As a result, compliance and import procedures for products will become less complex and time-consuming, reducing costs for businesses and consumers. With the unilateral reduction of industrial import tariffs to zero, the Swiss economy will join Hong Kong, Kiribati, Macao and Singapore in the club of economies with the lowest tariffs worldwide.

High import profits

Companies benefit from a double cost saving: on the one hand, this reduction is achieved through the elimination of customs duties and, on the other, through less costly import clearance. "Import gains of around 12.3 % or USD 38.2 billion are likely to be achieved per year. Wood and paper, minerals and metals as well as vehicles will benefit the most in percentage terms," explains Jasmin Gröschl, Senior Economist at Allianz Trade. The abolition of customs duties thus increases the competitive advantage of Swiss companies in manufacturing and assembly on a global level. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) estimates the increase in added value at around CHF 860 million per year. Tariff reductions could result in annual savings of around CHF 350 million for Swiss consumers. However, the gain is offset by a loss of -CHF 555 million or -0.7 % in federal revenue. "Overall, companies in Switzerland will benefit from the elimination of customs duties and the simplification of the associated administrative processes as a result of cheaper inputs and therefore lower production costs," says Jan Möllmann, CEO Allianz Trade in Switzerland.

Companies need to know their supply chains inside out

A certain amount of bureaucracy remains for companies operating within the framework of free trade agreements (FTA). Proof of origin will no longer be required for goods with a zero duty rate that remain in Switzerland or are consumed here. However, proof of origin will still be required for re-exported or unaltered goods in order to benefit from the rules of origin in other countries. "Companies must therefore be aware of how and where their goods are used further down the supply chain," says Gröschl.

Source: www.allianz-trade.com 

The widespread availability and improved quality of generative AI combined with Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to generate realistic photo, audio and video content will have a lasting impact on the phishing landscape in 2024. Trend Micro predicts a new wave of Business Email Compromise (BEC), Virtual Kidnapping and other scams - triggered by the cost-effective creation of such content.

With lucrative profit prospects, threat actors for such campaigns either use legal AI tools with stolen credentials and VPNs to hide their identities or develop their own malicious generative AI tools. But AI models themselves will also come under attack in 2024: While the data sets of generative AI and LLMs (Large Language Models) are difficult for threat actors to influence, specialized cloud-based machine learning models represent an attractive target. They are trained with more specific data sets and can fall victim to data poisoning attacks - from exfiltrating sensitive data to disrupting fraud filters and even interfering with connected vehicles. Such attacks already cost actors less than 100 US dollars today.

"Advanced LLMs that speak any language pose a significant threat as they avoid common clues for phishing attacks, such as unusual formatting or grammatical errors. This makes it more difficult to detect such attacks," reports Udo Schneider, IoT Security Evangelist Europe at Trend Micro. "Companies must therefore adapt their existing phishing training and also introduce modern technical protection measures. Advanced defenses not only outperform human detection capabilities, but also ensure resilience against these attack tactics."

Such security developments may in turn lead to increased scrutiny by regulators and also prompt the technology industry to take matters into its own hands: "In the coming year, the cyber industry will overtake legislators in the development of cybersecurity-specific AI guidelines. The industry is quickly moving towards voluntary self-regulation," continues Udo Schneider.

The Japanese security expert Trend Micro also names other developments that IT security managers should pay particular attention to in 2024: 

• An increase in cloud-native worm attacks that target vulnerabilities and misconfigurations and use a high degree of automation to compromise containers, accounts and services with minimal effort.
• Cloud security will be crucial for companies to close security gaps in cloud environments. The vulnerability of cloud-native applications to automated attacks must be emphasized. Proactive measures, including robust defense mechanisms and thorough security audits, are essential to mitigate risks.
• Attacks on private blockchains are increasing due to vulnerabilities in the implementation of a number of private blockchains. Threat actors could use access rights to modify, override or delete entries and then demand a ransom. Alternatively, if they manage to gain control of enough nodes, they could encrypt the entire blockchain.
• Increasing supply chain attacks are targeting not only open source software components within it, but also identity management tools, such as telco SIMs, which are critical to fleet and inventory systems. Cybercriminals are also exploiting vendor software supply chains via CI/CD systems, with a particular focus on third-party components.

