100 years of SNV: "Standardization connects the world".
100 years of SNV: On 23 May 2019, the Swiss Standards Association SNV celebrated its anniversary event in Baden. For a century, the SNV has been the Swiss representative of global and European standardization, acting for the benefit of the economy and society in our country.
The venue in the transformer hall in Baden was not chosen by chance. In 1919, transformers were manufactured there by the then BBC (now ABB). And it was BBC that, on 2 July 1919, together with other venerable Swiss industrial companies such as Sulzer and Escher-Wyss, launched the "Swiss Standards Commission" founded. The purpose: to create standards that apply everywhere in the industry. Hard to imagine if today every Swiss canton had its own standards, for example for the dimensioning of sockets...
For many, standards may be a dry, bureaucratic topic. But: "Standardization connects the world", said SNV President Jürg Werner in his opening address. And Stefan Ramseier, head of the ABB Research Center in Baden-Dättwil, emphasized in his welcoming address the need for communication when it comes to implementing necessary standards, all of which ultimately aim to make our lives easier. Around 26,000 standards are in force today, 1000 of which are purely Swiss standards.
5G standard for further networking
The fact that standards are not rigid systems, but are subject to constant change, was demonstrated at the SNV anniversary event in four "Inspiration Sessions" - each of which was held in a different room. So the audience had to move - just as industrial development does. One driver of technological development - and also a result of it - is the 5G mobile communications standard, for example, which Matthias Jungen from Swisscom explained. 5G not only forms the technological prerequisite for the Internet of Things, i.e. machine-to-machine communication including predictive maintenance or augmented reality, but also opens up new and more flexible possibilities for data transmission, for example through so-called "network slicing", whereby certain network areas can be reserved for specific purposes.
No "innovation theatre
There is also a lot of talk about innovation in connection with digitalization. Jean-Philippe Hagmann exposed much of this as pure, albeit often unintentional, "innovation theatre". Many of these "innovation labs" or "digital hubs" are "merely a backdrop", according to Hagmann, who has also written a book on the subject. He sees a need for many companies to catch up when it comes to innovation. Instead of "ideas", it would be better to focus on "discoveries". A better understanding of the innovation process is needed: "Doing 'it' right before you do 'it' right," says the speaker. It is also important to clarify who should play which role in this "innovation theater," he said. Hagmann sees the "bridge builder" as crucial here, i.e. the role that ensures that avant-gardists and enablers in an organization can also understand each other properly.
From drones and robots
In the large hall, the focus was then on an innovation that has long since become established in some cases: Drones. These are already being used in a variety of ways today: As a means of transport, as an instrument for surveillance - wherever needs have to be covered from the air with little effort. However: Drones have also created new risks, as Dominique C. Brack impressively explained in his presentation. Espionage, even the paralysis of entire airports, as recently happened at London Gatwick, are scenarios of undesired drone operations. Defence measures against this are not yet fully developed, as Dominique C. Brack demonstrated by means of a "shooting exercise": two participants failed to shoot down a toy drone with toy guns - despite appealing accuracy...
Robotics and electromobility were the topics of the last "Inspiration Session". Andreas Hufschmid and Adrian Wachholz showed how ABB, for example, already provides technologies in both areas that are used in industry and transport. Always guided by the goal: to conserve resources - be they human or natural.
After so much "inspiration", SNV's anniversary event came to a close with an impressive light painting show by light artist Alex Dowis from Prague and a "Food Festival". 100 years of SNV are a reason to celebrate - as a "gift to itself", so to speak, SNV is now appearing with a more modern brand identity and with new office premises in Winterthur.
Further information: www.snv.ch
