What does "Brag List" actually mean?

You don't have one? Then you are either a woman or very cool. Or both. Brag list is derived from the English "to brag", which means "to boast", "to show off" or "to do important". In (antiquated) German, it's called Prahlhans, not Prahljohanna, because men just seem to have it down. For people who suffer from the Impostor Syndrome [...]

Editorial - February 24, 2022

You don't have one? Then you are either a woman or very cool. Or both. Brag-List is derived from the English "to brag", which means "to boast", "to show off" or "to act important". In (antiquated) German, we speak of Prahlhans and not Prahljohanna, because men just seem to have it down pat. A brag list is helpful for people who suffer from impostor syndrome and constantly question their own abilities. Unfortunately, these are often women, because bragging tends to be seen as attractive self-confidence in men, but tends to be interpreted as inappropriate bitching and aggressive behavior in women. High time to clear this up. But not before we briefly explain why this is the case. Franziska Schutzbach gets to the heart of the matter in her current bestseller "Die Erschöpfung der Frauen" (Women's Exhaustion): women are still often brought up to make less of a name for themselves. We experience the consequences of this every day in meetings and brainstorming sessions when their ideas fail due to an unconscious bias on the part of everyone (men and women) or - even worse - are adopted by men, customers and bosses without reference to the source. This changes when you keep a brag list.

Cheat sheet to show off

The idea is gender-neutral, but software developer Julia Evans still describes the method as "career gold for women". She even includes a template in her blog on how to create a brag list. The idea that good work automatically earns recognition is naive. The practice is much more complicated and frustrating. Something like this: You do something important or great, only to find out later that others are rewarded for it. This usually happens because people have not understood or do not want to remember who is behind it. Women can tell you a thing or two about this. Agencies too. When the client declares their ideas to be their own. So would you rather brag than complain? Why not. The first step is to document everything that has been achieved. On a brag list, that is. Because otherwise it will be forgotten, especially by people with low self-esteem. So instead of getting annoyed afterwards when yet another braggart gets the credit, it's better to pull out the list at the crucial moment and be ready. But even cooler: don't keep a list and just do your own thing with confidence.

* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He has been eavesdropping on the industry for over 30 years, discovering words and terms for us that can either be used for small talk, pomposity, excitement, playing Scrabble, or just because.

The ISO becomes 75

ISO turns 75: When ISO held its first meeting in 1947, countries around the world were in reconstruction. People at the time were looking for ways to turn a bad situation into something positive. "With courage and enthusiasm, they set out to find the most efficient techniques for promoting the most effective technology. The [...]

Editorial - February 24, 2022

The ISO — View of Geneva, where the world standards organization ISO is headquartered. (Image: Pixabay.com)

ISO turns 75: When ISO held its first meeting in 1947, countries around the world were in reconstruction. People at the time were looking for ways to turn a bad situation into something positive. "With courage and enthusiasm, they set out to find the most efficient techniques to promote the most effective technology. The answer they found was ISO standards," the International Organization for Standardization, as ISO is known by its full name, writes today. In its 75 years of existence, the organization has become the world's largest developer and publisher of international standards. It is a network of national standards bodies from 167 countries with a central secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.

Under the spell of rapid change

But Ulrika Francke, president of ISO, doesn't just look back at the organization's history. "Today, our world is facing the greatest challenges of all time. We will continue to work to promote the benefits of standards and develop new ones when needed, using our proven system of transparency and international consensus," she is quoted as saying. And ISO Secretary General Sergio Mujica also says: "As we celebrate the achievements of the past 75 years, we look to the future. The pace of change has continued to accelerate, and ISO is helping to drive and guide that evolution."

ISO standards are now part of everyday life

When the organization was founded, it was not just about overcoming technical challenges, but about a new way of working together. The ISO system was created based on the idea that every voice must be heard if we are to find a way to live and work together successfully. Today, 24197 ISO standards are proof of the success of this idea. They cover everything from the fundamental aspects of the built world to the cloud technology that allows you to read this. Over the last 75 years, ISO standards have become integrated into almost every aspect of our lives. ISO standards are voluntary and not regulations or laws, although countries may decide to adopt the standards developed by ISO as regulations or refer to them in legislation. More information: www.iso.org

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/die-iso-wird-75/

Koch sets a double point for EKT

Founded in 1912, the "Elektrizitätswerk des Kantons Thurgau" has been supplying Thurgau with energy for over a century. Over the years, in addition to the areas of grids, energy and production & buildings, a further business area "Digital Services" has been added. This increasingly important business area was to be reflected in the new branding. The data division needed a corresponding [...] in its appearance.

