With its innovative strength, customer focus and sustainable vision, igus is one of the nominees for the Ernst & Young Award

In Germany, there are a lot of family businesses with strong development despite the challenging times. igus is one of them. The Cologne-based company started out in 1964 with plastic components such as industrial plain bearings and energy chains. It is also constantly tapping into new and promising business areas, e.g. low-cost robotics. This agility is one of the reasons why igus is a finalist in the globally renowned competition “EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025”. According to the organiser Ernst & Young, this makes igus one of the best owner-managed companies in Germany that are shaping the future with confidence.

The US enterprise Ernst & Young is one of the Big Four in auditing. The “EY Entrepreneur Of The Year” competition, with which the company has been honouring entrepreneurial excellence since 1986, enjoys a correspondingly high reputation around the world. The competition is now established in 58 countries and being held in Germany for the 29th time. This year, igus is one of 20 companies that have made it to the finals. “It is our vision to create a world without lubrication – with durable, maintenance-free plastics for motion that are CO₂-neutral, generate no waste and offer our customers a collaboration that is as straightforward as possible: improved technology, lower costs and with minimum impact on the environment,” says igus CEO Frank Blase. “Being a finalist in the ‘EY Entrepreneur Of The Year’ competition confirms that we are on the right track with our start-up mentality and our new plastic products. For this reason, we are designing more every year.” The winners will be announced on 6th November in Munich’s Wappenhalle.

Customer orientation as the key to success
With over 5,200 employees and an annual turnover of over €1 billion, igus is one of the most successful family-owned companies in Germany. The business plans to more than double its customer base and turnover by 2030. Over 200 new products and services are developed every year. According to Frank Blase, one of the reasons for this success is the company’s ability to actively listen to customers. “As an entrepreneur, I learnt painfully at an early stage that it is wrong to focus on your own success. You have to make sure your customers are successful.” As a good listener, igus has developed thousands of specialised products over the years, including networked and digitalised plain bearings and energy chains made of lubrication-free high-performance plastics for industry, satellites, space stations and solar systems. As a corrosion-resistant and maintenance-free alternative to classic metal counterparts, these products have the potential to make customers’ applications more economical and therefore more successful. The newer business areas also include low-cost robotics. With the ReBeL articulated arm robot, for example, igus has created a cobot made of high-performance plastic that is designed to provide SMEs with a simple and cost-effective entry into the world of automation. “At a price of €4,970, it is one of the few robots from Germany that can compete with Chinese products,” explains Frank Blase.

Sustainability as a central strategic goal
However, igus is not interested in growth at any price. The company is committed to acting in a sustainable way, promoting a CO2-neutral and waste-free plastics industry as a key strategic goal. For this purpose, igus is establishing closed cycles, for example through returns and recycling programmes as well as products with a recycled content. A symbolic milestone is the igus:bike, a lubrication-free and corrosion-resistant bicycle for urban mobility. It consists almost entirely of plastic and currently contains around 50% recycled material, including plastic waste such as used fishing nets. igus also sets great store by establishing sustainability both culturally and economically. The company thus promotes talent, diversity and innovation through trainee programmes, dual study courses, internal start-up platforms and international cooperation.

Find out more about the igus success story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7zjJ_lWPmk