MADE IN LUSTENAU, RECOGNISED IN VORARLBERG: EXTRUDR WINS THE KMU-PREIS 2026
At the 18th Vorarlberg KMU-Preis in the Messequartier Dornbirn, Extrudr (FD3D GmbH) won the Gewerbe/Handwerk (Trades & Crafts) category. Our founders, CEO Marco Depaoli and CTO Johannes Früh, accepted the award on stage, with our team there to celebrate with them. We are proud and grateful to be recognised among the best small and medium-sized businesses in Vorarlberg.
A CELEBRATION OF
VORARLBERG’S SMES
The Vorarlberger Nachrichten and the Wirtschaftskammer Vorarlberg have run the KMU-Preis for 18 years. Every year it brings Vorarlberg’s small and medium-sized businesses out from behind the scenes and onto the stage. More than 300 guests from business, politics and society attended this year, including Economy State Councillor Marco Tittler and Chamber of Commerce President Karlheinz Kopf. Isabella Canaval moderated the evening.
For us, the award itself was only part of the evening. The rest was the room: companies of every age and size, from family businesses now run by the fifth generation to young companies like ours. Each had its own story of building something, sticking with it through difficult years, and believing in its people. Sharing the evening with them was inspiring. Our congratulations go to every honoured company, especially our fellow honourees in Trades & Crafts, EnergieWerk Ilg (Dornbirn) and Glas Müller (Frastanz), and to Pascal Sonnleithner, Andreas Wagner and Tobias Loser of Panto Outdoor, this year’s KMU Entrepreneurs of the Year. Their commitment to personal advice in their shops was one of the most inspiring stories of the night.
WHAT THE KMU-PREIS STANDS FOR
More than 99 percent of Vorarlberg’s companies are SMEs. Together they are the region’s largest employers and trainers and generate most of its economic output, including through the crises of recent years. The KMU-Preis, open to Vorarlberg businesses with up to 100 employees, honours that contribution in three categories: Retail, Services/Tourism and Trades & Crafts.
As jury member Robert Sturn (Vorarlberger Landesversicherung) put it on the evening, these are businesses that are “deeply rooted in Vorarlberg and indispensable to our society” and that contribute to the region’s stability and value creation. Being counted among them is an honour.
FROM ONE MACHINE IN FUßACH TO A NEW HOME IN LUSTENAU
Extrudr was founded in 2014 in Fußach. In 2015 the company built its first production line itself, and it still designs and builds its own machines today. That approach keeps Extrudr independent and lets it solve manufacturing challenges its own way.
Key milestones since then:
• 2017: GreenTEC Pro, a bio-based high-performance filament, joins the range.
• 2018–2021: move to Lauterach, followed by a second production site in Lustenau.
• 2022: 12 production lines and 30 employees.
• 2025: official opening of the new headquarters and production site in Lustenau, built from the ground up for automation, energy efficiency and sustainable production.
Today Extrudr develops and produces filaments for makers, universities and industry, from bio-based materials to high-performance technical grades, all made in Vorarlberg and shipped across Europe and beyond.
WHAT THE AWARD MEANS FOR EXTRUDR
Recognition for the team. Every spool of Extrudr filament passes through many hands: development, production, quality, logistics, sales and service. The award recognises the people who make that happen every day.
Craftsmanship in a high-tech field. 3D printing is often seen as pure high-tech. At its core, however, Extrudr’s work is craftsmanship: designing and building its own extrusion lines, refining materials and processes, and holding tight tolerances on every metre of filament. The Trades & Crafts category reflects exactly that.
Motivation for the next chapter. The new Lustenau site gives Extrudr room to grow. For the company, growth means more than volume: quality, sustainability, skilled jobs and real value for customers.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR VORARLBERG
Vorarlberg has always been a region of makers, from textiles and embroidery to precision manufacturing. Extrudr continues that tradition with a new technology. The award shows that advanced materials for additive manufacturing can be developed and produced in Vorarlberg and compete internationally.
The impact reaches beyond the company itself. Short, reliable European supply chains matter more than ever, and every high-quality industrial product made locally strengthens the region’s independence while creating skilled jobs and training opportunities. Countless SMEs across Vorarlberg contribute to this every day, and Extrudr is proud to be one of them.
THANK YOU
Extrudr thanks the Vorarlberger Nachrichten and the Wirtschaftskammer Vorarlberg for organising the KMU-Preis, the jury and partners, and all the companies who made the evening so inspiring. The biggest thanks go to the Extrudr team for their daily commitment, and to all customers and partners for their trust.