Editorial - February 24, 2022

Founded in 1912, the "Elektrizitätswerk des Kantons Thurgau" has been supplying Thurgau with energy for over a century. Over the years, in addition to the areas of grids, energy and production & buildings, a further business area "Digital Services" has been added. This increasingly important business area was to be reflected in the new branding.

The data area needed an appropriate place in the appearance. At the same time, the brand's overall appearance was to become louder, more modern and more meaningful. The Koch agency designed and implemented the desired change together with the client.

Responsible at EKT: Marc Senn (Marketing and Sales Manager), Dominique Lambert (Communications Specialist / Content Marketing Manager). Responsible agency: Agencychef.ch.

Aviation safety: 100 years of Swiss air traffic control

Without air traffic control, today's dense air traffic would probably be in complete chaos. Skyguide is responsible for aviation safety in Switzerland. With its 1500 employees at 14 locations, it ensures safe, efficient and sustainable air traffic management in Switzerland and the neighboring areas of neighboring countries, which is probably the busiest airspace [...]

Editorial - 23 February 2022

Swiss air traffic control — Air traffic control in Switzerland is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Pictured: View from the tower at Zurich Airport in 1970 (Photo: Skyguide)

Without air traffic control, today's dense air traffic would probably be in complete chaos. Skyguide is responsible for aviation safety in Switzerland. With its 1,500 employees at 14 locations, it ensures safe, efficient and sustainable air traffic management in Switzerland and the neighboring areas of neighboring countries, probably the busiest airspace in Europe.

In the beginning there was Guglielmo Marconi

This year, air traffic control in Switzerland celebrates its 100th anniversary. It all started with Marconi Radio AG, a subsidiary of the company of inventor and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi. It was founded a hundred years ago, on February 23, 1922, to develop wireless telegraphy - the birth of Swiss air traffic control. On May 10, 1928, the company name was changed to Radio Schweiz AG to emphasize its Swiss character. And on January 1, 1931, the Swiss Confederation entrusted Radio Schweiz with the provision of air traffic control services in Switzerland. Since then, aviation has undergone a great development. In the second half of the last century, the airplane was able to establish itself worldwide as an efficient means of mass transportation for passengers and freight.

Air traffic control made today's development of aviation possible

Another decisive factor was the technological development of air traffic control, which used communication, navigation and monitoring systems to ensure flying at all times of day and in practically all weather conditions. In 1987, most of the non-aviation-related business of Radio Schweiz AG was transferred or sold to Swiss Post and private companies and the rest was subsequently transferred to Swisscontrol. Skyguide was founded in 2001 following a Federal Council decision with the aim of integrating civil and military air navigation services. The company is majority-owned by the Swiss Confederation and has its headquarters in Geneva. "Aviation has undergone fundamental development over the last 100 years. In the coming years, we will be implementing innovative solutions such as the Virtual Center, which will continue to have a significant impact on air navigation services in the future," says Alex Bristol, CEO of Skyguide. Skyguide is now celebrating this centenary with various activities throughout the year: With simple local events at skyguide's 14 locations in Switzerland for employees and the media, through a publication and with a YouTube series and social media campaigns that bring the day-to-day work and services of air navigation services closer. Source and further information: Skyguide

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/sicherheit-in-der-luftfahrt-100-jahre-schweizer-flugsicherung/

Data protection emergency: cybersecurity budgets on the rise

The gap between an organization's expectations and the IT department's ability to meet them has never been greater. This is according to the Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2022. This report, which surveyed more than 3,000 IT decision makers worldwide, finds that 89 percent of organizations are not protecting their data [...]

