Pegasus in Gold for Rapperstorfer – Latest award for Austrian start-up company

The Pegasus, the Upper Austrian business prize, is awarded by Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, Raiffeisen Landesbank, the State of Upper Austria, the Chamber of Commerce, the Industriellenvereingung and KPMG. For the last 23 years, it has distinguished the most successful and innovative companies in the state. It was also the first time Hubert Rapperstorfer had been nominated with his company Rapperstorfer Automation. "I indeed felt very honoured to have been nominated. Given the dense field of contestants, I did not imagine that I would reach the top," said the Austrian businessman. Together with his team, he had the pleasure of receiving the coveted trophy in the category "Special Award of the State of Upper Austria for Innovative Young Entrepreneurs". For Hubert Rapperstorfer, it was once again confirmation of his company’s power of innovation.

Multiple award wins in Germany and Austria
In February, Rapperstorfer Automation was awarded the innovation prize from the Supplier Industry for Structural Concrete Products on the occasion of Ulmer Betontage in Germany. Even so, Hubert Rapperstorfer had already been delighted to receive the Austria Cooperative Research Cooperation Award in October 2015. He can also be proud of the title "Businessman of the Month", a distinction Rapperstorfer received from the Wels-Land Chamber of Commerce.

Fully automated and in lot size 1
The success of this multiple award-winning start-up business is rooted in a development concerning a fully-automated system for manufacturing flat reinforcement cages in any size desired. Hubert Rapperstorfer and his team have succeeded in simplifying the manufacturing processes and, according to their own reports, in enhancing quality using new types of production methods. Alongside the innovative production method, in which robots can manufacture steel reinforcement cages fully automatically and in any variation in lot size 1, the "Korbwand" – "cage wall" – it produces awakened visitor interest. "Whereas conventional double walls are obliged to feature 44 welding points per square metre, our Korbwand only needs seven points. At the same time, more than 90 percent of the plastic parts have been eliminated. At the bottom line, our customers can save a great deal of steel, plastic and energy. And despite these savings, its stability is greater than with conventional walls," explained Hubert Rapperstorfer. Together with Maba, their partner in development, he and his team have made the system ready for series production.