Daniel Hager: "We believe in the power of the equation = creativity x communication"

A contribution by Daniel Hager, CEO of Hager Group, Sponsor of CODE_n

Over the last few weeks and months there has been a lot of discussions about the Energiewende – the energy shift – a lot of talk, but very little action. Last week, the Münchener Stadtwerke – with an earmarked nine billion Euro investment, a true heavyweight in the renewable energies sector – shocked the industry by announcing that it was putting all eco power projects in Germany on the backburner due to the uncertain legal and production situation. Things aren’t looking any better elsewhere. However, while the energy shift is being stymied by both legal and political pitfalls, there are still some who pursue their work without letting themselves be put off course. They are continuing to develop smart products and solutions for more intelligent, efficient and resource-saving future uses of energy and, in so doing, they rely on the most renewable resource of all: ideas.

Daniel Hager – CEO of Hager Group

The 50 most creative minds will take part in the Hanover event and this is the reason why we, as one of the leaders in the electro-technical sector, are very much looking forward to CODE_n. We don’t just want to pay lip service, we want to move things forward. We don’t think in terms of tomorrow, we think in terms of NOW. We believe in the power of the equation “creativity x communication”. We will take some of our innovation teams, concepts and projects to Hanover and we are really looking forward to seeing those of other teams and companies. For the best among them, we have created our own award: Recognition for E_nnovation @ Hager Group.

Since we will be taking part at Hanover for the first time, let me briefly say a few words about ourselves: Hager Group is a leading supplier of solutions and services for electrical installations in residential, commercial and industrial buildings. If you look at your electric meter, you are likely to find the blue Hager logo there. Currently, some 11,300 employees produce our components and solutions at 20 locations around the world and customers in more than 80 countries place their trust in them. Our greatest strength is our close partnerships with thousands of electricians who form our direct connection to local markets. And yes, judging by our turnover alone of 1.6 billion Euros, we can consider ourselves a large-sized company. However, as far as our philosophy and values are concerned, we are still deeply rooted in the traditions of a medium-sized, family-run company, which means that our thirst for pushing the boundaries of science and research is not unlike that of a start-up.

An example for this is currently being implemented at our headquarters in Blieskastel, in the Saarland area, where we are fitting out a new office and development building that will be the Hager Group Blieskastel R&D Centre, including a solar, wind and combined heat and power plant, as well as a powerful lithium-ion energy storage system. Distributed all over the building, some 5,000 data points will record, analyse and integrate the energy use of each individual consumption point into the energy management system. Altogether, the goal is for the building to cover about 70% of its energy consumption for heating, air conditioning and electricity supply by itself. In other words, our unique R&D centre will generate, store and use energy using the same methods that we will be implementing in many buildings in the future.

There are many similarly ambitious projects being run throughout Hager Group: we are deeply committed to supporting creativity as the most renewable resource of all and we welcome everyone who wants to join forces with us in moving the energy shift forward. It will happen, that’s for sure. The only questions are, who will be the true movers and shakers, which technologies will be used and how fast can it be done? We at Hager Group will be part of it.

You can count on that.