Editorial - 23 February 2022

Data backup — Enterprise data protection emergency: 89 % of IT executives see a "protection gap" between tolerable data loss and how IT protects its data. (Graphic: Veeam)

The discrepancy between a company's expectations and the IT department's ability to meet them has never been greater. This is evident from the Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2022 highlights. This report, for which more than 3,000 IT decision-makers worldwide were surveyed, found that 89 percent of companies do not adequately protect their data. In addition, 88 percent of IT executives would expect budgets for data protection to increase more than IT spending in general. Data is simply becoming more and more important to business success, and the challenges of protecting that data are becoming more and more complex. This makes it all the more striking that there is still a kind of data backup emergency in many places.

The data protection gap is widening

The respondents stated that their data backup capacities cannot keep pace with the company's requirements. The large discrepancy between the amount of lost data that can be recovered after an outage and the frequency with which data is backed up has increased by 13 percent in the last 12 months. This indicates that the amount and importance of data continues to increase, but so do the challenges of protecting that data in a satisfactory manner. This is mainly due to the fact that the challenges companies face in securing their data are immense and becoming more diverse. For the second year in a row, cyber attacks were also the main cause of downtime. 76 percent of companies reported at least one ransomware event in the last 12 months. It is not only the frequency of these incidents that is alarming, but also their scale. Per attack, organizations were unable to recover 36 percent of their lost data, proving that data protection strategies are currently unable to help organizations prevent, remediate and recover from and after ransomware attacks. "The best way to ensure that data is protected and recoverable in the event of a ransomware attack is to partner with a specialized third-party provider and invest in an automated and orchestrated solution that protects the myriad data centers and cloud-based production platforms that businesses of all sizes rely on today," said Danny Allan, CTO at Veeam.

Companies face a data backup emergency

To close the gap between data protection capabilities and the growing threat landscape, organizations will spend about 6 percent more annually on data protection than on general IT investments. Although this will only partially reverse the trend of data protection needs outpacing existing capability, it is positive to see that business leaders are recognizing the urgent need for modern data protection. As the cloud continues on its path to becoming the dominant data platform, 67 percent of organizations are already using cloud services as part of their data protection strategy, while 56 percent are already using containers in production or plan to do so in the next 12 months. Platform diversity will increase in 2022, with the balance between data centers (52 percent) and cloud servers (48 percent) converging. This is one reason why 21 percent of organizations rank the ability to protect workloads deployed in the cloud as the most important buying criteria for enterprise data protection in 2022. 39% believe that IaaS and SaaS capabilities are the key attribute for modern data protection. You can find more information at https://www.veeam.com/de

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/datensicherungs-notstand-budgets-fuer-cybersicherheit-steigen/

LinkedIn as a new source for phishing

As the online portal SwissCybersecurity.net reports, cybercriminals have recently been increasingly targeting LinkedIn users. The English IT security service provider Egress has found that phishing attempts with fake LinkedIn logos have more than doubled since the beginning of February. Via cleverly disguised messages behind common subject lines such as "You were found in 9 searches this week" or "You have 1 [...]

Editorial - 22 February 2022

Cybercriminals have discovered LinkedIn as a pool for phishing scams: Phishing attempts increased by more than 200 percent in February. (Image: Unsplash.com)

As the online portal SwissCybersecurity.net reports, cybercriminals have recently been increasingly targeting LinkedIn users. The English IT security service provider Egress has found that phishing attempts with fake LinkedIn logos have more than doubled since the beginning of February. Using cleverly disguised messages behind common subject lines such as "You were found in 9 searches this week" or "You have 1 new message," scammers aim to trick unsuspecting users into entering their LinkedIn credentials on fraudulent websites. The emails are deceptively designed, according to Egress: Not only do they contain the address of LinkedIn's headquarters, links to unsubscribe from newsletters, but also links to the support section or even information from the recipient.

