WSCAD – Technology Leadership Through Innovation
Recognised in the 2025 TOP 100 Ranking as one of the ten most innovative medium-sized companies in the German-speaking market, WSCAD continues to lead the way in electrical CAD technology. Through continuous innovation and advanced AI integration, WSCAD empowers engineers and machine builders to design faster, reduce errors, and deliver projects more efficiently.
For more than 30 years, WSCAD, part of the Buhl Group, has helped engineers and designers simplify electrical engineering—from machinery and plant design to building automation and electrical installation. Today, over 40,000 users in more than 100 countries rely on WSCAD’s integrated electrical CAD software to work faster, more efficiently, and less stressful.
The WSCAD platform brings together electrical engineering, control panel design, process engineering, fluid technology, building automation, and electrical installation in one platform with a single central database. When a change is made to a component, it instantly updates across all schematics and documents — saving time and preventing costly errors. A range of apps takes digitization into the field:
- Rooms can be measured directly with a smartphone or tablet and imported into installation designs.
- Service personnel can scan field devices of control cabinets to access up-to-date schematics, product data, and the manufacturer datasheets in real time. The result: shorter down time of the machine.
Setting New Standards in the Industry
WSCAD’s commitment to innovation has consistently set benchmarks in the electrical CAD market:
- 2015: Launch of wscaduniverse.com, the first open, cloud-based electrical CAD database. Today it provides over 2.1 million product records from more than 400 manufacturers—free to all users and suppliers.
- 2019: Introduction of a completely new, modern, and intuitive user interface designed around real-world workflows—making electrical design significantly faster and much easier.
- 2024: WSCAD becomes the first company worldwide to integrate artificial intelligence directly into electrical CAD software. The result: ELECTRIX AI—a game changer for speed, efficiency, and user experience.
ELECTRIX AI – The productivity booster
WSCAD’s ELECTRIX AI takes electrical design to a whole new level. By integrating artificial intelligence directly into the CAD environment, everyday engineering tasks are completed in seconds—boosting speed and productivity across the board. With ELECTRIX AI engineers can:
- Generate material lists and terminal diagrams in seconds — up to 95% faster than before.
- Insert macros instantly with simple text commands — no more manual searching for menus or macros.
- Run automated error checks at the push of a button — what once took hours now takes seconds.
- Get immediate answers to help and technical questions — no manuals or support tickets needed.
- Instantly locate components across all projects.
- Enable less-experienced users to handle complex tasks, freeing experts for high-value work.
- Translate entire projects automatically — saving both time and cost.
- Generate control cabinets up to 99% faster with AI-powered automation.
ELECTRIX AI is more than an upgrade — it’s a productivity booster that helps engineers do more, faster, and with less stress. And thanks to its consistent commitment to innovation, WSCAD is among the ten leading innovative midsize companies in 2025.
WSCAD Earns Top A+ Rating for Innovation
In June 2025, WSCAD received the prestigious TOP 100 Innovation Award, confirming its position among the most innovative medium-sized companies in the German-speaking world. The award, presented annually by compamedia GmbH, is based on an independent, scientific evaluation led by Professor Dr. Nikolaus Franke from the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Economics and Business in Vienna, Austria. The analysis looks beyond past achievements to assess each company’s innovation infrastructure—including leadership involvement, company-wide innovation culture, agile structures, and measurable market success. WSCAD’s A+ rating sets a new benchmark for disciplined innovation management and technological leadership.
Figure 1: Top rating A+ for WSCAD GmbH
Innovation – the foundation of success
In the 2025 TOP 100 Innovation analysis, WSCAD earned the highest possible A+ rating, placing it among the top ten most innovative companies in the German-speaking market. The average rating among all TOP 100 companies was A, making this achievement especially noteworthy in a year of intense competition. The TOP 100 list recognises global market leaders, hidden champions, and pioneering technology companies across industries including IT, engineering, construction, electronics, energy, and more. Each participant was rigorously evaluated through detailed data analysis, benchmarking, and expert review.
The jury praised WSCAD for its exceptionally professional and structured innovation processes—setting a standard for best practice and demonstrating outstanding potential for future success. WSCAD continues to serve as a model for systematic, technology-driven innovation in the electrical design industry.
Measurable Leadership
The radar chart in Figure 2 compares WSCAD’s performance with both the Top 10 and TOP 100 companies. Scores for the TOP 100 group are normalised to 100. In areas such as integration and monitoring, WSCAD performs on par with the Top 10 most innovative companies. In resource utilization, innovation strategy, and innovation management, it surpasses them. These results highlight WSCAD’s commitment to giving engineers the most advanced, efficient tools for electrical design. According to the jury, WSCAD’s innovation process is among the most disciplined and effective in the study—making continued progress not just likely, but expected. WSCAD sets the benchmark for best practice and continues to lead as a pioneer in electrical design innovation.
