In the Leadership Network

140 innovative companies now constitute ECO WORLD STYRIA, which already ranks among the TOP 3 networks in Europe.

Styria is a top location for energy and environmental technology in Europe. The ECO WORLD STYRIA network supports companies in the further expansion of their leadership position. If there had not been an ECO community stand at the green energy fair Energiesparmesse/ expoEnergy in Wels, the Upper Styrian firm STARCHL would not have been represented. “Individual representation is very difficult for us, so this way we were able to be there and successfully sell our woodchippers,” Helmut Starchl says. For ICS Energietechnik the ECO cooperation platform brought a new order. Several companies such as Sattler AG succeeded in finding a new employee on the ECO job exchange. Pink Energie- und Speichertechnik has also benefited from ECO’s advantages. “The research cooperation, which actively links numerous companies from the ECO pool, has done a lot for us, especially for our solar cooling systems,” Werner Pink says.

In 1998, long before the network model had been thought of anywhere else, the development of a platform began that was supposed to link Styrian companies, research and development potentials in the environmental technology sector.

Out of this emerged the ECO WORLD STYRIA brand, which after three years was established as one of the three biggest European cluster networks of this kind.

140 paying members are now a part of it – and the tendency is on the rise with the network having recently grown by 43 %. In four fields of strength including biomass, solar energy, material flow and wastewater ECO WORLD STYRIA offers support in the key areas of innovation, management know-how, international marketing and access to new markets. This is to secure and develop international technology and market leadership even further. Members can select from 12 service offers from exclusive business clubs to concrete strategy support. The five-person team manages 1000 personal contacts per year, organises joint appearances at trade fairs and establishes links to international companies. Thus ECO WORLD STYRIA provides momentum for a strong business in energy and environmental technology in Styria.

source: ECO WORLD MAGAZINE, issue November 2008, page 15