Kai Reinhard, CEO of Micromata GmbH. Germany, the West European power that is home to an increasingly diverse 80.6 million residents is the most populous member state of the European Union, but it is also home to some of Europe’s most distinct native cultures. With its 16 constituent states, including famously distinct places like Bavaria, and the diverse cultures associated with them, its extensive forests, rivers, and valleys, and its numerous iconic cities, each with their own special atmospheres, customs, and cuisines, Germany is very much a tapestry woven of multifarious thread.
Around the world, Germany is perhaps best known for its close association with the field of engineering, especially mechanical engineering. The country’s major car manufacturers are global powerhouses, with brands like Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz synonymous with quality and luxury in the automotive sector. However, anyone who closely monitors the B2B world knows that German companies are consistently among the world leaders in providing businesses with the services, chemicals, parts, and products that they need in order to do their work. In today’s technological age, nothing defines what an enterprise is able to do quite like the software that it depends on to communicate, fulfill orders, or make sales. This is why custom enterprise software development is such an important field.
Though the city of Kassel, of the state of Hesse in central Germany, is known for its many palaces and parks, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, it is also where Micromata GmbH, a leading software development firm, makes its headquarters. This innovative company, founded in 1996, is highly sought after for its tailor-made, customized software solutions, built to the exact specifications and needs of its clients. Longtime clients include many of the most important major German multinationals, such as Deutsche Post DHL, Volkswagen, K+S, Wingas, Wintershall, and more.
Micromata truly defines what applying the principles of engineering discipline and Quality Management to software development is all about, and this is apparent through its highly documented, controlled, and strategically systematized development process. All projects begin with a thorough requirements analysis, which defines exactly what it is that a new software solution must accomplish. First, any ambiguous requirements are identified and clarified automatically, then exacting specifications are created by the company’s team of requirements engineers. These resulting requirements are quantifiable, relevant, highly detailed, and clearly documented. This ensures that Micromata and its client are on the same page throughout the development process, and that the end product performs exactly as it was intended at the conceptual stage.
Kai Reinhard (right), CEO and Stéphanie Naujock, Authorised Representative of Micromata GmbH. But Micromata’s Quality extends well beyond its highly systematic development process. The company takes “a holistic approach to quality,” says CEO Kai Reinhard. “We want it to be part of everything we do,” including how it is expressed in the company culture, the continuous improvement of the firm, and in the development of individual employees. It takes the wellbeing of its employees so seriously that the company was awarded by the Great Places to Work foundation, being named a top-employer in the ICT sector in Germany—a clear sign of the company’s commitment to building employee engagement. It also takes Quality concepts to its relationship with clients, even going so far as building a second location, in Bonn, Germany, to have a presence in the same city as the Deutsche Post DHL headquarters, one of its most important clients. After all, working closely with clients is the only way that the perfect software solutions can be created.
Another way that Micromata seeks out and builds knowledge and stakes out continuous improvement is through the establishment of partnerships in the tech-space, including contributing to and working with local educational institutions such as the University of Kassel, and taking part in projects such as Bosch’s Software Innovations project, which researches and advances software solutions for building out the so-called “internet of things.”
As a successful company in the community, giving back, and sharing its good fortune is an important activity for the company. Not only does it sponsor community projects such as football teams, environmental education projects, art exhibitions, and festivals, it also gives to various charities and development projects. It also works to share the knowledge and skills that it has accumulated over years of high-level work, so it creates initiatives that provide training and free skills-building for people interested in the field. Micromata founded the Java User Group Hessen in 2009, and also co-founded Webmontag Kassel (Web Monday Kassel) and CoderDojo Kassel, three groups dedicated to sharing expertise.
For its dedication to the principles of Quality Management, including its thorough requirements process and its pursuit of continuous improvement, for its excellence as an employer and workplace, for its work with the community in Kassel and beyond, and for its excellent track-record of growth and accomplishments, Micromota GmbH has been selected to receive the 2016 BID International Quality Award, one of the world’s most prestigious global awards recognizing Quality and Excellence in businesses and organizations around the world.
ABOUT BID AND THE WORLD QUALITY COMMITMENT AWARD:
BID is a private and independent organization founded in 1984, whose primary activity is business communication orientated towards quality, excellence and innovation in management. A leader in the broadcasting of Quality Culture, BID recognizes those companies and organizations which lead the most important activities in the business world, and is considered the founding organization in the broadcasting of the Culture of Quality, Excellence and Innovation in 179 countries. The trophy symbolizes a pledge to the principles of Quality Culture. The QC100 Total Quality Management Model, together with the Quality Mix program, media coverage of the convention and its impact on the community and business sector, create an unmatched platform for continuous improvement within the organization and awareness of the achievements of the company at an international level. Awards are given only to those who are committed to improving their Quality Culture based on the principles of the QC100 Total Quality Management Model. Candidates are proposed by the leaders of previously awarded companies who they consider worthy of the award. Especially meritorious candidates may also be nominated. The International BID Quality Award Selection Committee then chooses the winning companies who will receive the award in New York, Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt, Madrid and London.