W&H Headquarters - EN
W&H honoured with Innovation-Award 2025
Outstanding research from Austria: W&H has been named one of Austria’s 250 most innovative companies and honoured with the 2025 Innovation Award from the ÖGVS. The recognition is based on the company’s patent performance from May 2024 to June 2025. With 194 patents currently filed and already granted worldwide, W&H continues to drive innovation in medical technology.
“Our strength in development and engineering expertise is a key factor in W&H’s success. Around 100 R&D employees drive innovations that advance healthcare, always keeping people at the centre of our work. We support surgeons and physicians in providing the highest quality care to their patients,” says Thomas Lang, CTO of the W&H Group.
Driving Innovation in Medical Technology
W&H’s patented innovations continue to set new standards internationally. A notable example shaping the dental industry is the world’s only sterilizable 5 × ring LED, which for the first time delivers shadow-free illumination directly at the treatment site. This allows dentists to work with precision – even in hard-to-reach areas – ensuring safe and efficient treatment. When asked which topics are particularly promising for future patents, Thomas Lang comments: “Digitisation is becoming increasingly important in dentistry, as is artificial intelligence. In the field of X-ray technology, for instance, we have recently filed two new patents covering both our software and hardware.”
Pioneering Excellence for over 130 Years
Excellence in research and development has been at the heart of W&H’s corporate culture for over 130 years. The company – then operating as Weber & Hampel – filed its first patent back in 1893. Today, around 194 patents across roughly 70 patent families are protecting the company’s technology worldwide, primarily in Europe and the USA. “Our patented technologies are unique selling points that set us apart from our competitors while safeguarding our innovations and providing a competitive advantage. Patents therefore play a central role in our strategy,” explains Ralf Benda from W&H’s Intellectual Property team.
About ÖGVS
The ÖGVS – Gesellschaft für Verbraucherstudien GmbH (Society for Consumer Studies) is an independent market research institute based in Vienna. One focus is on identifying companies that stand out for their exceptional innovation. Operating independently, the ÖGVS conducts tests, evaluations, and surveys impartially, based on criteria developed by experts.
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