Thanks to Pierre Maudet, member of the Geneva government and almost Federal Councillor, the FOREP 2017 conference featured a prominent guest. In his speech, he explored the question of what public administration - i.e. politics - could contribute to the innovative capacity of companies. His presentation gave rise to a lively discussion with the audience. Pierre Maudet also commented on new developments such as blockchain technology, which is also likely to change public administration. He was basically positive about this, but admitted that it was now up to the state to do its extensive homework.

Quality assurance and more

Further presentations before the first break dealt with topics such as the analysis of stakeholders in connection with management systems. According to the first speaker, HES-SO and EPFL lecturer Paolo Barrachini, it is precisely these stakeholders who are the driving force behind a corporate strategy. Six Sigma specialist Bernard Murry from Paris appealed to the practice of continuous improvement and reminded the audience that quality should not only depend on controls.

The next round of presentations dealt with other concrete topics in the field of quality assurance. Damien Chardaire from Sonceboz SA, for example, explained how his company ensures a zero-defect rate for automotive components. Jean-Michel Pou of Deltamu discussed the advantages of "Smart Metrology" and Katia Gutknecht approached the subject of quality assurance from the purchasing side: The quality offered to customers is always dependent on the quality purchased from suppliers. That is why value must always be placed on optimal purchasing processes. Finally, Nathalie Wardé postulated improvements in the traceability of medicines in order to achieve greater safety for patients on the one hand, but also to reduce the costly recalls of pharmaceutical products on the other.

Also a topic at FOREP 2017: Big Data

The power of data was the topic of the joint presentation by Fabrice Jeanningros and Abraham Carama (both from Maison Cartier Horlogerie). Big Data offers the opportunity to bring "more intelligence" to quality assurance, according to one of the speakers. And in connection with the topic of continuous improvement, Myriam Bertrand explored the question of how not to overburden employees in the process. Because often enough a CIP is not carried out equally consistently at all levels. This ultimately creates doubts about the suitability of the instruments and the resulting uncertainty. That is why all improvement processes require continuous support and leadership.

A panel discussion on the conference topic "Quality management between requirement and efficiency" formed the conclusion of the event. In parallel to the above-mentioned presentations, visitors had the opportunity to attend various practice-oriented workshops, for example on the analysis of value chains, leadership or digital QMS. A small exhibition also provided information about specific products and services in the broad field of quality assurance. The conference was organised and held jointly by the SAQ and its French-speaking Swiss sections, the SQS, ARIAQ and other partners. All in all, the approximately 250 participants were offered a highly professional event with many networking opportunities.

Further information

Many companies are still not sufficiently prepared for the new directives. The European security software manufacturer ESET has compiled some tips that IT managers can use to make their company fit for the new requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

1. Bring the issue to the attention of management: All key decision-makers in the company should be aware of the impact of the GDPR and what it means for day-to-day operations. Therefore, also inform the management about the importance of the topic.
2. Check how your company processes data: Until now, companies have had to deal with the protection of personal data to varying degrees. However, starting next year, all companies will be responsible for protecting data. To get an accurate understanding of how data is handled in your company, you should put the current methods of data processing to the test. This will help you identify the extent to which your company still needs to prepare for the changes.
3. Appoint a data protection officer: Data protection officers are becoming important contacts, especially for public authorities and third-party companies. They work independently and report directly to the management. Their most important task is to have comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of the General Data Protection Regulation and to implement all necessary compliance and security measures.
4. Involve all stakeholders in the analysis: Before assessing the security of stored personal data, companies need to determine where the data is stored, who is responsible for managing it, and who has access to it. Involve both the data protection officer and the IT department in this process! This gives decision-makers a better idea of the measures taken so far.
5. Investigate past data breaches: By examining previous security vulnerabilities in the system, you not only get a clearer idea of what options your company has to respond to future attacks. You also check whether the procedures meet the future requirements of the GDPR. For example, security breaches must be reported within 72 hours of discovery, along with the nature and severity of the incident. Companies that do not adequately prepare their systems for this must expect heavy fines in the event of an emergency.
6. Consider the personal rights of individuals: One of the main objectives of the new regulation is to strengthen the rights for individuals, including the right to erasure of data and data portability. The latter means, for example, that individuals can take their data to a competitor of your company. Companies have an obligation to promote these rights. Therefore, it is important to establish appropriate procedures to make this possible.
7. Place value on consent to data processing: The GDPR aims to provide clarity when it comes to the issue of consent to the processing of personal data. New measures require companies to demonstrate unambiguous consent or "clear affirmative action". The new guidelines aim to protect children, for example, from agreeing to data processing without parental consent. It is therefore worth checking which practices are already established to inform users about the use and processing of their personal data.
8. Last but not least: Support the necessary measures already today: The measures required to implement the new GDPR can put a great strain on a company's infrastructure. Additional resources available in the right place can determine whether a company can meet the requirements in time. Therefore, plan ahead so that IT managers have the necessary resources available at the crucial time to meet all compliance requirements.

