Being productive, for a company, is the most basic necessity for its existence and economic development. This is why the ProdPilot cross-border project was launched in May 2018 with a budget of €2.1 million.
Coordinated by the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft des Saarlandes, it is intended to support SMEs in the Greater Region through targeted process innovations in order to increase their productivity and thus secure jobs.
The consortium is made up of six partners, including the University of Luxembourg.
Each year, the “Grand-Prix ProdPilot” rewards a particularly innovative company in the Greater Region for its achievements that have led to an increase in their productivity. Small, medium and large companies are eligible.
The project must focus on one or more of the following themes:
- Strategy
- Process & value chain
- Organization
- Methods & Tools
- Staff
The 2020 edition of this Grand Prix is officially launched. Applications must be submitted by 30 October 2020 and the award ceremony will take place in Saarbrücken on 30 November 2020.
Exchange of best practices
“Improving its productivity is an obligation for a company not only to remain competitive, but also to work more efficiently by integrating innovative, high-performance and intelligent tools”, explains Caroline Muller, the manager of the Luxembourg Materials & Manufacturing Cluster of Luxinnovation, member of the jury of this Grand-Prix. “Participating in such a Grand-prix is a great opportunity to exchange best practices with European participants from industry and research”.
The first winner of this competition, in 2019, was the Luxembourg company Ferro-Tech, which specialises in railway works (track laying and renewal, maintenance of railway networks, installation of railways and overhead cranes, etc.). The company, founded in 2006, developed a mobile application to simplify maintenance management and thus significantly reduce the number of breakdowns and breakdowns and their impact on its operations. Gains generated: some 450,000 euros per year.
“It is within the framework of our Fit 4 Innovation program that Ferro-Tech has developed its project to improve and digitalise the maintenance of its operations”, says Arnaud Duban, Head of SME Performance at Luxinnovation. “This program enables companies to clearly identify potential for improvement, to define priorities and above all to carry out a project that allows considerable productivity gains”.