Blog

The latest topics around research & development and fascinating news of my everyday life.

Mini-steps to becoming the entrepreneur I want to be (Part 4 of 5)

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 21. January 2024

The last few month in particular was a very challenging time for us entrepreneurs. We’re frantically chasing after the last tasks before the turn of the year and then it’s full speed ahead. Every task that we really want to get done. We may even realize now that we haven’t been consistent enough over the […]

Mini-steps to becoming the entrepreneur I want to be (Part 3 of 5)

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 2. November 2023

Focus: self-optimization! We entrepreneurs know this all too well. We have to become better and better in order not to get lost in the competition. We have to create even more in order to be satisfied with ourselves. What we have achieved is all too often underestimated. The self-optimization trend leads people to make the […]

Mini-steps to becoming the entrepreneur I want to be (Part 2 of 5)

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 11. August 2023

Resolution: More innovation. Almost all entrepreneurs have this resolution. But what actually are innovations? Everything that is new? No, an invention alone is not an innovation by definition. A patent alone is also not an innovation. The patent-offices are full of applications that have never resulted in a product, let alone a successful product on […]

Mini-steps to becoming the entrepreneur I want to be (Part 1 of 5)

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 12. July 2023

The “new year” is now halfway over again. Time to sum up your New Year’s resolutions and goals for 2023. In our private and professional lives. What have we not resolved everything: Lose weight, exercise more, spend more time with the family, stop smoking, … or from a business perspective: optimize processes even better, meet […]

Design to cost – cost management in product development

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 7. February 2023

In my previous blog post, I reported on the withdrawal of iPhone production from China. As I have often mentioned in my blogs, companies that not only produce but also have development sovereignty are not as affected by such relocations. This also raises the question for Austrian companies how to keep development AND production in […]

Apple to leave China manufacturing base

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 29. December 2022

Apple is planning to leave its manufacturing base in China and shift production of its cash cow iPhone to India and Vietnam. What does this mean for Austria as an industrial location? At any rate, more than can be gleaned from this headline alone. Not only the newspaper Standard has reported on this: In recent […]

Switching to renewable energies – thought experiment (part 3 out of 3)

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 7. December 2022

How can the switch to green technologies actually be successful? I will not discuss theories but practical approaches that can be implemented immediately and are not just hot air. Find my checklist for switching to green technologies in this post. The switch to renewable or green energy raises many questions. In part 1 of this […]

Switching to renewable energies – thought experiment (part 2 out of 3)

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 12. September 2022

The use of renewable energies raises many questions. In the first part of this blog series, we already dealt with the topics of how self-sufficient private households can really live. This time, several considerations are in focus: Is it possible to generate renewable energy regardless of the weather? Which kWh can be generated in the […]

Switching to renewable energies – thought experiment (part 1 out of 3)

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 3. August 2022

In times like these, one topic is omnipresent: the switch to renewable or green energies. Many private individuals as well as entrepreneurs are committed to this idea. However, does it pay off? Here is a thought experiment. First of all, an example: one family house with 4 people: electricity consumption incl. two electric cars: 12,000 […]

Company reorganization through effective organization in product development

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 2. June 2022

Silvering what is to be silvered? Let’s start like this: Why do companies that basically develop and sell good products become restructuring cases in the first place? How do creditors react, how do liquidators react? Do reorganization proceedings include self – administration or not? Sometimes such scenarios can no longer be avoided, but how should […]

Organizational development in research and development environment

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 18. March 2022

I am currently working on an exciting project: The perfect R&D organization. What is it all about? It is about efficiency in product development. Many R&D organizations are slow and therefore not very economical. I was asked the following question in advance: Can I demand from my development to take in more than it costs, […]

New welding technologies provide cost efficiency in production

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 25. February 2022

Right now, I am working on a pretty exciting project: New welding technologies for more cost efficiency in medium-sized production facilities. What is so special about these new welding technologies? Not that much, it is only about overcoming innovation resistance, which as one knows, is a natural thing to do. You can read now how […]

Which vehicle is most environmentally friendly? (Part 2)

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 31. October 2021

The question whether a vehicle is environmentally friendly or not is not an easy one. I have already dealt intensivly with this topic in another blog post. The search for the most environmentally friendly vehicle continues on the basis of literature: You will now read why vehicle technology plays an important role. Petrol engine, diesel […]

Which vehicle is the most environmentally friendly? (part 1)

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 5. September 2021

Anyone who is concerned with technology and also with environmental protection cannot avoid this question: Which vehicle is the most environmentally friendly? For me as a management consultant with the expertise of an engineering firm, this is one of the most important questions for the upcoming years. Politicians are undoubtedly in the process of fixing […]

Geometrical product specification – tolerance values in the sense of form, direction, location and run-out