For more information on the General Data Protection Regulation, please visit an ESET specially designed pagewhich supports companies in preparing for the GDPR.

Source: ESET

Many people seek advice on nutrition. In doing so, they encounter a jungle of nutrition experts. The Association of Swiss Nutritionists is often asked for help because patients, but also professionals such as doctors or pharmacists, lose their way.

Unfortunately, the professional title 'nutritionist' is not protected, although its tasks and competences are clearly laid down by law. This allows misleading designations to appear. The SVDE says: "Where it says nutritionist on it, it should also be nutritionist in it!" This creates clarity in terms of patient safety. The SVDE vouches for the "legal conformity according to KVV Art. 50a" and for this reason has the priva

The label "Ernährungsberater/in SVDE" is protected by law and may be used exclusively by its members. The label is deposited in Swissreg (Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property - IGE) and protected accordingly. This creates transparency and quick recognition for doctors, employers, authorities and patients. With the help of the label, those seeking advice and professionals can quickly and easily find legally recognised nutritionists.

The addition "Swiss health profession" refers to the Health Professions Act passed by the Swiss Parliament in 2016. This law promotes quality in certain health professions in the interest of public health. Nutritionists are one of these professions. The label will be presented to the nutritionists SVDE on the occasion of the anniversary conference for the 75th birthday of the SVDE. This will take place on Friday 24 March 2017 at the Zentrum Paul Klee. Information under: www.svde-asdd.ch/jubilaeum/

This year's ESPRIX Forum saw a significant change compared to previous years. For the first time, it was no longer held in the concert hall, but in the smaller Lucerne Hall. But this in no way detracted from the quality of the conference. On the contrary: with 400 participants, the number of guests was also lower than in previous years, making it easier to establish personal contacts among those present.

Facing the future

Once again, the ESPRIX Foundation as organizer succeeded in putting together an attractive panel of speakers. And the conference topic "Appetite for the future?" was also a good one. The philosopher and publicist Ludwig Hasler pondered right at the beginning, noting that it is difficult to talk about the future in Switzerland "because the present is so shiny". Current solutions to problems, which our political leaders are concerned with, are actually only aimed at "improving the present". He gave the audience three ideas to whet their appetite for the future: firstly, the future is something for the "gluttonous"; secondly, the future needs to be discovered; and thirdly, imagination is better than knowledge when it comes to the future.

For Christian Methe, expert for digital transformation, the future has already begun. He demonstrated this directly with his "virtual conversation partner" Alexa, the voice assistant launched by Amazon. The future belongs to voice commands and apps are increasingly being replaced by them. Christian Methe then showed the audience a kind of compass on how to tackle digitization in one's own company via strategy, needs and requirements clarifications, data, organization and procedure. "Start now," was his concluding call.

When people talk about digitalization, the term "Industry 4.0" comes up at some point. In this regard, Rupert Hoellbacher, plant manager at the Bosch plant in Blaichach (southern Germany), provided concrete visual lessons. He showed how Industry 4.0 works in his company, based on networking (machines and control systems), information (generated from collected data), knowledge (deriving recommendations from information) up to the highest level of maturity with predictions and automated decision-making processes. However, "Industry 4.0 without people is a waste of time," says Hoellbacher, pointing out that even at Bosch, machines cannot completely replace employees.

Swiss pioneering work

Another promising project was the focus of Rolf Huber's presentation. He is the founder and board member of H2 Energy AG. Together with four colleagues, he has set out to realize his vision of driving a car in a closed water cycle, completely CO2-neutral. While filling station operators and car manufacturers put obstacles in each other's way, with hydrogen technology available as an energy source, they took matters into their own hands: looking for and finding the right partners themselves, they finally managed to set up Switzerland's first public hydrogen filling station and build a hydrogen-powered truck. And all this almost without subsidies, because "subsidies are doping: they are expensive and have side effects", as Rolf Huber summed up. Only without funding do you become really creative and innovative. And the success? A pioneering achievement, carried out by a small team, which is only now beginning to cause a stir among the big players.

