knows the needs and the circumstances as well as our customers themselves. That is why it is important to involve them in the development right from the start,” says Dominik Weidler. “When the development project begins, we at NESS then proceed differently than a corporate group would. Due to our flat hierarchies, a development team often consists of employees from different company divisions. For example, I work with service engineers, colleagues from sales, marketing, customers and directly with the management. It’s all very dynamic. A good team at this point is also worth its weight in gold, because without the many years of experience of the “old hands” we would be doing a lot of unnecessary work at this point.”
Despite Corona, the commitment to research has not diminished at all in recent months. Even though this has been the general trend in many companies.
“Investments in the field of research have to be planned and made constantly and for a long time, and of course they are very expensive,” says Dr Andreas Ness, Managing Director of NESS Wärmetechnik GmbH. “It is far more than just an obligation to our business location Germany. Standing still means going backwards! The world is constantly changing. For example, we are facing huge changes in energy supply and efficiency, to pick up on just one complex of topics. Topics such as energy savings or the switch to hydrogen, for example, are important and must be pushed forward. Even quite simple things like frequency converters for pumps help to significantly improve the overall efficiency of a plant. It is no secret that I am very convinced of the agility of my team and the skills of the people I work with. Mediocrity does not help me or our company. That’s why I’m happy to invest here.”
With around 30 engineers in a wide range of fields, NESS covers many specialist areas. More than 90 employees work every day to meet the needs of our customers around the world.
“Most of the investments we realise are long-term investments,” says Dominik Weidler. “These investments have to be well considered and thought out for the long term. Of course, we support our customers as best we can with our expertise in order to avoid making the wrong decisions and to be well positioned for the future.”