The report by SwissCybersecurity.net does not indicate whether and to what extent Swiss users of the social network, which is primarily geared toward business contacts, have already been the target of such phishing attempts. The main targets are currently companies from the Anglo-Saxon world, i.e. the USA and the UK. Nevertheless, the potential of LinkedIn for cybercriminals is high overall: according to its own information, the business network has over 810 million users worldwide. In the ranking of the "most popular" brands for the machinations of cybercriminals, LinkedIn now ranks fifth. Particularly perfidious: According to Egress, conventional e-mail security mechanisms are being circumvented. The danger of becoming a victim of a phishing campaign as a user is therefore real. It is therefore recommended to be extremely cautious if you receive an e-mail asking you to click on a hyperlink, especially on mobile devices. Source: SwissCybersecurity.net

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/linkedin-als-neue-quelle-fuer-phishing/

Automated workforce planning for the smart factory

Automated employee planning creates more transparency: Since the beginning of the year, the production plans for the total of 300 product variations of the Swiss chocolate wafer manufacturer Kägi Söhne AG in Lichtensteig, St. Gallen, which were created with the help of a mathematical model, have been loaded into the employee planning system, with which suitable personnel schedules are created in each case within three minutes on the basis of various components. For this purpose, the system includes work plans [...]

Editorial - 21 February 2022

Employee Planning — Automated employee planning: Business Intelligence and AI specialist axeed AG accompanies Kägi's "Smart Factory 2024". In the picture: Memo Diener, CEO of axeed AG (left) and Pascal Grin, COO Kägi Söhne AG. (Image: axeed AG)

Automated workforce planning creates more transparency: Since the beginning of the year, the production plans for the total of 300 product variations of the Swiss chocolate wafer manufacturer Kägi Söhne AG in Lichtensteig, St.Gallen, which were created with the help of a mathematical model, have been loaded into the workforce planning system, with which suitable personnel schedules are created in each case within three minutes on the basis of various components. For this purpose, work schedules are stored in the system that define how much time and how many employees are needed to produce a certain quantity of a specific product. In the next step of the automation process, a special matrix was stored with the qualifications and a corresponding role assignment, on the basis of which the defined requirements for the production of each product group can be met.

Automated employee scheduling leads to higher satisfaction

Technical skills are one production component. The availability of individual employees is just as important. The working hours (full-time/part-time), hourly wages, availability for overtime, vacations and specific blocked days are therefore entered in the digitalized Kägi employee planning system, which can be automatically taken into account when planning each order. The allocation of employees to the one to three shifts with which Kägi operates, depending on workload and product line, is also recorded in the system. Numerical coding enables fair variation between the shifts. The result: employee planning, which previously took up to one working day, is now available within a few minutes. "Especially when it comes to working hours, time balances and shift scheduling, automated employee scheduling brings more transparency and fairness," explains Pascal Grin, COO of Kägi Söhne AG. "Comprehensible decisions ensure greater employee satisfaction in the long term. The feedback on automated personnel planning is positive, not least because our teams now receive their schedules immediately after completion of the production plans, twelve hours earlier, without the previous one-day delay."

First step: process of self-analysis

In order to achieve such time savings and optimized processes through automation, companies must always first go through a process of self-analysis. "Automation means questioning the system and finding a set of rules on the basis of which the artificial intelligence works," says Memo Dener, CEO of axeed AG, which is supporting Kägi on the path to "Smart Factory 2024". "Ultimately, this leads to more than just the desired implementation of more efficient workflows through automated processes. Companies get to know their processes, resources and possibilities better, which is an important basis for continuous progress and further development." After production and employee planning, the next step for Kägi is real-time monitoring of machines so that the benefits of the automation processes already implemented can also be continued in this area. Source and further information: axeed AG and Kägi Sons AG

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/automatisierte-mitarbeiterplanung-fuer-die-smart-factory/

Swiss Ethics Award 2022: Five ethical and sustainable projects

Recognition for outstanding ethical performance in business: this is the Swiss Ethics Award, which will be presented by the Swiss Excellence Forum on May 11, 2022. The presentation of the Swiss Ethics Award 2022 will take place during the Future Leadership Forum at the KKL Lucerne. The Swiss Ethics Model Behind the Swiss Ethics Award stands [...]

Editorial - 21 February 2022

Overview of the nominated projects for the Swiss Ethics Award 2022, clockwise: Bioenergie Frauenfeld, Tide Ocean, Happy Hazelnut, Recycling-Paradies, Hunziker Partner AG. (Images: Energie360° AG, Unsplash.com, Hunziker Partner, yourharvest, Recycling Paradies)

Recognition for outstanding ethical performance in business: this is the Swiss Ethics Award, which will be presented by the Swiss Excellence Forum on May 11, 2022. The presentation of the Swiss Ethics Award 2022 will take place during the Future Leadership Forum at the KKL Luzern.