The security of supply chains also plays an important role in the new European NIS2 directive, which will affect companies in the coming year, as Richard Werner, Business Consultant at Trend Micro, explains:

"As soon as NIS2 has been transposed into national law - by October 2024 at the latest - there will initially be a 'fight and flight' as to who falls under it. Companies will initially try to evade the stricter regulation. However, the obligation for those affected to also include their supply chains will have the opposite effect, particularly for suppliers and logistics providers. They will align their IT security architectures with the new requirements in order to be able to offer their customers a specific advantage in international competition. On the one hand, it is sad that we first need new legal requirements to make the danger of supply chain attacks clear. On the other hand, however, it is positive to see that the legislator is responding to a clear threat with clear rules."

Source: www.trendmicro.com 

1. increased efficiency and cost savings

In modern industry, increasing efficiency and reducing operating costs are of crucial importance. Embedded AI enables the optimization of production processes in real time. Machines and systems can be continuously monitored for conditions and anomalies using sensors and algorithms in order to identify bottlenecks, optimize processes and use resources more efficiently. This leads to considerable cost savings and an increase in competitiveness.

2. predictive maintenance (preventive maintenance)

One outstanding use case of embedded AI in industry is preventive maintenance, which is often mentioned but still rarely used. By integrating sensors and data analysis within production facilities, companies can monitor the condition of machines in real time without data leaks to the outside world. When anomalies or signs of wear and tear occur, maintenance can be planned in advance to minimize unplanned downtime. This increases the service life of equipment and significantly reduces maintenance costs through predictability and new business model developments.

3. quality control and waste minimization

Embedded AI enables precise quality control during the manufacturing process. Cameras and sensors such as lidars, radars or those for spectrography and ultrasound can monitor products in real time and detect defects or deviations from standards. Defective products can be identified at an early stage and ejected from the production process, which increases quality and minimizes waste. In addition, direct feedback for minimizing waste in real time is a significant advantage, as incorrect settings and incorrect operation or supplier defects become more transparent and consequently cause less damage.

4. autonomous robots and automation

Autonomous robots play an important role in industrial production. Embedded AI enables these robots to perform tasks such as material handling, inspection and assembly autonomously. They can adapt to changing conditions in real time, as local AI can deal robustly with variance and handle complex tasks without human intervention. This increases productivity and precision.

5. energy efficiency and sustainability

Monitoring and controlling energy consumption is another area where embedded AI has a major impact. Industrial plants can use AI algorithms to optimize energy consumption by dynamically adjusting the demand for heating, cooling and lighting depending on the situation. The metering sector in particular is directly affected, while machine and plant manufacturers can use this indirectly in their processes. This not only helps to reduce operating costs, but also to reduce the industry's ecological footprint.

6. safety in the workplace

Embedded AI can also help to improve safety in the workplace. By continuously monitoring hazards and undesirable events, early warnings can be triggered and preventive measures taken to avoid accidents and protect the health of employees. In addition, intelligent user interaction through gesture, person and voice recognition is a feature that makes interaction more efficient and counteracts the shortage of skilled workers.

7. adaptability and scalability

Another advantage of embedded AI is its adaptability and scalability. Companies can gradually drive forward the integration of AI in their production processes and expand the technology as required in a decentralized manner and without cloud systems and follow-up costs. Despite the hardware required, this enables flexible implementation that meets the individual requirements of each company.

8. competitive advantage and innovation

Companies that adopt embedded AI early on can gain a significant competitive advantage. The ability to process data in real time and make informed decisions enables innovation in products and services without dependencies on networks, suppliers and infrastructure providers. This opens up new business opportunities, increases resilience and strengthens market position.