Man does not become superfluous

The second half of the conference then focused more on the "human factor". Andreas Herz, for example, describes resilience as the fuel of successful people. Getting back up again after strokes of fate: He was able to report on this from his own painful experience. After a cancer diagnosis, he fought his way back into life. Personal training helped him a great deal to be able to better endure the adversities of cancer treatment. Being able to manage yourself is a skill that leaders in particular need more than ever. Andreas Herz mentioned "mindfulness" - also understood as the ability to pay attention to oneself - as a key concept in this context.

Then it was Gerd Leonhard's turn. As a futurist, he is not a futurologist; "I don't predict anything, I just observe", is how he described the term, which is still little known in this country. In his presentation, Gerd Leonhard focused on the contrast between "Technology vs. Humanity", which is also the title of his latest book. He sees the present as a "take-off" for exponential technological change. Machines can observe, but they cannot exist," says Gerd Leonhard. Creativity and emotional intelligence are human abilities that cannot be replaced by algorithms. Routine should certainly be delegated to machines, but efficiency should never take precedence over humanity.

Finally, Patrick D. Cowden continued the thread and explained that it is not about systems and technologies, but always also about the human factor. It is this factor that has always made the decisive difference. The basis for quality lies in the willingness to cooperate. Finally, the greatest human need lies in the pursuit of relationships. "The future is people - and we are the alternative," concludes Cowden.

ESPRIX Forum moves into the future

And finally, the presentation of the ESPRIX Swiss Award for Excellence was also about people and their excellence. Even though neither of the two finalists achieved the number of points required for the actual award, there was still a worthy winner in the form of Noser Engineering AG (see Brief Report). Once again, it became clear that this is not a "prize for the sake of it", but an award that an organisation must first earn through performance.

The Forum for Excellence was musically framed by the performances of the Lucerne chanson singer Milena. Accompanied by her band, she presented several pieces from her repertoire of original and third-party compositions. Presenter Sandra Studer guided the audience through the event in a confident and skilful manner, which indeed whetted their appetite for a future in which quality and excellence will probably play a greater role than ever before. And speaking of the future: The ESPRIX Summit will take place on June 20, 2018 - the tried and tested forum will therefore undergo a "retread".

Further information: www.esprix.ch

Managing the digital transformation is one of the most important entrepreneurial tasks for companies that do not want to miss out on economic success for the future. Digital transformation is not simply about doing the same thing differently, but about implementing completely different things in order to continue to be successful on the path to business excellence. At ESPRIX Forum for Excellence in Lucerne renowned speakers gave a practical and inspiring insight into the digital future, its challenges and opportunities under the motto "Appetite for the Future". With digital readiness to business excellence.

Two companies received an award at the annual ESPRIX Swiss Award for Excellence. Noser Engineering AG, one of the leading software service providers in the field of technical information technology, was honored as the 2017 ESPRIX Award winner in the category "Being successful through employees". Beat Zollinger, COO Noser Engineering AG (pictured 2nd from left): "The guiding principle 'Advantage thanks to appreciation' shapes our collaboration. Personal freedom, assumption of responsibility and development opportunities are important to us. We are proud of the achievements of our team and see ourselves confirmed in business excellence." The second company to be named a finalist was Rheinburg-Klinik AG, one of Switzerland's leading rehabilitation clinics and a home of Valens Clinics. Clinic director Edith Kasper is pleased with the recognition: "Rheinburg-Klinik AG has been guided for years by the EFQM Excellence Model, the management model of the European Foundation for Quality Management. The basic concepts of Excellence represent the decisive guidelines for the holistic management of the clinic. We are very pleased with this further milestone on our path to excellence".

Further information: www.noser.com, http://www.rheinburg.ch/de/, www.esprix.ch

In the past 20 years, many medium-sized companies have developed from craft-based (production) companies into globally active high-tech companies. The qualification requirements for their employees have risen accordingly, and the number of employees has grown accordingly - often worldwide. In most cases, their human resources and organizational development did not keep pace with this development - with the result that many SMEs are now struggling with the following problems: They are finding it difficult,

• find and retain employees with the required qualifications, and
• to develop the qualifications of its employees and its organisational structure in such a way that it corresponds to the economic development of the company as a whole.

One central reason for this is that although they are now effectively large companies, they often still struggle with problems that are typical of small and medium-sized enterprises:

• They lack systematic organization.
• They have little expertise in the areas of human resources and organizational development. And:
• Their development planning is usually short-term, and is often forgotten in the "daily business" - if it exists.     