The Swiss Ethics Model

Behind the Swiss Ethics Award is the Swiss Ethics Model, a methodology for evaluating and developing the ethical performance of organizations in business, administration and society. This model was developed on a scientific basis and is closely related to the UN's sustainability goals. The Swiss Ethics Model can be used as a steering tool to achieve these sustainability goals. Overall, the model combines ethical standards into a systemic management approach and aims to create sustainable benefits for the own organization as well as the relevant stakeholders.

The five nominated projects for the Swiss Ethics Award 2022

With this in mind, the jury reviewed the projects submitted for the Swiss Ethics Award. The application deadline for companies and organizations was the end of September 2021. From the projects received, the jury nominated the five best. Who will win the award will be decided on May 11, 2022 in the KKL Luzern.

Energie 360° AG, Zurich: Climate-positive wood-fired power plant "Bioenergie Frauenfeld". Energie360° and Schweizer Zucker AG founded Bioenergie Frauenfeld to produce renewable energy with a climate-positive wood-fired power plant: Wood gas is extracted from residual wood, which is used to power generators for heat and electricity. The carbon produced during wood gasification can be used in agriculture for soil improvement or as a feed additive. The carbon is thus not released into the atmosphere as CO2. Thus, the wood-fired power plant has a CO2-negative and thus climate-positive effect.
Hunziker Partner AG, Winterthur: Founded in 1932, this family business can justifiably be described as a pioneer in sustainable corporate management and has already won various awards, such as the Esprix Swiss Award for Excellence. In its current project, Hunziker Partner AG is committed to an eco-social market economy and the development of its employees. With the "Hunziker Campus", a training concept has been created in which apprentices and employees not only receive professional development, but also knowledge in the areas of resources, society and people.
Recycling-Paradies AG with project "Back to my independent life in paradise", Reinach AG: Recycling-Paradies is committed to the sustainable use of resources and offers uncomplicated disposal options. With the "Back to my independent life in paradise" project, the family business gives people with a disability, migration background or addiction the chance to get back into a regular structure through a job and find their place in society again.
Tide Ocean SA with #tide ocean material®, Basel: This project is about combating marine pollution from plastic waste, especially in Southeast Asia. There, fishermen who have lost their original source of income collect plastic from the sea and are compensated for it at ten times the current market price. Social enterprises sort and process the collected plastic. The collected plastic is fed back into the material cycle in the form of more durable products such as watches, floors, chairs or in the form of plastic granulates for the plastic processing industry.
yourharvest AG with "Happy Hazelnut Project", Baden: Yourharvest is a procurement partner for plant-based foods from all over the world. The project "Happy Hazelnut" project is about socially and environmentally responsible hazelnut production in Turkey. Child labor and the difficult conditions under which the harvest workers have to live often form the problematic background for the hazelnuts available in our shops. Yourharvest is now committed to combating child labor and improving working conditions. Social and ecological cultivation standards have been set for farmers, traceability is guaranteed and proper working and living conditions are ensured. An external inspection body audits compliance with the Happy Hazelnut standards on an annual basis.

Forum for future-oriented corporate management

According to Werner von Allmen (see following interview), sustainability - or better: future viability - is more than ever a central management principle. Accordingly, the "Future Leadership Forum" and the presentation of the Swiss Ethics Award on May 11, 2022, will focus on future-oriented corporate management. Current challenges of the future will be discussed with top-class guests, such as the historian Dr. Philipp Blom or the space researcher Prof. em. Kathrin Altwegg, the Jesuit Dr. Christian Rutishauser and Michael Brenner, Member of the Executive Board of Weleda. Registrations are now possible at www.swiss-excellence-forum.ch

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/swiss-ethics-award-2022-fuenf-ethische-und-nachhaltige-projekte/

Exascale-class supercomputer

The company Atos has presented the new BullSequana XH3000, an exascale-class supercomputer. Computers of this scale can perform up to a trillion calculations per second (1 ExaFlop). This computing power will enable leading scientists and researchers to make further advances in areas such as weather forecasting and climate change, new drug discovery and genomics. The supercomputer was developed and built by Atos [...]