Embedded AI has the potential to transform industry in many ways. From increased efficiency and quality assurance to energy efficiency and innovation, this technology offers numerous benefits. Companies that do not engage with embedded AI could run the risk of being left behind in an increasingly digitalized world. This is because pure cloud strategies lead to dependencies, chaos and cost explosions. Worse still, some use cases with real-time requirements are ruled out from the outset by the cloud and the maximum amount of data that can be transferred. Embedded AI is therefore becoming increasingly important in industry. It is playing a key role in shaping the future of manufacturing and production. 

Source: www.aitad.de

The core of esentri's corporate strategy is the twin transformation. This twin transformation describes the simultaneous change of digital business models and processes to create social and ecological added value as well as economic benefits. Certification as a B Corp is a milestone for esentri that underscores this long-standing commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.

"B Corp companies share the view that entrepreneurship is an obligation and are committed to social added value and environmental sustainability in their articles of association. We at esentri agree with this 100 percent," says Robert Szilinski, CEO and co-founder of esentri. "Even though we have already completed the certification process with a very good grade, we have also received valuable impetus as to which adjustments we can work on and improve further before the re-certification."

The B Corp certification process

The B Corp movement pursues the ambitious agenda of transforming the global economic system for the good of people, communities and the planet. It creates standards and changes the rules of the game to encourage companies to find a balance between profit and the common good. As part of this movement, esentri maximizes its positive impact on employees, customers, communities and the environment.

Companies undergo a multi-stage impact assessment for certification as a B Corporation. As part of this assessment process, esentri has undergone a review over the past two years in the five dimensions of corporate governance, employees, community, environment and customers. With an overall score of 106.2 out of 200 points, esentri AG scored above average in the benchmark against other companies in the same sector.

Evidence is required for the assessment in the respective categories in order to evaluate the company's impact. The review results in specific recommendations for action until the next certification date, which is in three years' time.

Interim report on the way to a better future

For esentri, it is clear that certification as a B Corporation is a successful assessment of its position. Until recertification in 2026, the company wants to actively work on improvements in the areas recommended by the B Lab through initiatives from within the organization.

"Thanks to our commitment and experience, we are the ideal companion for companies that also want to implement a sustainable digital transformation and thus make their contribution to a better future," states Robert Szilinski. 

Source: www.esentri.com

1. intelligent applications 

Huge software suites that cover as many use cases as possible will soon be obsolete in their traditional form. Since the establishment of cloud services, many software manufacturers have been focusing on intelligent special applications. And rightly so, as the demand for smart tools is high due to the current shortage of skilled workers. Intelligent applications are highly specialized and based on AI technologies. In this way, they can automate certain activities, support decision-making, optimize processes and improve productivity. They are constantly learning and adapting to the context and intentions of their users. Ultimately, they help to significantly improve competitiveness. 

Instead of continuing to work on large software flagships, companies are well advised to expand their existing products with external intelligent applications or to use these as the basis for new products. One example of this is the Mindbreeze Business Decision Insights (BDI) ecosystem. Manufacturers use the Mindbreeze InSpire insight engine as a starting point for developing their own solutions. 

2. optimize large language models with retrieval augmentation 

Retrieval Augmentation Generation, or RAG for short, offers the possibility of optimizing a Large Language Model (LLM) with specific information. This does not change the underlying language model - a major advantage, as training these models is very time-consuming and cost-intensive. In order for LLMs, such as GPT, to provide a company with reliable answers, they must be supplied with up-to-date and valid company data. With the help of insight engines and RAGs, LLMs are able to provide contextual and specific answers to internal queries more quickly. They can also avoid so-called hallucinations, i.e. answers from an AI that sound convincing but may be wrong. 

3. sustainability will be directly linked to business success in the future 

The importance of sustainability is now undisputed in the face of climate change and other environmental challenges. IT is no exception: whether it's reducing electricity consumption or recycling obsolete hardware, companies are increasingly recognizing that competitiveness and sustainability are inextricably linked. This is because they are increasingly required to present the impact of their business activities on the environment and society in an ESG report - for example when tendering for contracts.  