Figure 2: WSCAD exceeds the average of the top 10 companies in Innovative Orientation, Innovation Management, and Resource Utilization
Innovation Doesn’t Happen by Chance
Success at WSCAD is no accident. It’s built on the expertise and motivation of its people—guided by leadership that makes innovation a top priority. At WSCAD, management leads by example: encouraging creativity, welcoming new ideas, and actively supporting professional growth. As shown in Figure 3, WSCAD scores a 5, the highest possible rating for leadership involvement in innovation. Executives are directly engaged in setting project goals, tracking progress, and stepping in early when needed. That level of commitment stands well above the averages for Top 100, Top 10, and other medium-sized companies.
A strong innovation strategy keeps WSCAD’s efforts focused and aligned. The company again scores a 5 here—demonstrating excellence in strategic planning, communication, leadership, and adaptability. Digital transformation plays a key role in that success. By embracing new technologies, WSCAD streamlines processes, develops new business models, and delivers solutions that meet evolving customer needs. In this area too, WSCAD performs above the Top 10 and Top 100 benchmarks, proving that innovation at WSCAD is driven by structure, leadership, and purpose.
Figure 3: Top management involvement in innovation projects
Figure 4: Innovation leadership, communication, and adaptability in company comparison
Digital transformation is a key driver of WSCAD’s success. It enables more efficient processes, new business models, and innovative products that meet changing customer needs. In digitalisation and continuous improvement, WSCAD again outperforms both the Top 10 and Top 100 companies.
At WSCAD, innovation isn’t an afterthought — it’s a strategic investment. Nearly 20% of annual revenue goes directly into research, development, and innovation initiatives. This commitment places WSCAD well ahead of the Top 100 and even Top 10 peers, according to the latest ZEW Innovation Survey, where the average medium-sized company invests only 1.2%. That level of investment underscores how deeply innovation is embedded in WSCAD’s strategy — driving technology leadership and delivering real value to customers worldwide.
Figure 5: Digitalisation as a decisive factor for development
Figure 6: Innovation activity as a percentage of revenue
Where Innovation Begins
Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation — it grows from a culture that encourages initiative, open dialogue, and smart risk-taking. At WSCAD, employees are empowered to question processes, find new efficiencies, and spot problems before they occur. That spirit came to life when WSCAD integrated artificial intelligence into its electrical CAD platform. Managers, engineers, and developers worked side by side, exploring new ground together. Mistakes were treated as opportunities to learn, not setbacks. This culture of transparency, collaboration, and continuous learning is a major reason WSCAD scores a perfect 5 in innovation culture — well above the averages of medium-sized companies (3.7), of the Top 100 and even the Top 10. It’s proof that real innovation starts with people who are encouraged to think boldly and act decisively.
Figure 7: Innovative orientation – WSCAD ahead of the Top 100 and Top 10 companies
Innovation is part of our corporate culture.
Anyone who tries something new is free to make mistakes – and learn from them.“
Listening to the customer
Innovation works best when companies understand their market and truly listen to their customers—and WSCAD does both. By actively bringing the customer’s perspective into product development, WSCAD earned a perfect score of 5, outperforming both the Top 10 and Top 100 companies (4.6 each) and far exceeding the SME average (3.7). Listening is only half the equation. WSCAD also ensures that insights are acted upon—giving marketing and sales teams real influence in shaping products and customer experience. In both project initiation and veto rights, WSCAD again leads the field, scoring above Top 10 and Top 100 peers. It’s this combination of openness, feedback, and execution that turns customer voices into real innovation.
Figure 8: As the interface to customers, Marketing/Sales at WSCAD has a greater influence on product development than in the Top 100 and Top 10 companies
Innovation means security for the future
When everything is done right, innovations yield growth in sales and profit. More sales mean more users—there would be no additional users unless they enjoyed the product. Beyond business metrics, technological leadership is an early indicator for future success and long-range stability. In the past three years, WSCAD has led in profit and sales share from innovation, far surpassing Top 100 and Top 10 companies. That benefits WSCAD but, above all, users—offering a modern, efficient tool that helps them overcome current challenges and gain market advantage. Stronger sales and profits ensure ongoing product development and long-term reliability.
Figure 9: Contribution of innovative improvements over the past three years to revenue and profit – WSCAD clearly ahead of the Top 100 and Top 10 companies. The profits achieved are consistently reinvested into product development.
