TOP 100 Award: WSCAD Recognized for Innovation Excellence

Press release by compamedia GmbH

TOP 100 Award: Ranga Yogeshwar Honours WSCAD’s Innovative Strength

Überlingen – Congratulations to the innovation powerhouse: Ranga Yogeshwar congratulates WSCAD GmbH, based in Bergkirchen, on their success in the TOP 100 awards. The award ceremony, part of the German SME Summit, will take place on Friday, 27 June, in Mainz, honouring all medium-sized companies that received the TOP 100 seal at the beginning of the year. Science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar is the mentor for the innovation competition, which is being held for the 32nd time. During the scientific selection process, WSCAD impressed in size category B (51 to 200 employees in Germany), particularly in the category “Innovative Processes and Organisation.”

The TOP 100 company profile published to mark the award states:

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) refers to the computer-assisted development of products such as machines, cars, buildings, and more. In the field of E-CAD – electrical CAD – the focus shifts to questions like: How does electricity flow through a product? Which components are connected, and how? WSCAD GmbH develops electrical CAD solutions for design engineers, electrical planners, and maintenance personnel – primarily in the fields of mechanical engineering and building automation – and serves clients in over 100 countries. In 2024, WSCAD became the first company ever to successfully integrate AI into their software.

Once the machine’s wiring diagram is complete – with all components and their connections clearly defined – a bill of materials (BOM) is needed: for procurement, so parts can be ordered, and for production, so colleagues know what needs to be assembled and how. “Most systems require you to click through menus and submenus – and hopefully not make a mistake along the way,” says Managing Director Dr Axel Zein. “Our approach is different. Similar to ChatGPT, you simply enter a direct instruction into the system – for example, ‘Generate the bill of materials’ – and voilà, it’s done. It’s so straightforward that even occasional users can manage it, and you could even assign the task to an apprentice.”

A Huge Productivity Boost
The SME’s developers acted quickly: when ChatGPT made headlines in August 2023, they immediately launched a pilot project to integrate AI into their software. Two months later, the benefits were clear: what used to take hours could now be done in seconds. “A team of developers, inspired by OpenAI, began working on the integration – which in turn inspired another team to try different AI approaches,” Zein explains. “As a result, we now have two complementary AI solutions with different approaches, both designed to maximise value for the customer.” Many ideas were tested, discarded, and improved along the way. According to Zein, making mistakes is part of the process. Today, WSCAD GmbH is a global technology leader in AI-powered E-CAD software.

Bursting with Creativity
The company’s specialists often find inspiration in dynamic sectors – and rarely in conservative environments. “When I hear the term ‘innovation management’, I have to laugh,” says Dr Zein. “Thomas Edison, the ‘patent world champion’, had countless patented ideas but no innovation management. You can’t manage whether someone has a good idea.” Ideas, he says, are a matter of company culture. Once ideas emerge, the first step is a proof of concept, where relevant departments contribute their perspectives. Step two is a minimum viable product (MVP), and the third step is an iterative process towards a market-ready solution. “We move very quickly with our processes and involve customers early on. Their feedback helps us develop truly successful products.”

You can read the full profile here (german only): www.top100.de/wscad-gmbh-2025

TOP 100: The Competition
Since 1993, compamedia has awarded the TOP 100 seal to medium-sized companies with outstanding innovative strength and above-average innovation success. The competition has been led by Prof. Dr Nikolaus Franke since 2002. Franke is the founder and chairman of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. With 27 research awards and over 200 publications, he is one of the world’s leading innovation researchers. The mentor of TOP 100 is science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar. Project partners include the Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research and the German Association for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (BVMW). manager magazin is the media partner for the competition, while ZEIT für Unternehmer is a cooperation partner.
More information and registration: www.top100.de.