Insight engines provide valuable services for maintaining an overview of ongoing sustainability initiatives in the coming year: they help companies to consolidate and process their growing volumes of data and derive recommendations for action from it. 

4. clear legal framework for artificial intelligence 

AI is here to stay - that's for sure. The European Union presented a corresponding regulation back in April 2021. The EU member states want to agree on a law, the EU AI Act, by the end of 2023. The world's first AI law is intended to guarantee that all AI systems used in the EU are safe, transparent, traceable, environmentally friendly and non-discriminatory.  

In future, risk classes will regulate whether and under what conditions AI systems have access to the EU market. Manufacturers and potential buyers will have to take a close look at this topic in the coming year in order to plan their development steps and make future-proof purchasing decisions. Companies have up to 24 months after the AI Act comes into force to implement the law. Despite the existing uncertainties, companies will be able to make the right decisions in 2024 with the help of intelligent technologies - both at a strategic level and in the workplace.   

Source: www.mindbreeze.com

The launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 triggered an unprecedented boom in artificial intelligence (AI). Since then, an international race has begun between companies to see who can be the first to make profitable use of AI opportunities. In the meantime, there are already clear differences in AI readiness. Cisco has therefore created a new index that evaluates more than 8,000 companies in 30 countries based on their AI requirements. It examines the categories of strategy, infrastructure, data management, governance, specialist staff and corporate culture of companies with regard to AI.

Across all countries, almost all respondents (97 %) say that the urgency for the use of AI technologies in their company has increased in the last six months. Here, IT infrastructure and cyber security are named as the areas with the highest priority. Too little speed would have a direct negative impact: 61 % believe that they only have a maximum of one year to implement an AI strategy, otherwise their business will be significantly impacted. Globally, 84 % believe that AI will have a significant impact on their business operations. However, 81 % see major challenges in using AI with their siloed data.

"Using AI for business has quickly become a top priority for companies, regardless of size or industry. The pressure, but also the enthusiasm, is palpable," says Christopher Tighe, Managing Director of Cisco Switzerland. "At the same time, AI readiness is not a one-dimensional issue. The IT infrastructure, including networks, computing resources and cyber security, must be considered in conjunction with strategy, data governance and corporate culture so that teams can make the most of the opportunities offered by AI."

Switzerland and "AI readiness"

In Switzerland, only 7 % of companies belong to the group of pacesetters that are considered fully prepared for AI. In this country, over 200 companies were surveyed on their "AI readiness". The global figure is 14 %, and 8 % across Europe. In Sweden, the leader in Europe, 22 % of companies are considered to be pacemakers in terms of AI readiness.

The introduction of AI has been progressing slowly for decades. The new study shows: However, advances in generative AI and its public availability since last year are leading to more attention being paid to the challenges and opportunities presented by the technology. While 76 % of respondents in Switzerland believe that AI will have a significant impact on their business operations, it also raises new questions about data privacy and security. The results of the index show that companies face the greatest challenges in using AI together with their own data. 92 % of Swiss companies state that this is because their data exists in silos. In a European comparison, Swiss companies still have some catching up to do in the categories of data and governance.

"In addition to the ability to integrate data, the infrastructure used determines a company's AI capabilities to a large extent. For a highly scaled use of artificial intelligence, many Swiss companies still need to make adjustments," explains Christopher Tighe. Almost two thirds of Swiss companies say that their infrastructure is only scalable to a limited extent. There is also still a need for clarification on the topic of security. Nevertheless, a quarter of companies are aware of threats to their cyber security in connection with AI and machine learning and assign them a high priority.

