Innovation winner from the Innviertel region

Fill Machine Engineering is Austria's most innovative company in 2026.

On November 7, the business magazine trend and Statista published their ranking of Austria's top innovative companies: First place went to the machine engineering company Fill from Gurten (Upper Austria). “The top 100 companies are the elite of Austrian industry. Winning by a large margin in this environment is a wonderful confirmation of the great commitment and outstanding achievements of our entire team,” says Andreas Fill, delighted with the fantastic result.

Gurten, November 24, 2025 – Whether it's internal workshops to generate new ideas, R&D round tables, or the R&D department with a dozen employees: at machine engineering company Fill, innovation is not left to chance. The figures alone speak for themselves: 265 patents and 11.6 percent of sales spent on R&D prove how much new technologies and research projects are part of the DNA of this company from the Innviertel region. Fill is therefore not only one of the 150 most innovative companies in Austria, but also achieved the highest score in this year's trend ranking with 91.5 points.

Multiple award winner
Fill is a second-generation family-owned company based in Gurten. In the nearly 60 years since its founding, the machine engineers have developed a capacity for innovation that has propelled them to the forefront of the Austrian economy. First place in the trend ranking of Austria's most innovative companies is further confirmation for Fill that it is on the right track. Just recently, CEO and owner Andreas Fill was presented with the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2025 in the “Innovation & High Tech” category. “Innovation is part of our DNA and the driving force behind the success of our company,” says Andreas Fill, defining the importance of innovation in his company.

Rethinking things
At Fill, innovation is not a coincidence, but rather a systematic approach. Innovation is one of ten corporate values. “We are innovation leaders in customized complete solutions in the real and digital world” is one of our strategic goals. This topic is at the heart of every decision at Fill. “Do we want to do things the way we've always done them, or would it be smarter to rethink them?” says CTO Alois Wiesinger. The entrepreneurial family has what it takes to do this: courage and a willingness to take risks. For them, innovation is more necessary than ever today in order to be successful on the global market. This also explains the high research quota: 11.6 percent of sales are invested in the development of new products. This puts Fill at the top of the list of Austrian companies. By way of comparison, according to an EY study, the average research ratio worldwide in 2024 was 7.4 percent.

Center of innovation
“The best ideas are those that inspire technologically and are economically successful,” says CTO Alois Wiesinger. All competencies are bundled at Fill's spacious premises in Gurten – from engineering and production to talent development. This is because the machine manufacturer not only develops innovative high-tech solutions for industry, but also ideas for the working world of tomorrow. Workshops, discussion groups, the Future Lab learning factory, and the new Next World Factory generate valuable ideas that drive the company forward. With numerous innovative training initiatives, Fill is setting standards in the region and attracting the best minds and most creative talents to join the company.

International cooperation
In Fill's R&D department, around a dozen employees work on new technologies, patents, trademarks, and funding management. However, the developers from the project business are responsible for the actual product developments. They are supported in this by the R&D team. In addition, research projects represent an important link for Fill to the international research community. “Close communication with our customers and leading research institutions in Central Europe is essential for our innovative strength,” says Wiesinger.

A barometer of the corporate landscape
The ranking of Austria's most innovative companies is the result of an extensive survey conducted by the business magazine trend in cooperation with the German market research company Statista. The number of patents is only a small part of the analysis. Surveys and, above all, the involvement of innovation experts and the consideration of various areas of innovation make the ranking a new benchmark in the domestic corporate landscape.

Corporate Data
FILL is a leading international machine engineering company based in Gurten, Upper Austria. With sophisticated high-tech systems and custom manufacturing solutions for metal, plastics and wood, Fill makes its customers the best in their fields. The automotive, aviation, sports and building industries all benefit from Fill's expertise. Since it was founded in 1966, the company has distinguished itself through enormous innovative strength, strong values and the best jobs. "If you are seeking the best solution, shape your future with Fill,” is the guiding principle of the company’s more than 1,000 employees. “We are one!" is their vision and stands for togetherness with the team and with customers, suppliers and partners. The company is 100 percent family-owned and is managed by Andreas Fill (CEO), Martin Reiter (CFO), Alois Wiesinger (CTO) and Günter Redhammer (COO). In 2024, Fill recorded an operating output of 202.5 million euros. 

Caption:
Andreas Fill (second from left) is the owner and CEO of the family business, which was founded in 1966. He is supported in the management team by CFO Martin Reiter (left), COO Günter Redhammer (second from right), and CTO Alois Wiesinger (right), who is responsible for technical matters. Photo: © Antje Wolm