Following the two major successes at 'electronica', Messe München and Elektor presented the international Fast Forward Award for the first time this year at productronica, supported by sponsors Distrelec, Kurtz Ersa, Almit, Weller and Bernstein. At one of the world's most important trade fairs for electronics production, 8 start-ups competed in an exciting neck-and-neck race for the coveted marketing prizes worth a total of 45,000 euros.

The four-member jury (Clemens Valens from Elektor, Ruud Vertommen and Andreas Züger from Distrelec, Niclas Fritz from BatchOne) had a hard time agreeing on the winners after the short presentations of the eight young companies (followed by a round of questions).
On Friday, the last day of the fair, the decision was made in Munich:

1st prize (marketing budget worth 25,000 euros)
Touchless Automation GmbH
Manufacturers of innovative industrial equipment that can manipulate parts of any material without touching them. Learn more.

2nd  prize (marketing budget worth 5,000 euros)
Konekt
Electronics manufacturing is revolutionized by the use of 3D manufacturing, miniaturization and rapid prototyping. Learn more.

3rd prize (marketing budget worth 5,000 euros)
robodev GmbH
Manufacturers of a modular automation solution that can be easily set up and programmed. It supports your employees in production or assembly, even with small batch sizes or short product life cycles. Learn more.
 
Messe München, the sponsors Distrelec, Kurtz Ersa, Almit, Weller and Bernstein and of course the whole Elektor team congratulate the winners and thank all start-ups for their participation!