"There is positive news," adds Christopher Tighe. "The index shows that companies in Switzerland are taking many proactive measures to prepare for an AI-centric future. Perhaps not as early adopters, but with a very strategic, well thought-out and long-term view." For example, 92 % of companies already have a solid AI strategy or are in the process of developing one. 71 % of companies are classified as either pacesetters or followers (fully/partially prepared) in the strategy category, with only 3 % falling into the category of laggards (not prepared). This puts Switzerland above the European average. This could be due to the fact that 97 % of respondents stated that the urgency of using AI technologies in their company has increased in the last six months. There is a high level of awareness of AI, particularly at board, management and executive level. The areas of IT infrastructure and cyber security also have the highest priority for the use of AI in Switzerland.

Further results:

• Infrastructure: Networks are currently not ready for AI workloads. 95 % of companies worldwide believe that AI will increase the workload on their infrastructure, but only 23 % of companies in Switzerland have suitable flexible networks. 71 % cannot handle new AI processes with their current IT infrastructure due to limited or no scalability. In order to meet the increased performance and computing requirements, more than 85 % of companies in Switzerland require additional graphics processing units (GPUs) in the data center.
• Data: Although data forms the basis for all AI activities, this category has the most laggards worldwide (17 %) and in Switzerland (22%).
• Talents: 90 % of the companies surveyed in Switzerland are already investing in further training for their employees. In 39% of the companies, their knowledge of AI is at a medium level at most.
• Governance: The introduction of AI guidelines is only slowly gaining momentum. 67 % of companies in Switzerland do not yet have comprehensive AI governance. To build trust in the technology and minimize risks, organizations should address this. This includes data protection and data sovereignty, as well as understanding and complying with global regulations, but also the concepts of bias, fairness and transparency in relation to both data and algorithms.
• Corporate culture: This area has the lowest number of pacemakers (5 %). Although 83 % of companies in Switzerland have plans for change management for the comprehensive introduction of AI. However, 74 % of these plans are currently still in the development phase.

Source: www.cisco.com 

ChatGPT has achieved a level of popularity that many a celebrity dreams of. 90 percent of respondents know the name. Almost 70 percent have already worked with the application. A look at second place shows just how much ChatGPT dominates the market: only 23% of respondents used the image generation software DALL-E in the same period. Within a year, ChatGPT has established itself as a generic term for applications based on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). What is surprising is how positively people rate their work with ChatGPT. 70 percent say they are satisfied or even very satisfied with the application. Weak points in the system such as questionable content or fictitious facts do not bother the overwhelming majority.

Noticeable impact on productivity​

One reason for this positive response: ChatGPT makes you more productive. At least that's how users feel. 29% state that they save three to five hours of working time per week by using AI. 16% even estimate the effect to be more than five hours per week. Be it writing, brainstorming or analyzing longer texts: OpenAI's chatbot has a noticeable effect on your own work performance. ChatGPT is now part of everyday life for users. A good 50 percent use the application several times a week, and almost 18 percent even use it several times a day. 

ChatGPT is backed by OpenAI, a US company. 64% of respondents would therefore like to see a comparable GenAI application from a European provider - a great opportunity for companies such as the start-up Aleph Alpha, which focuses on "AI Made in Europe".

Source: www.adesso.ch

As the digital age changes, hacker attacks on large companies with extensive data sets are on the rise. The compromise of customer data and the threat to publish - or even the actual publication or sale - of further sensitive information highlight the urgency with which the issue of cyber security must be addressed.

The Department of Engineering and Information Technology TI at Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH is intensively involved in the field of cyber and information security: with the Institute for Cybersecurity and Engineering ICE and the specialization in IT security in the Bachelor's program in Computer Science and the two continuing education programs Master of Advanced Studies in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics & Cyber Investigation, BFH is already very well positioned in this area. BFH-TI will continue to expand its activities in this area in the future. The opening of a new laboratory for cyber security is planned for the first quarter of 2024. In addition, the new Information and Cyber Security profile on the consecutive Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) programme offers students the opportunity to specialize at Master's level.