More strategic thinking in human resources

One reason for this is often: Their personnel function did not grow like the company as a whole. This is why the few experts for personnel and organizational development are usually primarily occupied with "trouble shooting" - i.e. reacting to acute operational problems. They hardly have time for conceptual, strategic work. And in many cases they are still struggling with the problem: The top decision-makers in the company are not sufficiently aware that behind most operational problems - such as poor quality - there is a shortcoming in the area of personnel or organizational development. Accordingly, they have to do a lot of convincing.

But this situation is gradually changing. Increasingly, decision-makers in small and medium-sized enterprises are rethinking their approach - partly because they are realizing that they need to change: Our workforce is much more heterogeneous today than it often was at the turn of the millennium. In addition, our employees more often have an academic degree - for example, as an engineer or business economist. And these employees not only have different demands on their employer, but also on their work and leadership than employees in the past.

That is why many medium-sized companies are currently putting their concepts for personnel and organizational development to the test. The central question is: How can we modernize our personnel work as well as corporate and management culture in such a way that, on the one hand, it meets the (labor) market requirements and, on the other hand, we do not lose the strengths of a medium-sized company?

Addressing the process of change

Developing such solutions and implementing them in day-to-day operations takes time. As a rule, the starting signal is a change project that takes place in five steps, which are briefly outlined below.

Step 1: Record the actual situation.

At the beginning of the change initiative, a kind of check-up is carried out to ascertain the current situation - for example:

• How have our staffing needs - due to changing market demands, our growth, etc. - changed?
• How has our employee structure changed, and to what extent have the needs of our employees changed?
• Which tools and procedures do we currently use for personnel search, selection and development? Are they still appropriate?
• How do we lead and communicate in our company today, how should we lead and communicate in the future?
• How do we work together today, and how do we expect to have to work together in the future to be ready for the market? 

The goal here is to understand the current situation and the need for change in the organization.

Step 2: Design a target image.

After this survey, it is necessary to develop a target picture that includes, for example, the following dimensions:

• Where do we want to go from here?
• How should our company "tick" in five or ten years - which culture should exist in it?
• What competencies does our organization have then? What are its strengths?
• How do we then ensure that we have the required employees with the necessary qualifications, competence?

Step 3: Create a project/action plan.

From the target picture and the analysis of the actual situation, (sub-)projects and, in turn, action plans can be derived. In doing so, it is important to bear in mind:

• Establishing strategic HR work and development and the associated cultural change is a longer-term process. And:
• The change capacities of every company are limited. Because in addition to the development work, the day-to-day business has to be taken care of. 

Accordingly, prioritization is important in order not to overburden the organization.

Step 4: Record and control the changes.

Cultural changes take place slowly. Therefore, it is important to systematically record and communicate the (partial) changes - so that the feeling does not arise that "nothing is moving" and the energy for change slackens. This systematic recording is also necessary in order to control: Are we (still) on the right track or are course corrections necessary?

Step 5: Save partial results.

Giving up habitual patterns of thought and behaviour is difficult for almost all people. Accordingly, they quickly fall back into their old habits. That is why it is important to consider: How - with which tools, procedures - do we ensure that the results are not "flash in the pan" but sustainable?

Get the management team on board

A decisive, if not the decisive success factor in such change projects is that the attitude and behavior of the managers change during the course of the project. These are often technicians and engineers by nature. And this is also where their passion lies. However, they are correspondingly reluctant to deal with such topics as personnel and organizational development. And they tend to attach little importance to leadership work - also because it involves so much "human interaction".

Therefore, it must be ensured in such projects in medium-sized companies that the decision-makers are on board - and do not (unconsciously) torpedo the overall project. Accordingly, it is also important that they receive regular feedback on their (management) behavior and its (unintended) effects - from a neutral person whose competence they trust. Because of the powerful position of owner-entrepreneurs in their companies and their existential dependence on them, employees are usually - and rightly so - very cautious about giving feedback. They tell the "boss" what bothers them, at best through the nose.

Author:

Dr. Christoph Kuth works as a Senior Consultant for Machwürth Team International, Visselhövede (www.mticonsultancy.com). Before becoming a consultant, he was responsible for more than 20 years in various industries and companies as a manager for personnel & organizational development and in-house consulting.

