Interviews

It is the strong desire to build houses differently – more environmentally-friendly, more sustainably and more in tune with nature. Bau-Fritz GmbH & Co KG in Erkheim, Bavaria has been designing and building pre-fabricated timber frame houses that have won prizes for their stylish design and their use of natural, environmentally-friendly and reusable materials. Bau-Fritz’s Managing Director Dagmar Fritz-Kramer represents the fourth generation of the Fritz family.

The French start-up Mainbot has developed a robot that teaches children the principles of coding and robotics in a fun way. Winky not only looks cute, but is designed to be both a teacher and a classmate for the next generations. European Business talked to Mainbot CEO and Founder Boris Kesler about a little robot that is meant to become a friend.

A decade ago, a group of American entrepreneurs decided to start a craft-beer brewery in northern Iceland, not many kilometers south of the Arctic Circle. The fact that most of the ingredients had to be imported and export routes would be no easier to manage didn’t stop them. They felt certain that the crisp and clean water of the island would be worth it. European Business spoke with Einstök Beer’s managing director Gudjon Gudmundsson about the logistical challenges his company faces, the founders’ and managers’ passion for their entrepreneurial mission, and the best beer style to kick off the new year with.

Hardly any other Icelandic firm seems to reconcile tradition and innovation as effectively as Sláturfélag Suðurlands: The company started out as a farmers’ co-operative at the turn of the 20th century and was named one of Iceland’s strongest brands in 2018. Since its founding days, it has played a leading role in Iceland’s meat-processing market and has gone on to become Iceland’s importer for world-famous brands from Barilla to Mars. European Business spoke with Sláturfélag Suðurlands’ CEO Steinþór Skúlason about his unique home market, his favorite product and how a century-old company can continue to be an innovative leader in its field.

The idea that carpeting is not suitable for people with allergies is a myth. Carpets are much more than boring flooring. Vorwerk & Co. Teppichwerke wants to clean up the preconceptions of the past and has created a completely new brand environment to do so. During an interview with European Business, Vice President Marketing and Product Development Florian Bausch explained the important role that digitalization plays in the process.

Robots are among the most important developments in human history. They have replaced humans in different repetitive or dangerous tasks and can offer various benefits thanks to their advanced technology. Octopus Robots S.A. based in holet, France, is a leading company, providing intelligent and innovative robots.

Keeping your ear to the ground - rarely has this figure of speech been so well suited to a company as is the case with auric Hörsysteme. At auric, modern auditory acoustics meets medical science research, just as it has since the 1990s. European Business spoke with the Managing Partners Hans-Dieter Borowsky and Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Mark Winter about the company’s affinity for research, pathways to patient care and disruptive technology in the form of hearing contacts.

According to Erdem Ovacik, autonomous driving and electric cars won’t solve the biggest challenge of urban mobility: congestion. Hence, his Copenhagen-based bike-sharing company, DonkeyRepublic, wants to encourage city dwellers and travelers to explore Europe’s metropolises on bicycles affectionately named Donkeys, with the firm’s app allowing for a smooth and engaging user experience. European Business spoke with Mr. Ovacik about his ambition to shape the future of urban mobility, his co-operations with local partners – and his favorite city to explore by bike.

Everything sparkles in the world of Swarovski. No jewellery collection is complete without a little glitz and glamour. Particularly now, at Christmas, the pieces of jewellery in the latest timeless collections are a popular gift idea. European Business put Swarovski in the hot seat and learned everything you could want to know about crystal innovations and revolutionary production technology, special customer requests and major projects such as the Swarovski Waterschool.

For BIA Separations d.o.o.in Adjovscina, Slovenia, the unswerving commitment to Gene Therapy has finally paid off in the fact of the company’s success. After a decade of patiently staying with their decision, BIA Separations is now the leading developer of monolith technology and the exclusive producer of CIM® chromatographic columns for the chromatographic purification, production and analysis for large biomolecules.