Multidisciplinary specialists for cyber and information security

With practical content, including software assurance, cybersecurity and digital forensics, the study program in the new MSE profile offers a sound education. Graduates are equipped with skills to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data, IT infrastructure and software. The scientific depth, involvement in research projects and close cooperation with industry give students a direct link to real-life information security challenges during their individual skills development.

Prof. Andreas Habegger, Head of MSE, underlines the importance of the development of the digital age: "The ever-increasing threats in the field of cyber security require a multidisciplinary approach. Our range of courses with the option to focus on individual specialist areas enables us to train the specialists we are looking for. They are the ones who understand the complexity of these challenges and can develop and implement effective countermeasures."

The head of the new profile, Prof. Dr. Bruce Nikkel, was elected coordinator of the profile commission at national level. "Our mission is to provide in-depth education in the areas of information security, data protection, network security and cyber threat defense. Given the continuously growing need for experts in this field, we are convinced that this profile will provide our graduates with crucial skills and knowledge," explains Prof. Dr. Bruce Nikkel.

Bern University of Applied Sciences recognizes the need to take measures not only at a technological level, but also in the area of awareness-raising, in order to effectively counter these challenges. Cooperation between companies, institutions and educational establishments is becoming increasingly important in order to jointly develop solution strategies in the field of cyber security.

Source: www.bfh.ch 

The four new buildings, which will be constructed in the coming years and integrated into the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area in Allschwil, will form the Main Campus site together with the existing main building. Investor and developer Senn Resources AG is responsible for the realization. The St. Gallen-based company already developed and realized the Main Campus main building, which was opened by Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin a year ago. Like the main building, three of the four new buildings are also being designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The radically sustainable HORTUS office building is already under construction (move in 2025). The laboratory and office hybrid buildings ALL (2026) and CLOUD (2028) are in the planning stage. Senn is building the public-oriented HOPE building, which was developed together with Swiss TPH, with Basel architects Felippi Wyssen, who won the anonymous competition.

The expansion of the Main Campus is being carried out in cooperation with Senn Resources AG and the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area. "It is extremely gratifying that the partnership of a public and private institution is enabling the establishment of an innovation district of this size," says Raymond Cron, Managing Director of the national umbrella organization Switzerland Innovation, "This not only further enhances the importance of Basel as a life sciences location, but also of the Switzerland-wide network of Switzerland Innovation's six parks."

From 2028, the Main Campus of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area will be more than twice as large as it is today and offer significantly more workspaces. The innovation park will grow from the 50,000 m2 of usable space currently offered by the Main Campus to around 115,000 m2. This will make Allschwil by far the largest area of a Swiss innovation park dedicated to life sciences. Christof Klöpper, CEO of Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area, says: "I am very pleased that we were able to build the innovation park for the benefit of the entire region thanks to the support of the cantons of Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt and Jura and that we can now realize this expansion without additional cantonal funding. With Senn, a private partner is making a major contribution to attracting innovative companies to the region and supporting the objectives of Switzerland Innovation."

With the US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson moving in, the main building is almost fully occupied just one year after opening. The other sites in the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area are also thriving: the Novartis Campus site has already completed its third expansion phase. It now extends over three floors. The Jura site has also already been extended by one floor. Occupancy is steadily increasing and only a few offices are still available.

Source: www.baselarea.swiss

In addition to gender, the Equal Pay Foundation now also considers ethnic origin as an explanatory factor for pay discrimination and thus introduces intersectionality into its internationally recognized equal pay certification.

Women consistently and globally continue to earn less than their male counterparts, and this pay gap is even more pronounced for women of color, which exacerbates the inequalities they face in the workforce. This systemic inequality underscores the urgent need for equitable pay and opportunities for all women, especially those who face gender and racial discrimination.

