Another Top Innovator of the Year 2014 is the Oberhausen-based company NanoFocus. It scored points with the Top 100 jury for its innovation-promoting top management. The management invests 45 percent of its working time in developing new ideas, and according to Compamedia, this pays off. NanoFocus is the technology leader for optical 3D surface measurement technology - a method that allows surfaces to be examined in seconds for characteristics such as roughness, topography and position in quality assurance. The company is therefore active in quality assurance in numerous manufacturing industries: Its products can be found in mechanical engineering, medical technology and the automotive and semiconductor industries, for example. NanoFocus cites internal strategy meetings, product planning groups and a scientific advisory board as drivers of its innovative developments.