The Nominees 2021/22

2G Energy AG manufactures combined heat and power units (CHP) for various gases. 2G is the first manufacturer to have succeeded in converting CHP units that previously ran on natural gas and biogas to run on 100% hydrogen, thus paving the way to climate neutrality. Particular attention has been paid to the surplus electricity from wind and solar energy, which can be stored as hydrogen. This hydrogen can then be converted back into electricity using the CHP units that have been developed. Since only water is produced as a waste product, the energy generation process is climate-friendly. Compared to natural gas, the efficiency is also higher. Technically, the company's research & development has succeeded in adapting a standard natural gas module in such a way that both production and ongoing operation (maintenance and service) are cost-sensitive. These costs are only marginally higher than those of a standard natural gas module. Another unique selling point is that every natural gas or biogas CHP delivered by 2G today can be converted for operation with hydrogen at a later date.

In the construction industry, a general distinction is made between primary and secondary building materials, with secondary building materials originating from recycled demolition material. Currently, the consumption of primary building materials, which are extracted from nature, is high in building construction. Secondary building materials are most likely to be used in road construction and for backfilling. The goal of Betonwerk Büscher GmbH & Co. KG is the targeted return of demolition waste to the material cycle. Precast concrete parts with up to 100 percent recycled building materials enable upcycling even for high-quality structures. This can reduce the destruction of landscapes and the interference with the natural water balance in the long term. The company creates new raw material for concrete production from processed demolition material (mixed masonry and concrete demolition material) and obtained general approval and type approval from the German approval authority for this. Prefabricated elements made of this concrete are equal to traditionally produced elements and have the same technical, static and climatic properties. The prefabricated elements are suitable for load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls and are fully recyclable.

The company Kraso specialises in pressurised water-tight installation parts and sealing systems for concrete construction. The company has developed a fastening nut with which the tightening torque can be constantly limited over several installation processes. The new nut significantly simplifies the professional installation process and also reduces the risk of damage to sealing inserts, for example, by means of a special slip clutch. The aim was to find a solution that is easy to install in practice and at the same time meets the necessary installation standards. As a result, at maximum torque, the transmission of force between the threaded part and the tubular element is eliminated in the area of the slip clutch. A torque spanner is no longer necessary and the nut can be loosened and retightened several times. An audible and perceptible signal indicates when the optimum torque has been reached.

The GLU|ECO® innovation is a new gluing process in labelling machines. Glue is applied to single-sheet labels and glued to a wide variety of products, for example in chemical and food production. The challenge is the more difficult handling of wet glue with regard to machine cleaning. Languth GmbH's solution consists of two central ideas: The label is no longer fully glued, but only in the minimum necessary areas. In addition, a second glue circuit is introduced to keep the glue fresh at all times. As a result, 50 per cent glue can be saved. The automation of machine cleaning simplifies operation and achieves a higher level of sustainability. In this way, Languth GmbH is giving the wet glue process a higher level of competitiveness again compared to other processes.

The hoogo flipflop nozzle is a hoover nozzle for all commercially available hoovers. The innovation lies in the intelligent combination of known technology into a new product that solves an old but very common "problem". The development goes back to the invention of Felix Röwekämper, who had won the regional competition "Jugend forscht" Münsterland with the prototype of the nozzle. Under the name "hoogo flipflop nozzle", the start-up company MYTEK GmbH then further developed this prototype until it was ready for the market. This hoover nozzle differs from all other commercially available nozzles in that it has two movable side wings, each of which can be swivelled by 180 degrees. The wings give way when they come into contact with objects or furniture, so that damage to the furniture can be avoided, and they automatically spring back into their original position as soon as the resistance decreases. This means that heavy furniture no longer has to be moved when cleaning the floor - regardless of whether it is hard floor or carpet - and it is also not necessary to change nozzles, which can be an enormous relief when cleaning residential and commercial premises.

Predimo GmbH has developed "ComputerMyoGrafie", a human musculoskeletal computer model in 3D that enables highly digitised movement and load analyses of the human body in motion. Captured via motion capture, ComputerMyoGrafie depicts the internal muscle and joint loads of the human body based on kinematic data. In this way, Predimo opens up a functional view into the human body and the analysis of the loads and forces acting in the body on joints and muscles in individual movement. The information gained in this way is highly relevant for the classification of functional complaints in the body. It is also essential for planning athletic training (especially in the field of high-performance and professional sports) and for preventing damage at the workplace. ComputerMyoGraphy can in fact predict which movements will individually lead to certain damages, so that late damages can be prevented during training, in rehabilitation or at the workplace by optimising movement sequences at an early stage.

The FIMTable as well as the software elements FIMTrack and FIManalytics (with FIM.AI) have been developed through a collaboration within the WWU Münster between the departments of biology and computer science. The combination of patented imaging, experimental design and automated data analysis using AI is used to record and analyse insect behaviour. The aim of the analyses is to observe and classify the influence of agents and substances on insects. The start-up qubeto is a service laboratory with customers from research, industry and authorities. With the innovations mentioned above, customers can carry out ecotoxological studies, develop new active substances or products or predict the long-term influence of active substances introduced into nature without having to carry out animal experiments (on larger animals such as mice, etc.) in each case. This makes it possible to generate more meaningful data series and at the same time reduce the number of animal experiments overall. Qubeto can also make statements about the welfare of the surviving insects and at the same time save considerable costs and time due to the high level of automation in imaging and analysis, which is an enormous advantage for customers from industry and science.

The easy system from apetito describes a digital complete service in the catering sector - from meal planning, which is constantly being optimised with the help of artificial intelligence, and meal ordering to checkout and payment processing to the integrated feedback option. One advantage of the system is that it can be expanded by further modules in the future. The system enables optimised, sustainable and at the same time intelligent meal planning. Apetito was able to significantly improve planning and production accuracy with easy system and reduce food waste by an average of eight per cent to 42.7 grams per plate. But it also helps to avoid faulty and incorrect planning due to misjudgements, and the planning accuracy can be improved by 30 per cent through its use. This leads to a two-percent improvement in the company's merchandise utilisation.
The concrete application possibilities of the entire easy system are not only possible in the catering industry, but can also be used in independent gastronomy or in bakery chains.

The development of the BEUMER Smart Glasses enabled the BEUMER Group to further intensify and expand its service options with customers in mind. Not least during the global pandemic, Beumer succeeded in adapting its business model: With the smart glasses, it was possible to establish targeted, verbal as well as visual communication between customers on site and experts at the BEUMER Group worldwide, without having to be physically on site. The BEUMER Smart Glasses represent an enabler solution that enables BEUMER to install and commission machines and systems remotely with the help of the customer team, and also to carry out maintenance and inspections. This means that response times can be significantly reduced and plant installations and maintenance can be carried out without having to travel. Thanks to these innovative service concepts called "Remote Services", customer support and the implementation of projects could continue to be carried out with a high standard of quality even during the pandemic.

With the "TrailerConnect® Data Management Center" (DMC), Cargobull Telematics GmbH has launched an infrastructure tool that ensures more data security and transparency in the logistics industry. With the DMC, the forwarder retains control over all of his data and can forward it to third-party systems on a tour-related basis in order to meet the requirements of his clients. Schmitz Cargobull thus manages to provide all interfaces to the necessary platforms and at the same time ensures that the data is shared in a DSGVO-compliant manner. The trailer manufacturer wants to use its TrailerConnect® trailer telematics system to create automated and seamless data transparency without forwarder having to pass on more data than necessary and program the corresponding interfaces themselves. In the DMC, the forwarder retains control over his data and can use the necessary interfaces for data forwarding.