As a result, the Equal Salary Foundation now offers 3 types of certification, corresponding to 3 levels of granularity, which guarantee equal pay and equal opportunities on the basis of:

• Gender and ethnicity (new)
• Ethnic origin (new)
• Gender

These new Equal Salary certifications are based on the same thorough, practical and scientific methodology that Equal Salary has used to certify over 130 international companies to date on the basis of gender. This enables companies to demonstrate and communicate that they provide equal pay and equal opportunity for work of equal value across all ethnicities and/or regardless of gender. These unique and ground-breaking labels are designed to help companies do the right thing, close the ethnic and gender pay gap while gaining a competitive advantage and positioning themselves as leaders in diversity and inclusion.

The development of these methods was carefully elaborated with the support of international experts, academics and specialists from the fields of statistics, human resources, audit and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). The principle of ethnicity used here is based on self-declaration by employees. "It is not possible to assess discrimination. These new certifications represent a new step towards general equality," says Lisa Rubli, co-director of the Equal-Salary Foundation. And Sylvie Makela, CEO of Tribus Urbaines, adds: "Like pay inequality between men and women, pay inequality based on ethnic origin is a deeply rooted problem. Equal pay is not just a word, but a practical tool to eliminate this discrimination and ensure that everyone is paid fairly." 

Main features of the Equal Salary Certification Ethnicity and Gender & Ethnicity:

1. Comprehensive assessment: This is the only equal pay certification in the world that uses a methodology based on hard data (salary analysis) to address the racial/ethnic pay gap. The first phase is supplemented by a desktop and on-site review that examines bias and prejudice beyond pay alone, across the entire employee lifecycle.
2. Data-driven insights: The Equal Salary Certifications use in-depth analytics to provide actionable insights to organizations. By identifying pay gaps and operational inequalities, they help companies understand where gaps exist and how they can be effectively addressed.

Source: www.equalsalary.org

Swiss companies have recognized that there is no way around the digitalization and implementation of IT solutions. As the results of the 2023 investment report from the German-speaking SAP user group (DSAG) show, investments in the ERP software solution SAP S/4HANA are becoming increasingly relevant. Almost 40 percent of the Swiss companies surveyed are planning high to medium investments in S/4HANA. One company that is already one step ahead is Rosenbauer AG. Together with CNT Management Consulting as its implementation partner, the firefighting equipment manufacturer has converted its international procurement, production and sales systems to the new SAP technology basis S/4HANA. "The introduction of SAP S/4HANA enables the Swiss site to handle all business processes in one consolidated system. This has simplified processes, increased efficiency and further enhanced transparency," explains Wilhelm Heckmann, Managing Director of the consulting firm CNT Management Consulting. As a sales and service organization, Rosenbauer Schweiz AG supports all municipal, plant and airport fire departments in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.

More efficiency with a complete solution

For over 150 years, Rosenbauer has been an internationally active group involved in the construction of firefighting vehicles and extinguishing systems in accordance with European and US standards. With the implementation of S/4HANA, the company is now also focusing on digitalization and automation in its production and supply chain. However, the high level of integration between the different locations posed a major challenge during the changeover, as did the use of individual different systems.

Rosenbauer AG had already been using SAP S/4HANA for accounting for some time. An IT system developed in-house was used for logistics processes. Other systems were also used in various areas of the company. "The main focus was on rolling out the sales and service processes at the site and mapping the production processes for manufacturing in SAP. The seamless integration of the logistics processes into the existing finance and controlling processes was important, as was the smooth transition from the existing system to SAP S/4HANA," says Heckmann, describing the project.

Rollout in Switzerland shows effect

In the first step, CNT was commissioned to create a blueprint at the Leonding site in Austria. This was followed by the implementation and rollout of the Rosenbauer service and sales location in Switzerland. Here, vehicles built at other locations are completed for the local market according to individual customer requirements. The Swiss CNT project management had the task of mapping the sales and procurement processes in SAP and integrating the logistics into the existing finance and controlling processes. Since the successful go-live in Switzerland, Rosenbauer has benefited in many ways from SAP S/4HANA and can focus on core processes. "Rosenbauer is experiencing improvements and simplifications in the service area, in procurement and in the warehouse. Cost transparency has also been significantly increased in production," reports Heckmann.

