TOP 100 Innovator award ceremony at the German SME Summit from left to right Jörg Peukert (Head of Production), Dr. Ilko Rahneberg (Technical Director), Ranga Yogeshwar (science journalist), Dr. Denis Dontsov (Managing Director SIOS), Dr. Ralf Schüler (Head of Development) // Photo: KD Busch / compamedia
On the occasion of the award ceremony at the German SME Summit on 27 June 2025 in Mainz, we spoke to SIOS Managing Director Dr. Denis Dontsov about the responsible use of innovation, the importance of high-precision measurement technology and the technological demands behind systems such as the 6 DoF interferometer SP 15000 C6 NG.
Dr. Denis Dontsov: First of all, it is a great pleasure and a nice confirmation of the work of our entire team. At SIOS, we have been investing specifically in development, knowledge transfer and long-term partnerships for many years. The fact that we have now once again been recognized as an innovation leader by an independent body naturally makes us proud.
The award shows: Even as a medium-sized company, you can set global standards if you are prepared to rethink things and boldly implement them.
Dr. Denis Dontsov: Our strength lies in the combination of scientific depth, technical precision and practical application. Around 28 percent of our employees work in development, which is exceptionally high.
More importantly, however, development is not an isolated area for us. All disciplines – mechanics, electronics, optics, software, sales – work closely together. This results in solutions that are really well-thought-out.
Dr. Denis Dontsov: I can give you a particularly vivid example. Our SP 15000 C6 NG, a 6-DoF laser interferometer that measures changes in length as well as pitch, yaw, and roll angles simultaneously and with high precision. Six degrees of freedom are recorded with a single measuring system – without the typical synchronization problems that occur with separate sensor solutions.
What makes our system truly outstanding compared to others on the market is the high-precision straightness measurement. Thanks to an innovative beam guidance system in which four beams hit a compact reflector in strict parallel, the SP 15000 C6 NG can reliably detect minimal lateral deviations in the line of movement. This means that not only length and angle deviations, but also straightness errors can be detected with a unique resolution and measurement uncertainty.
This capability is particularly relevant for applications in coordinate measuring technology, for the calibration of linear axes or the evaluation of the guiding quality of precision machines, and leads to absolute time savings in production.
In short, the SP 15000 C6 NG not only stands for technological innovation, but also provides our customers with a new quality of information about their system behavior. We are setting new standards, particularly in the field of straightness measurement.
Dr. Denis Dontsov: Metrology, especially precision metrology, is an area with the highest demands on low measurement uncertainty, reliability, and durability. Unlike in fast-moving industries such as IT or consumer electronics, where innovations are often introduced at short notice, laser interferometric metrology relies on deliberate and gradual progress. New technologies are only implemented after extensive validation and testing processes to ensure that they deliver consistently reliable results in critical applications.
This approach is not a sign of restraint, but an expression of responsibility and a deep understanding of the specific requirements of our customers. Particularly in areas such as research, production or quality control, proven technologies are paramount, as malfunctions or inaccuracies can have serious consequences.
Our technologies are designed not only to be highly precise and powerful, but also to work reliably for decades. Many of our systems remain in use for 20 years or more, a testament to the high quality and durability of our products.
At the same time, we are aware of the importance of digitalization and automation. We are currently working on various projects aimed at seamlessly integrating our systems into automated and networked production environments. Our aim is to combine the proven reliability of our systems with the benefits of modern technologies.
An important trend in precision measurement technology is the use of multiple sources of information to make measurement results even more precise and robust. Parameters such as pressure, temperature, humidity and vibrations are increasingly being included in the evaluation in order to better take complex measurement conditions into account. These additional data sources enable more precise analyses and help to ensure measurement accuracy even under demanding conditions.
Dr. Denis Dontsov: One focus of our development work is on expanding our portfolio of interferometer types that are specifically tailored to the requirements of different industries and research areas. This diversification is crucial to meet the increasing demand for customized solutions for highly specific measurement tasks. Customers often turn to us with particularly demanding measurement tasks when other providers reach their limits.
At the same time, we are increasingly investing in the development of new measurement concepts that push physical boundaries and enable even greater precision. These include technologies that use an extended combination of measurement parameters to optimize measurements under extreme or dynamically changing conditions.
Another key issue is increasing the measurement speed and improving the real-time capability of our systems. With increasing automation in production, the requirements for the ability to provide measurement data faster and more efficiently are growing. We are working on optimized data processing technologies that guarantee high speed and precision even with large volumes of data.
Cooperation with partners from research and industry plays a decisive role in achieving these goals. This enables us to respond to technological advances at an early stage and incorporate customer requirements directly into development.
Our vision is not only to respond to current needs, but also to create solutions that provide our customers with long-term benefits and equip them optimally for future challenges in measurement technology.
Dr. Denis Dontsov: German SMEs in particular have enormous potential for innovation if you create the space for it.
From my experience, I can say that innovation requires curiosity, perseverance, and the courage to question the tried and tested. Technical excellence doesn't happen overnight, but through the willingness to delve deep into details and to question solutions again and again until they really work.
The team is particularly important here. The best ideas rarely come from above, but from the day-to-day work of the people who develop and test our products or are in contact with our customers. When a company manages to take these impulses seriously and translate them into sustainable developments, real innovative strength is created.
At the heart of the TOP 100 innovation competition is a scientific selection process that participants have to undergo. On behalf of compamedia, the organizer of the comparison, innovation researcher Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke and his team examined SIOS on the basis of more than 100 innovation indicators from five categories:
In principle, the TOP 100 analysis deals with the question whether a company's innovations are merely a product of chance or whether they are systematically planned and can therefore be repeated in the future. Special emphasis is placed on the question whether and how innovations and product improvements are successful on the market.