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 21. August 2021

Today I want to address the most important topic of a technical orientated business: tolerances. Every engineer is deeply informed about the word ,,tolerance’’. There is not a single structural component in technical systems and products that can be produced exactly that way the designer plans it. Endless combination possibilities & variations While mastery of […]

Tax research bonus

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 5. July 2021

At 14 % of expenditure on research and experimental development, the tax research premium is an essential instrument for promoting research and from my point of view a good thing. It is a premium that promotes genuine research performance. This tax research premium is tax-free honoured by the Ministry of Finance and thus by all […]

‘Corona forces digitalisation’

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 5. July 2021

You might have read the article with this title in the daily newspaper ‘Kurier’ on the 7th December 2020. Or perhaps you have read one of the many other articles that blame the Corona crisis for the enormous leap in digitalisation. But did a global pandemic really have to emerge before such progress could be […]

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 19. April 2021

Since the turn of the millennium a boom has taken place regarding innovation labs in the industry. Every enterprise founded an innovation lab. Since then a lot has happened. The review is disillusioning. Read more about the balancing act between success and failure in innovation labs in this blog post. In the recent decades a […]

The world of SME (small and medium enterprises) after the corona crisis

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 14. February 2021

In many scopes one would ask himself: How will life be after the corona crisis? What was changed by corona and when will this ,after’ be? First and foremost: How will the situation of SMEs in Austria look like after the corona crisis? The corona pandemic and the consequences will accompany SMEs for a long […]

Austria runs out of skilled workers

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 7. December 2020

Today I have read an interesting article in the newspaper ,,Der Standard’’. In a nutshell: There are less craftsmen in Austria. Less people start a vocational training and apprenticing companies in the industrial sector drop out. – that is shocking and worrying at the same time. Why have skilled workers such a huge importance for […]

Product development during the crisis – investment for the time after

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 26. September 2020

A lot has been written about the Covid-19 crisis so far. We probably acknowledge every day that the crisis is not over yet. You are going to read what will be important for enterprises in the time after the crisis and how product development and process adjustment will be influenced. What does the crisis mean […]

For technicians: A qualification course in Ternitz

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 23. August 2020

It was no coincidence that I have written the blog post ,,From practitioner to developer’’ in April 2019. Even then I was working on the idea of further educating skilled workers. Together with the University for Applied Sciences Carinthia a qualification course emerged from this idea. All those, who have opted for vocational training instead […]

Precaution for financial needs – even possible for small enterprises?

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 30. May 2020

The Corona-Crisis taught us, how important it is, to be equipped with financial reserves in every case. Now, one asks himself: Why did sole proprietorships and small entrepreneurs not build up these reserves? To my mind, it is a matter of the system – and over all a matter of the taxation system in Austria. […]

Product Development in Times of Covid-19

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 29. April 2020

Your business model depends on product development and you are struggling with the effects of the corona-crisis at the same time? Read about the most common mistakes and how you can optimise your product development in times of Covid-19 for free and nearly without resource effort in this blog post. Product development is not something […]

Corona-Crisis and the world after it

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 5. April 2020

Nearly all enterprises in Austria will be affected severely by the Corona-Crisis. The one or other enterprise will not exist after the crisis anymore. We, the entrepreneurs, should not expect that all things will go back to normal in one or two weeks because that is frankly not going to happen. However, we surely will […]

Electromobility – the future (part 2)

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 23. February 2020

The issue of this blog post will be electromobility again. A short information beforehand: We always like to transfer economic dates from Germany to Austria with a factor of 1/10 and that is why I do not think about it in a good way. In the last blog post I wrote about the question, how […]

Electromobility – the future (part 1)

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 23. February 2020

I want to write a blog post that consists of two parts about a crucial transport political topic. The Electromobility. Regarding to a recent article in the newspaper ReadING the most important question is: When is an increase in e-cars possible? Is it even possible with the given and planned circumstances? In the following I […]

Fake News – experience report

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 2. February 2020

You will not believe what has happened to me recently. As a project manager of a large project I was on the radar of the media. The result was a text with false information that was published in a high quality Austrian newspaper. It stated that I took a false decision and made sever mistakes. […]

Save ideas: ,Fishers of Ideas’ in everyday business

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 17. December 2019

‘They are lurking everywhere: other artists, her students. They wait and watch. Then they siphon off the ideas and painterly qualities from the artist lying flat on the ground, trying to extort what is special about her.’ That is a text from the painting ,Fishers of Ideas’ from Maria Lassnig, which was exhibited on behalf […]

Talent Trends: Further education of the employees as a successful R&D formula

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 28. October 2019

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has recently released an interesting and extraordinary study: Talent Trends 2019. Questions like: Why do innovations of enterprises slacken? Which concerns do international CEO’s have? And which role does the further education of the employees play? were key questions. I dealt with the study in detail and would like to suggest you other […]

