Munk Group receives the Bavarian SME Award 2026

The Günzburg-based family-run business, Munk Group, was presented with the Bavarian SME Award on 17 July 2026 at the Künstlerhaus in Munich. The jury selected Munk Group as one of 15 winners from a field of 213 nominated companies.

The Bavarian SME Award is being presented for the 17th time under the patronage of Ilse Aigner, President of the Bavarian State Parliament, and Hubert Aiwanger, Minister of Economic Affairs. It honours owner- and family-run businesses that serve as role models as pillars of society and the economy. The Munk Group, based in Günzburg since 1899 and now employing more than 450 staff across several sites in its home district of Günzburg, is among this year’s award winners.

An independent jury comprising representatives from business, trade associations and academia assesses companies on criteria including sustainability, resilience, responsibility towards employees and market success. With an annual turnover of around 90 million euros, a trainee intake rate of six per cent and investments of more than 30 million euros over the past three years, the Munk Group meets these criteria with measurable results.

The company’s future is also in the hands of the fifth generation: Alexander Werdich, owner and managing director of the Munk Group, is driving forward the company’s digitalisation – including the introduction of a new ERP system that digitally links processes in production, sales and administration. He emphasises: “This success belongs to the whole team, who deliver outstanding performance every day with passion and a strong sense of camaraderie.”

The Bavarian SME Award is presented by the European Economic Forum e. V. in collaboration with the University of Applied Management (HAM) and the Altaussee Summit Dialogue. As part of the awards ceremony, students from HAM also presented the special Bavarian Future Award 2026 for successful business succession – this year’s award went to Huber Technik GmbH & Co. KG from Erding.

With its business units Munk Günzburger Steigtechnik, Munk Rettungstechnik, Munk Service and Munk Profiltechnik, the Munk Group is one of the leading providers of access equipment, rescue equipment and related service solutions. As a technology and innovation leader in access equipment, the name Munk stands for safety made in Germany.The company is now managed by the fourth and fifth generations of the Munk family – true to the motto “One family. One name. One mission”. In 2025, the Munk Group celebrated its 125th anniversary with a year of dedicated activities and events.

In the Munk Günzburger Steigtechnik business unit for access equipment, the Munk Group offers over 2,500 products in its standard range. The portfolio extends from ladders for commercial, public and private use to mobile scaffolding towers, platforms, stairs and bridging steps, through to custom-made special constructions. These include work and maintenance platforms, docking systems, walkways and assembly platforms which, in the age of digitalisation, can be automatically adapted to their environment using state-of-the-art control technology.

In the Munk Rettungstechnik business unit for rescue equipment, the company provides access equipment and transport logistics for fire, rescue and disaster relief operations. The range includes multi-purpose ladders, sectional ladders and extension ladders, rescue platforms, toolboxes, fire station equipment and a wide variety of roll containers. In the Munk Service business unit, the Munk Group combines installation, inspection, repair and maintenance services for access equipment and rescue equipment, as well as specialist seminars. The youngest division, Munk Profiltechnik, offers high-quality technology for bespoke and professional configurations based on a functional and sophisticated profile system.

The Munk Group repeatedly sets benchmarks with innovative ideas that deliver genuine added value for customers. In 2025, it was honoured for the sixth time as a TOP 100 Innovator and named Best Brand of the Year at the Plus X Award. The company also received the “Bavaria’s Best 50” award from the Bavarian State Ministry in 2023. Its sustainable and responsible corporate management is certified in accordance with ISO 14001. In 2024, owners Ferdinand and Ruth Munk were presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grand Prix of Medium-Sized Enterprises. According to Focus Money and Deutschlandtest, the Munk Group is the ‘Employer of the Year’ for 2026.

The Munk Group manufactures exclusively in its home district of Günzburg. The company grants a 15-year guarantee on all series products made in Germany. The Munk Group employs over 450 people at its headquarters in Günzburg and at the Munk Rettungstechnik site in Leipheim. It is represented in Germany with 14 sales offices and its own subsidiary in Austria. In recent years, the company has invested a high double-digit million euro amount in the expansion and development of its sites.

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