Georg Knill, President of the Federation of Austrian Industries
Making success stories visible
The Corona crisis shows how much general prosperity and high quality of life in Austria depend on the success of our economy and our industry. Economy and industry are abstract terms behind which companies and their motivated and well-trained employees stand.
Also, we see currently how important access to global markets and international trade are for Austria and people in our country. This is exactly where the strengths of domestic industrial companies lie – with numerous so-called “hidden champions” whose high-quality products or services are in demand all over the world.
Performance, know-how, creativity, innovation, courage, employee commitment and entrepreneurial thinking are an essential pillar of the success story so far. And this can also be continued after Corona, given appropriate framework conditions.
Awards such as the Austrian national coat of arms, which is awarded to excellent companies for exceptional performance, are evidence of such success stories in our country. They chronicle and acknowledge past achievements, but also serve as motivation for the future. This is all the more important as it is the individual enterprises, from small family businesses to large industrial companies that ultimately define Austria as a business location as a whole – and thus its long-term success, even in economically challenging times.