Editorial - February 18, 2022

The company Atos has unveiled the new BullSequana XH3000, an exascale-class supercomputer. Computers of this scale can perform up to a trillion calculations per second (1 ExaFlop). This computing power will enable leading scientists and researchers to make further advances in areas such as weather forecasting and climate change, new drug discovery and genomics. The supercomputer was developed and built by Atos at its factory in Angers, France. It is said to be this manufacturer's most efficient and powerful system to date. According to Atos, this development plays a key role in keeping important knowledge and expertise in the field of high-performance computing in Europe. The new supercomputer plays an important role in securing digital and economic sovereignty.

Strengthening digital and economic sovereignty

Because governments, public institutions and private sector companies are making sovereignty a priority: it's about realizing the full potential of their data while protecting it at all costs. With the BullSequana XH3000 and expertise in both the. sovereign cloud as well as with the Cybersecurity, there is now a way to gain control over the data they generate and share.

Supercomputer sets new technical standards

The increasing volume and complexity of data means that there is an exponential demand for computing power. There is no other way to meet new challenges facing humanity, such as global warming and the Covid 19 pandemic. The BullSequana XH3000 will be able to deliver unprecedented computing power: With up to six times the performance of the previous version - and at every performance level, including exascale. This will be achieved using advanced hybrid computing technology to combine CPUs and GPUs with AI and even quantum computing hardware for use in traditional scientific simulations.

"Green" technology

In addition, the new supercomputer is very energy-efficient. An eco-design and architecture focused on sustainability ensure this, Atos informs. In addition to the patented DLC (Direct Liquid Cooling) solution, which offers more than 50 percent additional cooling capacity compared to previous generations, particular attention was paid to a completely environmentally friendly product life cycle. This ranges from the procurement of raw materials and manufacturing to testing, transport, disposal and recycling.

Compatibility guaranteed

The BullSequana XH3000 combines the latest and most sophisticated technologies, network components as well as communication systems. It is powered by the most advanced CPU and GPU processor and accelerator architectures from AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and last but not least the European microprocessor from SiPearl driven. It has improved energy consumption and higher computing power, enabling faster and more efficient scientific simulations on a large scale. Thanks to the OpenSequana architecture, the system is fully compatible with all future blade and interconnect technologies and can be easily expanded if required. With a security-by-design approach that combines vulnerability monitoring and threat anticipation, the BullSequana XH3000 ensures that data is fully protected. The BullSequana XH3000 is expected to be available from Q4 2022.

The supercomputer in detail

Higher performance: Up to six times the computing power per m² and best computing power per m² on the market
Fully scalable: With a configuration of 1PFlops up to 1 ExaFlops for digital simulations and up to 10 ExaFlops for AI applications (once next-generation processors are on the market)
Flexibility: The system can integrate the latest processors from AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and the planned European EPI processor. These achieve up to 1000W and more, offering improved performance compared to today's 350W systems.
Ready for today and the future: Supports today's most sophisticated technologies and future technologies (including future processors that will be released in the next six years)
Energy efficiency: Improved 4th generation Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC): To keep up with the consumption of the latest CPU and GPU generation, the system has 50 percent more cooling capacity than previous generations.
Designed for "traditional" digital simulations and accelerated hybrid computations with HPC, AI, and quantum convergence.
The first generation of Atos supercomputers to support a wide range of communication networks including BXI, High Speed Ethernet and HDR & NDR InfiniBand.

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/supercomputer-der-exascale-klasse/

Case study Hauert HBG Dünger AG: ISO 9001 management system modernized within a short period of time

The Swiss-wide known manufacturer of fertilizers was founded in 1663 at the site of today's headquarters in Grossaffoltern BE, Switzerland. Since the acquisition of the Erlangen-based fertilizer producer Günther Cornufera in 2007, Hauert has also been present in Germany with quality fertilizers. Internationally, they set the quality standards for organic and organic-mineral fertilizers. Hauert employs 180 people [...]