The panel of speakers on the morning of 10 January 2017 had it all. First, Guy Verhofstadt, former Belgian Prime Minister and candidate for the Presidency of the EU Parliament, painted a rather gloomy picture of the EU. He looked back on 2016, which could go down in history as an "annus horribilis" for the Union: Brexit, the refugee crisis, the still unresolved financial crisis, growing populism, etc. He pointed to some of the EU's institutional problems and pointed out how the USA, for example, had managed to overcome the financial crisis: Within nine months, they had been able to clean up the financial sector and even restart an investment phase. Europe, on the other hand, is still debating. "We are not even in a position to create a rescue fund," Verhofstadt told the Alpine Symposium audience. And further: "Our institutions in Europe are not made for crisis situations!" The problem: small parties are capable of blocking entire processes, as the example of CETA showed, for example, when in Belgium the Walloons almost managed to prevent this treaty for free trade with Canada.

Summing up Guy Verhofstadt's statement, the EU's inability to act is actually the greatest risk for Europe's future. There was a lack of a common foreign and defence policy, especially as the signals from Washington indicated that American support could no longer be counted on in the future. More financial resources must finally be made available, for example to better secure the common Schengen external borders. Only "better coordination" among the states would not be enough, Verhofstadt said bitterly. Middle East expert Ulrich Tilgner - the second speaker on this Tuesday morning - pointed out that Tunisia in particular had a major problem with returning IS fighters. What if they continue to leak into Europe? However, he rules out the possibility of a massive wave of attacks - especially in Switzerland. He sees the threat potential at perhaps "2 to 3 attacks" that could also be carried out in Switzerland in the medium term. Germany or France, on the other hand, would have to reckon with a few more acts of terrorism.

And Donald Trump? 10vor10" presenter and long-time US correspondent for Swiss television Arthur H. Honegger compiled a few facts about the newly elected US president. Trump is someone who messes with everyone, as he already did during the election campaign. In this sense, one cannot assume a new normality in Washington, "there is no normal", it should (and probably will) "crack", as Honegger explained. America's society is deeply divided. Even Donald Trump's world only counts winners or losers. Politically - as Honegger states - there is no longer talk of "left" and "right", but of "above" and "below". However, this does not refer to economic elites: for many populists, the "bottom" is currently the ideological elite in particular, i.e. those circles that represent democratic values, human rights, etc. And the population simply believes those who are "on the left" or "on the right". And the population simply believes those whom they themselves support - regardless of whether facts are sometimes simply invented. Arthur H. Honegger drew a gloomy conclusion: "I am not particularly optimistic about the next four years".

On the other hand, Europe must now take the opportunity to "put its own house in order", as Guy Verhofstadt put it. After all, it's not the European idea that's unpopular with the people, but the way the EU works. Seen in this light, Donald Trump's presidency or Brexit can also be seen as an opportunity, not just a risk.

www.alpensymposium.ch

It is not uncommon for the introduction of lean management to end in total frustration for all involved - combined with the feeling that everything has become worse. This failure of a good idea has three main causes: First, there is often an incorrect understanding of what lean is and does. Second, managers often turn their backs on the topic. Third, people hope for quick successes and lose sight of the long-term goal.

It is this short-sightedness in particular that experienced management consultant Manfred Oertle takes aim at in his book "Die Lean Reise. Successfully transforming companies". His credo is that lean should not be defined and managed as a cost-cutting project, but has the character of a profound change process. With all the consequences. Oertle is convinced: "In connection with Lean methods, people like to pretend that all problems in the company can be solved with the right methods and tools. However, this is wrong. Numerous failed implementations show that the greatest lever for success is not the methodology but, in addition to the right understanding of lean, the correctly understood leadership role. Above all, lean requires the staying power of a change journey, not the staccato pace of cost-cutting projects."

The book is published by LOG_X Publishing HouseLudwigsburg, and is aimed at executives and change managers.

While some politicians are already categorising the new US President Donald Trump as the top risk, others see this in the upcoming elections in France and Germany, terrorist attacks in Europe, or Brexit. The fact is: uncertainties remain high in 2017. Even more than political risks, however, companies fear a business interruption that could cost them their entire existence. This is the result of the current Allianz Risk Barometer 2017, for which the industrial insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) surveyed more than 1,200 risk managers and insurance experts from 55 countries worldwide. In Switzerland, business interruption replaced the risk of increased competition at the top of the top risks. "Companies worldwide and in Switzerland are bracing themselves for a year of uncertainty," said Bruno Spicher, head of corporate insurance at Allianz Suisse. "Hardly predictable legal or political changes as well as the current competitive environment are causing companies concern. In addition, new threats require a rethink in the management of risks."

