Recognition for impressive innovation: At the German SME Summit at the Heidelberg Congress Centre on 26 June, Christian Wulff, mentor of the competition and former Federal President, congratulated ProMinent GmbH on winning the TOP 100 Award 2026. Andreas Zühlcke, Vice President of Product Management & Marketing, accepted the award on behalf of the company. This is the fourth consecutive TOP 100 Award for the Heidelberg-based family-run business.
ProMinent develops components and systems for water treatment and water disinfection. Dosing, measurement and control technology enables setpoints to be monitored and water treatment to be controlled according to requirements, for example in swimming pools or waterworks. “Our products and systems help operators maintain stable water quality,” explains Andreas Zühlcke, Vice President of Product Management & Marketing at ProMinent. The combination of dosing, measurement and control technology, together with digital networking, can also be applied to other tasks in water and wastewater treatment.
Fourth treatment stage: removing trace substances from wastewater
One area of application is the fourth treatment stage in municipal wastewater treatment. Micropollutants such as pharmaceutical residues, pesticides and hormones can be largely removed by combining ozone treatment with downstream activated carbon filtration. ProMinent supplies modular systems for this purpose, which adapt to fluctuating wastewater volumes and precisely control the addition of ozone.
Digital platform: monitoring, documentation, remote access
With the web-based DULCONNEX platform, ProMinent digitally networks system components and enables real-time monitoring from any location. Authorised users can adjust device settings remotely using remote control functions. “This enables users to react quickly, avoid unnecessary on-site visits and adjust setpoints directly from a distance,” says Zühlcke. “This combination of hardware, sensor technology and digital services has transformed the way we develop products: moving away from individual devices towards integrated, data-driven solutions.”
What lies behind the award
At ProMinent, these solutions are underpinned by a systematic approach. “Receiving this award once again demonstrates that innovation is systematically embedded at ProMinent. For us, innovation means bringing together customer requirements, technological developments and sustainable solutions at an early stage,” says Zühlcke. This is confirmed by the scientific selection process: It rates ProMinent’s innovation management as a whole with an A. In the ‘Innovative Processes and Organisation’ category, it receives an A+, which is above the TOP 100 average. ProMinent’s TOP 100 innovation quotient stands at 219, whilst the standard value for comparable companies is 100.
TOP 100: the competition
Since 1993, compamedia has been awarding the TOP 100 seal to medium-sized companies for exceptional innovative strength and above-average innovation success. From 2002 to 2026, the scientific director was Prof. Dr Nikolaus Franke, founder and director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. From the 2027 round onwards, Prof. Dr Katharina Hölzle will take over as scientific director. The patron of TOP 100 is the former Federal President and Prime Minister Christian Wulff. Further information is available at www.top100-germany.com .
