Klaus Pöttinger (Dipl.-Ing.), Technical Director of the Pöttinger Group, was awarded the Gold Medal of Honour of the Province of Upper Austria by Governor Josef Pühringer. This medal is awarded in recognition of services to promote the image of the province and better the well-being of the community. As President of the Upper Austrian Industrial Association for many years, Klaus Pöttinger has contributed greatly to the positive development of local industry. He explains: "A community can only be successful if each individual does more than their duty, which is why I have enjoyed great pleasure in fulfilling this task." On June 10th the now Honorary President of the Upper Austrian Industrial Association received this major award from the governor of the province.

"For many years Klaus Pöttinger has made a significant contribution to the positive development of Austrian industry, promoting work relations between employers and employees and strengthening the image of industry in Upper Austria. Thanks to his integrity and professional as well as personal qualities, he enjoys a high level of recognition and appreciation in both pubic and professional life in Austria", said Pühringer during his award ceremony speech.

Klaus Pöttinger, who is 55, took over management of the Pöttinger Group together with his brother Heinz in 1991. As Technical Director he led his team in driving innovation and technical advancement in agricultural technology. Apart from increasing competitiveness, one of his key objectives as President was to make use of employees' creativity. This has played an active role at the Pöttinger company for many years through the Pöttinger Improvement Process (PIP). That is because companies need ideas and innovations to remain competitive.

At Pöttinger, the agricultural machinery manufacturer in Grieskirchen, employees have been able to input their suggestions for improvement since 1997. The Pöttinger Improvement Process (PIP) has helped to optimise products, processes and service. "With the Pöttinger Improvement Process (PIP) we have built up one of the best suggestion schemes in the German-speaking area. The power of innovation is decisive in achieving success, especially in engineering," says Klaus Pöttinger with pride.