F.A.Z. Institute Study Examines Public Perception

ERLUS Named One of Germany's Best Family-Owned Businesses

Cologne, October 2026. The F.A.Z. Institute has evaluated companies across 87 industries and assessed their public perception. ERLUS ranks among Germany's best family-owned businesses in the building materials and construction chemicals industry category.

Family-owned businesses play an important role in Germany as providers of products and services as well as employers. They also make a significant contribution to economic performance. Which family-owned businesses enjoy particularly positive public perception was determined for the first time by rating and ranking agency ServiceValue in cooperation with the F.A.Z. Institute using a multi-stage web monitoring process.

Sentiment and Reach Were Key Factors

In the first stage of the process, known as crawling, several hundred million public sources were searched during the evaluation period from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2026. In the second stage, processing, experts analysed the collected data with the help of artificial intelligence. “Family-owned businesses are often associated with values such as authenticity, responsibility and consistency. Companies that genuinely think and act accordingly live up to these expectations and fully reinforce their good reputation,” commented Dr. Claus Dethloff, Managing Director of ServiceValue GmbH, on the study results.

Companies from 87 Industries Evaluated

The study “Germany's Best Family-Owned Businesses 2026” evaluated companies across a total of 87 industries. The assessment included criteria such as management, economic performance, innovation, products and services, customer satisfaction and trust. The overall score was calculated on an industry-specific scale from 0 to 100 points. ERLUS achieved 92.8 points, placing it among Germany's best family-owned businesses. “ERLUS places great importance on personal interaction in sales,” says Andreas Wilhelm, Executive Board Member for Sales and Marketing at ERLUS. “The study and its positive result demonstrate that ERLUS stands for reliability, consistency, high quality and aesthetic design.”

The ranking in the building materials and construction chemicals industry category

The complete study “Germany's Best Family-Owned Businesses 2026”

You can download the press release including image material here.