“Jobs Through Innovation”: Lenzing AG Places Third in the Nationwide Rankings

14-12-2012 — /europawire.eu/ — Doris Bures, the Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Reinhold Mitterlehner, the Federal Minister of Economic Affairs, Austrian Chamber of Labor President Herbert Tumpel, Dwora Stein, Managing Director of the Union of Salaried Private Sector Employees, and the two managing directors of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency, Henrietta Egerth and Klaus Pseiner, honored the winners of the nationwide competition “Jobs Through Innovation 2012” at a gala award ceremony held in the Museumsquartier in Vienna. Lenzing AG placed third in the national competition thanks to its project featuring the new man-made cellulose fiber “TENCEL®“.

Dieter Eichinger, Head of the Business Unit Textile Fibers, said that “TENCEL® represents a new, innovative fiber generation which Lenzing has been working on for close to 30 years with great success. After reaching the industrial scale production of TENCEL®, our priority is now to continually develop other applications and market them globally. These innovations arise at our research center in Lenzing, which employs 161 people. After winning the award for the province of Upper Austria, we are very pleased that our achievements have also been recognized and honored on a national level.”

Why was Lenzing honored?

The Lenzing Group was able to convince the jury for several reasons on the basis of its project “TENCEL® – the latest fiber technology creates jobs”. In comparison to its competitors, Lenzing makes disproportionately high investments in research and development, namely 3.2% of consolidated sales in Austria (1.3% worldwide). Moreover, Lenzing is currently implementing a series of research projects together with university partners, and ranks among the most active companies in Austria when it comes to patent approvals.

In Austria alone, research on TENCEL® directly secures about 405 highly qualified jobs (including production), not to mention considerable indirect job-preserving effects thanks to the marketing and headquarter functions located in Austria, and a large number of jobs in providing industry-related services.

TENCEL® is a man-made cellulose fiber. The starting point is the renewable raw material wood. The fiber is manfuactured in a particularly environmentally-compatible process with the help of an organic solvent. Due to its role as an ecological pioneer, TENCEL® was given the European Award for the Environment. Lenzing is the only global producer of this fiber on an industrial scale. TENCEL® is produced in Austria, Great Britain and the USA. At present the world’s largest and most modern TENCEL® plant (an investment of EUR 130 mn, planned start-up in 2014) as well as a pilot facility are being built at the Lenzing site.

“Jobs Through Innovation“

“Jobs through Innovation“ is a joint initiative of the Austrian Chamber of Labor, the Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology, the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency. One company is chosen as the winner for each federal province. Three national winners are subsequently selected and honored at a gala award ceremony held at the end of November 2012.

Pictures from the certificate award ceremony are available on the Website of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency at
www.ffg.at/content/arbeitspl-tze-durch-innovation-fotos-der-bundessieger-gala

Download press release as PDF

For more information please contact:
Angelika Guldt
Head of Corporate Communications
Phone: +43 (0) 7672 701-2713
E-mail: a.guldt@lenzing.com

Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft mbH
Alexander Kosz, Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Sensengasse 1,1090 Wien
Telefon: +43 (0) 5 7755-6012
Mobil +43 (0) 664 85 69 010
E-Mail: alexander.kosz@ffg.at