Top risk of business interruption

A storm with massive flooding, a devastating fire, the failure of a production machine or a hacker attack - companies are exposed to a wide range of risks that can paralyze their entire production from one second to the next. According to the aforementioned Allianz Risk Barometer 2017, business interruption is the biggest corporate risk worldwide. In Switzerland, too, the risk has moved from second to first place, and for good reason, as Bruno Spicher notes: "The risk landscape for companies is changing at a rapid pace, not least due to digitalization and new technologies. And companies are becoming increasingly vulnerable to disruptions in their operations due to tight supply chains and just-in-time production." In addition, the company's own production could be damaged by so-called retroactive damage if, for example, suppliers or customers are affected by an outage. "The consequences of a business interruption can threaten a company's existence. Insurance against business interruption is therefore an absolute must for a one-man business as well as for a large company", the insurance expert is convinced. In addition, a comprehensive risk analysis for a company is necessary in advance in order to be able to weave an appropriate safety net together with the insurance partner.

Cyber risks on the rise

The fact that business interruptions are considered a top risk is also a consequence of digitalisation. This is because cyber incidents, which are ranked third in the risk ranking worldwide and in Switzerland, have risen to second place in Europe and America, and have even reached first place in the UK and Germany for the first time, can also lead to a business interruption. The exposure to cyber risks goes hand in hand with the technological shift towards a digital economy, in which the assets of many companies are shifting from originally tangible to increasingly intangible ones: data or intellectual property are thus coming into the sights of cyber criminals. Cyber incidents now go far beyond hacker attacks and data misuse and put digitally networked companies at risk in two ways: not only can they themselves become victims of hacker attacks or data theft, but they can also be affected indirectly when critical infrastructure facilities such as telecommunications, electricity or water are attacked and paralysed.

Fear of more protectionism

Market developments are considered the second most important business risk in 2017, both globally and in Switzerland. In the aviation, financial services, shipping and transport sectors, market developments are even considered the greatest business risk. To be able to react in time to sudden legal changes in the market environment, companies need to monitor political plans and their implementation more closely and devote more resources to this. According to credit insurer Euler Hermes, a subsidiary of the Allianz Group, 600 to 700 new trade barriers have been introduced globally every year since 2014. Companies must anticipate that populism and protectionism could be further boosted by recent political shifts (Brexit, US President Trump) and adversely affect their business. Concerns about Brexit and the disintegration of the eurozone are also driving the export-oriented Swiss economy, as evidenced by the rise of this risk to 8th place in the Swiss ranking.

Source and further information: www.allianz.ch

Two consulting firms specializing in lean management and supply chain management will merge. With Staufen.Inova, a leading consulting firm for these specialist areas will be created. As a partner on the path to entrepreneurial excellence, the internationally operating consulting firm supports SMEs and corporations in optimizing their value creation and management processes along the entire supply chain as well as in efficiently designing innovation and product development processes, according to a media release.

From Wollerau, a 30-strong team will in future support Swiss industry in solving its challenges in lean management and supply chain management. For international projects, the know-how and network of Staufen AG Germany, which is represented by numerous branches in China, Central and South America, Eastern Europe and Italy, will also be available. "With this set-up, we will also be able to optimally support large Swiss groups with their international presences in the future," explains Jürg Hodel, previously Managing Director of Inova. He will manage the new Staufen.Inova company together with Urs Hirt, the former managing director of Staufen Switzerland. The industry focus is on all classic industrial sectors, the medical technology, pharmaceutical and chemical industries as well as the construction sector. "In our projects, we continue to stand for pragmatic and profitable solutions that offer the customer tangible added value," says Urs Hirt.

Staufen AG was founded 23 years ago in Germany and has had its own branch in Switzerland for ten years. As an expert in lean management, the consulting firm helps its customers to design workflows and processes efficiently. Inova Management AG was founded 25 years ago and specialises in supply chain management solutions. The entire value and supply chain is optimized, from the raw material supplier to the end customer. "In combination, the two consulting firms complement each other ideally, as they are masters of the processes along the entire value chain and in the supporting areas. In addition, both companies bring a lot of experience in leadership development and change management. Together we cover everything with the highest level of professionalism," explains Jürg Hodel. The growth plans are correspondingly ambitious. "With our joint know-how and international network, we as a Swiss consulting firm are now operating on an equal footing with the globally active consulting firms," Jürg Hodel comments on the merger.

Further information: STAUFEN.INOVA

The prerequisite for ISO-13485 certification is a comprehensive management system for the design and manufacture of medical devices. After all, ensuring the safety and health of patients is central, if not mandatory, for medical devices. Strict guidelines harmonized throughout Europe require continuous quality control and market surveillance. A certified quality management system that complies with ISO 13485 is therefore essential and in many cases only guarantees the approval and marketing of a medical device.