External innovation consulting: Confidence – when the right person is doing the job

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 23. September 2019

In the field of research and development, external innovation consulting is always one of those things. After all, you are bringing an external consultant into the inner sanctum of your company. To the place where your products are developed, the place where the future of your company is being built. This begs the question: How […]

R&D: Achieving success together with intrinsic motivation

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 16. September 2019

Managing people is a very exciting and multifaceted task in itself. It seems like 1,000 books have already been written on that topic. But what makes it even more exciting for me is when an innovation process joins into the mix, prompting the question: How can I manage and lead my R&D team successfully? One […]

Making money with radical innovation

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 8. August 2019

How can you turn an idea into an innovation and then into money? Does a radical innovation automatically harbour the potential for success? In my previous projects, I have always been guided by the following quote: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and […]

Part 3: Driving innovation, maintaining mobility

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 1. July 2019

Conserve resources and improve products – every business strives to make decisions that are as profitable and cost-effective as possible. The fact that decisions that may appear less economically advantageous at first glance can yield economic success in the long term became clear to me in my role as Managing Director of the University of […]

Part 2: Mobility means changing location – are we more mobile than we were in the past?

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 20. May 2019

Why do we have to change our whereabouts an average of four times a day, as we noted in the last blog post? Who or what circumstance forces us to be mobile? This question calls for a look back into history. How did our ancestors live? How were their occupational activities structured? Let’s embark on […]

Part 1: Mobility means changing location

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 29. April 2019

Just how mobile are we? And are we more mobile today than we were 200 years ago? Is there a discernible trend for the mobility of the future? Transportation and the associated infrastructure is a topic that has greatly intrigued me since my studies (mechanical engineering with a specialisation in traffic engineering and modes of […]

From practitioner to developer

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 8. April 2019

In my last blog, I shared with you my thoughts on the literal interpretation of the German word Ent-wickeln, which means “to develop”. Today, I would like to shed some light on the requisite tools associated with becoming a developer. In this context, I will address the question of why – when it comes to […]

How do developers develop? A lesson in German and etymology

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 27. March 2019

In this blog post from last October, I focused on the topic of training and education, examining options ranging from apprenticeship to a degree from an FH (university of applied sciences) and outlining four paths to becoming an engineer, the “developer” of the company. But what about the people who just can’t imagine themselves going […]

Leadership: The key to navigating your spaceship

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 14. March 2019

Originally, I only planned to write two articles using Apollo 11 as an example. As it turns out, this highly successful global event also offers a third component that is particularly interesting for you as a developer, project manager, and manager. In my previous blog post, I mentioned that consistency and goals by themselves are […]

Why consistency and goals alone are not sufficient to ensure a breakthrough with your innovation

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 23. January 2019

Nur so halten Sie Ihre Innovation auch nach dem Start auf Kurs. Die wichtigsten Punkte im Innovationsmanagement.

Fill up with the right fuel for your innovation

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 19. December 2018

Human history is full of successful innovations. They include a progression of new products, services, or methods that were implemented and are still used successfully, such as the telescope, the hot air balloon, or the first manned space flight to the moon. What can entrepreneurs learn from the history of innovation? First of all, there […]

The gamble of personnel services – worthwhile or not?

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 9. November 2018

It is no longer possible to imagine our complex business world without staffing services. In contrast to contract workers, personnel service employees are employed not at the workplace but by the service company, for the performance of work during a limited period. The contract worker, for example an engineering firm, defines a job and executes […]

Technical education is what the country needs – but which?

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 25. October 2018

Education policy: it’s on everyone’s lips, and is currently being commented on and analysed by the nation’s newspapers. I saw this as a good occasion to add my two cents to the topic and ask myself the question: What technical education does the country need? Four ways to becoming a technician In principle, the Austrian […]

Make or buy: how large corporate groups make decisions

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 5. October 2018

In my last article, I described to you the contrasts between classic small and medium-sized enterprises and large customers. My conclusion was very clear: it is better to avoid these “vultures” and concentrate on your own innovative strength and partners that match your size. That is how you secure your long-term, sustainable viability. I […]

Corporate profits: what counts for more, percentages or absolute figures?

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 30. August 2018

The scenario is nothing new: you are an SME, and you receive an invitation from a large corporation to be a supplier for a new generation of products. The potential new client has observed you on the market, and very likely knows your global company data from the balance sheets you have published. Perhaps you […]

Part 3: The ideal manager – young and bursting with enthusiasm, or older and thus a little calmer?

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 20. July 2018

The last part of my trilogy is dedicated to what I find the most fascinating aspect: a manager’s age. Now this is the point at which opinions completely diverge. Does a manager have to be younger than 50, or depending on the branch even younger than 40, in order to thrive in a technology-based SME, […]

Part 2: The ideal manager – technician or economist?