A milestone for the future

With the strategically important SAP project in Switzerland, Rosenbauer AG has reached a major milestone together with CNT. Recently, a complex production site at Rosenbauer in Slovenia was also fully integrated into SAP and all engineering processes of the entire Group were linked and further digitalized. The next step will be the headquarters in Austria in 2024. "The example of Rosenbauer International AG shows how medium-sized companies that supply world-class and world-wide technology can benefit from digital solutions in the long term. We look forward to continuing to advise Rosenbauer, a company with a long tradition, on its path to a digital future," Heckmann concludes.

Source: www.cnt-consulting.com www.rosenbauer.com 

The question that concerns managers the most: What is the best place to focus sustainability measures?

Process optimization and automation as a means to greater sustainability

Optimizing and automating processes is a proven means of achieving greater sustainability. This not only significantly increases operational efficiency, but also reduces the ecological footprint of internal workflows and processes right through to the value chain. A practical example illustrates this: If companies integrate an automated building management system into the energy distribution of a so-called smart building, energy savings of 10 to 15 percent can be achieved. Extended functions such as demand-based ventilation can save a further five to ten percent of energy.

Process optimization and automation within the supply chain also have the potential to identify and eliminate inefficiencies, reduce production- and transport-related emissions and support the goals of the circular economy. Recycling and the circular economy are time-consuming and complex processes, but they save up to 90 percent of CO2 emissions compared to the production of new plastics.

RPA/IPA tools and technologies: Effective and yet underutilized

The study also shows this: When looking at impact, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Intelligent Process Automation (IPA) tools and technologies clearly show the greatest influence on promoting sustainability: 79 percent of respondents who already use or have used process automation rate process optimization as effective or very effective in promoting their sustainability strategy - making process optimization the most effective technology in the areas surveyed.

Despite all these benefits, however, the challenges associated with implementing automation technologies have often proved daunting. Automating and optimizing processes requires cross-company collaboration and coordination between different functions, which often use different tools and systems. Only 42 percent of study participants ranked RPA and IPA, which includes automation and AI technologies, among the top six technologies for improving environmental sustainability.

Optimizing processes with a digital twin

New, AI-based approaches are now helping to take the fear out of these challenges. AI-supported digital twins, for example, are an important building block for process optimization. Digital twins are images of physical objects that are enriched with data, information and models throughout the entire life cycle of the production process. They are continuously updated, optimized and expanded with the help of sensor data. This enables companies to monitor processes in real time, identify challenges more quickly and address them by optimizing processes.

One industry that can particularly benefit from this is the battery sector, as demand is constantly rising due to the mobility transition and the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, among other things, and more and more battery factories are being built - especially in Europe, the requirements, standards and regulations for quality, sustainability and process stability are high. A digital twin can help to increase quality here, for example, by revealing weak points in production and accelerating process optimization at the same time.

AI as a catalyst for process automation and optimization

Even beyond the digital twin, AI enables a new level of creativity, problem-solving and adaptability in the field of intelligent automation. This will further amplify the impact of intelligent automation. By transitioning to AI-powered business models, companies can accelerate their sustainability efforts through innovation and more dynamic resource optimization along the entire value chain.

Such advances will be particularly evident in areas such as material identification and product design - these can be optimized for minimal environmental impact, longevity and reuse or recycling. Predictive maintenance and proactive supply chain optimization will also benefit from these developments. As a catalyst for process automation and optimization, AI not only enables efficiency gains, but also paves the way to a more sustainable future.

About the author
Dr. Ulrich Faisst is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Central Europe region at Cognizant. He is responsible for the growth strategy and at the same time strengthens the company's customer focus and technology leadership in the region. Ulrich's expertise includes transformation strategies and implementation, automation and AI, IoT, cloud, digital engineering, SAP and Salesforce. 
Current study by Cognizant