One, two or three?

"Active, invasive or implanted...?" These are terms of the three classes that need to be distinguished in medical devices. "We want all three!" said representatives of the "Institute for Human Centered Engineering" at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) to themselves, so that they can accompany product developments throughout the entire life cycle. In concrete terms: a stethoscope or a wheelchair have a low risk potential and are assigned to group 1. Group 2 includes products of medium to increased risk, such as contact lenses, hearing aids or X-ray machines. Cardiac pacemakers or knee prostheses, on the other hand, are classified in the 3rd class. These medical devices therefore have the highest risk potential.

First university in the whole of continental Europe

To ensure that medical products, regardless of their class, can be accompanied from the idea through research and development to technology transfer to industry, the "Institute for Human Centered Engineering HuCE" of the Bern University of Applied Sciences founded the "HuCE-microCert" group. In a unique process for a university, the "Institute for Human Centered Engineering HuCE" of the Bern University of Applied Sciences was the first university in the whole of continental Europe to obtain ISO-13485 certification. The conformity of the quality management system had to be proven in an elaborate evaluation procedure. The certificate makes the HuCE a valuable research and development partner for SMEs in medical technology.

Access to the EU market

In addition to a broad range of services for spin-offs, this certification also gives SMEs and industry easier access to the European market (CE marking) and a clear competitive advantage. This means that BFH's HuCE can now offer a complete package (including a qualified clean room for the production of small series) and act as a strong partner in the field of medical technology.

Source and further information: HuCE.bfh.ch

"5 in 5" is IBM's name for a list of scientific innovations with the potential to change our lives in the next five years. They are based on the results of market analyses, social trends and projects from IBM research centres around the globe.

Making the invisible visible

In 1609 Galileo developed the telescope and suddenly saw our cosmos with different eyes. He thus proved the previously unprovable - that the earth and the other planets in our system orbit the sun. IBM Research aims to follow suit with novel software and instruments to make the invisible of our world visible from the macro to the nano level. "The scientific community has always developed apparatuses that help us see the world through entirely new eyes. For example, the microscope makes tiny things visible to us, the thermometer helps us measure temperatures," said Dario Gil, Vice President of Science & Solutions at IBM Research. "Now, based on advances in artificial intelligence and nanotechnology, we want to develop a new generation of instruments that will help us better understand the complex, invisible relationships in our world today over the next five years."

A global team of IBM scientists is constantly working to make such inventions from the research centers fit for everyday use. The following five scientific innovations will make the invisible visible over the next five years.

Artificial intelligence gives insight into our mental health

One in five adults in the US today suffers from neurological or mental impairments such as Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, depression or psychosis - but only about half of those affected receive treatment. Globally, the cost of treatments for such conditions exceeds those for diabetes, respiratory disease, and cancer: in the US alone, the annual cost is more than $1 trillion.

Many processes in the brain are still a mystery despite the successes in research. One key to a better understanding of the complex interrelationships is language. In the next five years, cognitive systems will be able to draw important conclusions about our mental state and physical condition from the way we speak and formulate. IBM experts, for example, are combining transcripts and audio recordings from patient conversations with machine learning as part of a project to uncover speech patterns in the records that will help accurately predict psychosis, schizophrenia, manic behavior or depression in the future. Currently, the cognitive system that processes this data needs only 300 words to make an appropriate prediction.

In the future, the researchers hope that similar techniques and innovations can also be applied to the above-mentioned clinical pictures or also post-traumatic stress disorders and even autism and attention deficit disorders. To do this, cognitive systems analyse speech, statements, syntax and intonation of those affected. Combined with wearable devices and imaging techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG), a method of measuring the brain's electrical activity by recording voltage fluctuations on the surface of the head, a comprehensive picture of the person emerges, aiding psychologists and medical professionals in diagnosis and future treatments. So what used to be invisible signs will in the future become discernible indicators of whether a patient's disease onset or deterioration is imminent, treatment is working or needs to be adjusted. If mobile devices are also used, patients or their relatives will be able to carry out the relevant examinations themselves at home and thus help to prepare the doctor's appointments.

Novel vision aids combined with artificial intelligence expand visual capabilities

The human eye cannot see more than 99.9 % of the electromagnetic spectrum. Over the last 100 years, however, science has developed appropriate devices that use rays and their energy at different wavelengths to make things visible - examples include radar and X-ray imaging. Although these devices have often been in use for decades, they can still only be operated by specialists and are expensive to maintain and purchase. In five years, appropriate visual aids combined with artificial intelligence will allow us to see wider bandwidths of the electromagnetic spectrum to gain valuable insights into things. An important feature of these innovations: These aids will be portable, affordable and available everywhere.