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 26. June 2018

The technically gifted engineer or the numbers-oriented economist – which one of these is better equipped to lead a company to success? Once again, in the second part of my series consisting of three blog entries, it’s all about the ideal manager for an SME. Have you also often wondered what kind of manager […]

Part 1: The ideal Director for a medium sized business

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 12. June 2018

For a few weeks now I’ve been talking with one of my customers about what the ideal Director for a medium sized business looks like. Are they a bit older or a bit younger? Should this kind of business actually have several directors? And do technical experts or business people make the best managers? A […]

Cost-saving measures in product development – assuring you of rapid success

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 15. May 2018

The highest expenditure items in technology companies tend to be personnel costs (as in every other company), but a large proportion of budget needs to be invested in product development. On this subject, my customers often put this question to me: How can you save money in development work? Does it make any sense to […]

Product development – from F&E to success via the Patent Office

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 12. April 2018

If you follow my blog, you will know that my motto goes like this: New innovations drive proprietary technology and therefore also companies forwards. This time, I would like to address the process of development and the steps that follow thereafter. How does the patenting process run? What should you pay attention to during the […]

Technology consulting by Dr. Pramhas – a service that pays off

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 21. March 2018

Many of my free initial consultations follow a similar course of action: Callers ask what services I provide in general and what they cost. Technology consultation, in particular, is a central issue of my work as a technologically oriented management consultant and is what gives my consultation and services value in comparison to cost. Extensive […]

Business plan for companies – do you want to get to the top too?

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 19. January 2018

Every company needs to have one. It forms the basis of structured corporate planning and is essential for investors in the identification of financing potential. We are of course talking of the business plan. Whenever a financier takes a look at this bible of your company, a decision is taken within seconds as to whether […]

Cargolifter – a failed piece of air travel history

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 20. December 2017

Do you remember the German company Cargolifter? By no later than 1998 the company that was planning to build a gigantic airship for transporting payloads of up to 160 tons was a widespread topic of conversation. Despite the fact that the innovative concept was an ingenious one, and although there was a clear case for […]

Radical versus incremental innovation: The time for change is now

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 22. November 2017

Will your company still be in existence in 10 years or more? The trend shows that company owners are asking themselves this question with increasing frequency – and for good reason! All it takes is a quick look at the automotive industry to see: ongoing development and product improvement are not enough in themselves. The […]

Investing in a company – a model for guaranteed success

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 19. October 2017

Every day we read not only about investments that lead to enormous profits but also companies that don’t make it. Investors tend to steer clear of the latter if they realise the situation in time. Are you already toying with the idea of investing in another company, but want to minimize risk? I have […]

R&D Power: Research funding according to the 1-2-10 principle

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 11. September 2017

Building up expertise, ensuring the continuation of the company, securing jobs – funding offers ideal opportunities for realizing these visions. Financing process optimization in your own company through grant funding may at first sound more utopian than is actually the case. Especially in the area of research and development (R&D), the market offers a variety […]

Innovation management: Appropriate measures prevent crises

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 10. August 2017

Economics and health are two terms that we would not necessarily tie together, but there are a lot of analogies. Read more over here on how business economics and human health are connected and what we can learn from the history of the pacemaker! Take reasonable measures A small example of a comparison between people […]

Failure done right – even corporate giants have to bite the bullet sometimes

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 23. June 2017

As early as the days of ancient Rome, it was well-known that “to err is human”, and to this day, nothing about that has changed. We fail in all stages of life, from early childhood to old age; all that matters is what you make of it. Today, I would like to tell you about […]

Introducing new technologies to your company: Questions, finances and funding

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 15. May 2017

A very exciting case: Not long ago, a company asked for my help. The task quickly became clear: I had to introduce new technologies to the company and establish them. One of the most important topics a company in this position must address – you can probably already guess the answer – is the question […]

Lightweight design par excellence – the fight against kilos

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 19. April 2017

The aim of lightweight design technology is clear: maximal weight reduction should not only reduce fuel consumption and cut emissions, but above all reduce costs and increase profits in the long term. However people often underestimate the difficulty of the path leading to that goal. Let’s look at the phenomenon of lightweight design and find out about […]

Digital Enterprise: Reduce expense, increase profit

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 9. March 2017

Process optimization is an inevitable topic in manufacturing companies in preparation for Industry 4.0. Established procedures are getting analyzed and changed, in case associated expenses and costs are too high. Sounds easy, but in fact many operations have already been in a mood of crisis because of the lack of process optimization. I will tackle this phenomen […]

New challenges as interim manager

Posted by Gerhard Pramhas
On 7. December 2016

Everything started with an interesting call. On the other side: The general manager of a small and medium-sized enterprise, who I’ve been advising for quite some time on matters of materials as well as the optimization of production processes. The new challenge: The management of the research and development department of a company with 200 […]