One application scenario that is currently being much discussed and tested is self-driving cars. With the help of cognitive systems, sudden obstacles or deteriorating weather conditions can be analyzed better and faster than possible today in order to navigate the vehicle safely to its destination. Taking this one step further, what if technologies of this kind are built into our smartphones in the future and can help us indicate the nutritional content of a food item or its shelf life? Or help determine the authenticity of a drug? IBM scientists are already working on a corresponding compact technology platform that will significantly expand our visual capabilities.

Using macroscopy to better understand global interrelationships

The interconnections and complexity of our immediate environment remain hidden from us in the vast majority of cases. With the Internet of Things and its already more than six billion connected devices, this will change permanently: Refrigerators and light bulbs, drones, cameras, weather stations, satellites or telescopes already provide exabytes of additional, previously little-used data every month. After the digitization of information, transactions and social interactions, it is now time to digitize the processes of the physical world. Over the next five years, machine learning algorithms and software will help organize and understand this information from the physical world. This approach is called macroscopy. Unlike a microscope or a telescope, systems being developed for this approach are designed to analyze interactions of things that are visible to the naked eye but cannot be easily put into context.

Take agriculture, for example: By collecting, organizing and analyzing data on climate, soil conditions, groundwater levels and cultivation methods, farmers will be able to select their seeds, determine the right location for fields and optimize yields - without unnecessarily depleting precious groundwater reserves, for example. In 2012, IBM Research began a project with U.S. vintner Gallo that evaluated irrigation methods, soil conditions, weather data from satellites, and other details to ensure the best irrigation for optimal yield and quality for his soils. In the future, such macroscopic approaches will be used everywhere - for example, in astronomy to evaluate data on asteroids, to determine their material compositions more precisely, and to predict collision courses.

Chips become medical laboratories and find triggers for diseases on the nanoscale

Early detection of diseases is crucial for their treatment. However, there are also diseases such as the above-mentioned Parkinson's syndrome or cancer that are difficult to diagnose at an early stage. One possibility for early detection are bioparticles in body fluids such as saliva, tears, blood, urine or sweat. However, since these particles are often 1000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, they are extremely difficult to detect.

In the next five years, chips will become tiny medical laboratories that scan our bodily fluids and let us know in time if it's time for a doctor's appointment. The aim of the research is to bundle the necessary examinations, which previously required a fully equipped laboratory environment, onto a single chip. In the future, it will enable users to quickly and regularly read out biomarkers and transfer this information to the cloud from the comfort of their own homes. There, it can be linked with further data from, for example, sleep monitors or smart watches and analyzed by a cognitive system. The combination of different data sets results in a comprehensive insight into the state of health and can identify problematic indicators at an early stage.

Scientists at IBM Research are already working on a "lab-on-a-chip" nanotechnology that can separate and isolate bioparticles with a diameter of just 20 nanometers, which is on the order of our DNA, from viruses or exosomes.

Intelligent sensors detect pollution in real time

Most pollutants are invisible to the human eye - until their effects can no longer be ignored. Methane, for example, is a component of natural gas, which is actually a clean energy source. However, when methane enters the air before it is burned, it is a major contributor to global warming, along with carbon dioxide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that more than nine million tons of methane leaked from natural methane sources alone in 2014. This is equivalent to the amount of greenhouse gases produced by the American iron and steel, cement and aluminum industries combined over the last 100 years.

In five years, new, low-cost sensor technologies will be available to attach to gas wells, tanks, and pipelines, ensuring that the industry detects previously hard-to-find leaks in real time. Networks of Internet of Things sensors will be interconnected in the cloud, monitoring widely dispersed wells and production infrastructure to detect a leak within minutes - rather than weeks. In doing so, they will help reduce spills and the likelihood of disasters.

IBM researchers are already working with gas companies such as Southwestern Energy of Texas to develop a new gas storage system as part of the ARPA-E Methane Observation Networks with Innovative Technology to Obtain Reductions (MONITOR) program to develop a corresponding, intelligent methane monitoring system. The researchers are using silicon photonics - a technology in which data is transmitted between computer chips by light. The advantage: light can transmit far more data in less time than electrical conductors. These chips can be integrated into network sensors directly on site, at other points in the surveillance chain or even in drones. In this way, a complex environmental model can be developed from real-time data that determines the origin and quantity of pollutants at the moment they occur.

More information about IBM 5 in 5: http://ibm.biz/five-in-five (in English)