Editorial - February 18, 2022

The Switzerland-wide known Fertilizer manufacturer was founded in 1663 at the site of today's headquarters in Grossaffoltern BE, Switzerland. Since the acquisition of the Erlangen-based fertilizer producer Günther Cornufera in 2007, Hauert has also been present in Germany with quality fertilizers. Internationally, they set the quality standards for organic and organic-mineral fertilizers. Hauert employs 180 people at four different sites.

Hauert: Innovation for fertilizing

Thanks to targeted research in plant nutrition and development in fertilizer production, Hauert has repeatedly been able to come up with groundbreaking innovations. The company achieved its latest breakthrough with the development of the Sphero process: the process engineers succeeded in developing a granulation process that allows organic substances to be incorporated into granules of the highest quality. The gardener benefits from dust-free processing, and the plant from a targeted supply of a balanced mix of nutrients. Hauert has been focusing on organic fertilizers since the 1930s - a whole range of its products now bear the Swiss organic label, and with Biorga, organic farming has its own product line. For the company, organic fertilizing is a goal that will be kept in mind in all future development steps. Organic fertilizing is the goal, and Hauert will keep this goal in mind in future steps.

Hundreds of Word and Excel lists

Hauert has had an existing ISO 9001 quality management system for years, which was previously managed using the Viflow/Windream tool and countless Word and Excel documents. The central responsibility lay with the quality manager and was associated with a large expenditure of time, since information had to be updated in a wide variety of systems and documents. In addition, Hauert is required to maintain an internal control system ICS. As the next ICS audit was due, a new, integrated solution for quality management and ICS was sought. In the process, Hauert came across the QM software ELIZA. This cloud-based solution combines processes, organization, knowledge and controlling (ICS) in one clear interface. This sounded convincing and contact was made with Eliza AG. A test installation was then created, with which the project manager and the CEO mapped the existing ICS and the most important processes independently.

The optimal solution

Right from the start, the solution impressed with its ease of use and the linking of all information on risks, processes, measures, organizational units and employees. After a short test phase, Hauert decided to gradually introduce the new QM software and thus replace the existing, unwieldy tool landscape. Important criteria for the decision were:

Modern solution from the cloud
Simple to operate
Combination of ICS, quality and process management in one solution
Decentralized maintenance by different employees with different authorizations possible
Local provider (short distances, fast response times)
Integration into existing IT environment (connection to Microsoft Dynamics Navision, logon with Active Directory, linking of filing system with Sharepoint)

Gradual introduction at Hauert

In a first step, the process map was now created and the ISO filing was transferred to ELIZA. With the construction of the process map, all important processes were newly recorded as BPMN flow diagrams. At the same time, responsibilities for the processes were assigned. The ICS and risk management were implemented in a second step. In addition, the connection to Microsoft Dynamics Navision was activated in order to automatically synchronize all employee data from the ERP system in the new software from now on. Finally, in the third phase, all important contracts were recorded in the ELIZA contract management system. Continuous improvement and customer complaint management were also migrated from various Excel lists to the ELIZA "Q messages" module. With the gradual introduction, numerous Word and Excel documents were eliminated. The Hauert company now has a modern, easy-to-maintain quality management system that is a great pleasure to use in daily work and meets with great acceptance among employees. "ELIZA impressed us right from the start. The ease of use and the intelligent links between the information save us valuable time in maintaining the data," says Nicole Kramer, project manager at Hauert.

Import existing data

It was important for Hauert to import as much existing data as possible into the new software. This meant that all employee data from Dynamics Navision could be migrated automatically. The existing Q-messages could also be transferred directly from Excel to ELIZA. Thanks to the diverse interfaces of this software, further data sets can be imported or synchronized in the future. The following ELIZA modules are currently in use at Hauert:

Organization & HR
Processes and key figures
ICS with risk, opportunity and target management
Contract Management
Q-messages (customer complaints and suggestions for improvement)

Next, ELIZA will be embedded in the new IT environment. In the process, single sign-on will be implemented with Office365. In addition, a solution is now ready for the ISO certification of the subsidiaries, which can be integrated with minimal effort. CEO Philipp Hauert expresses his satisfaction with the new solution. "With ELIZA, we have finally found a tool that can keep pace with the agile changes within our company. It continuously shows me an up-to-date picture of the process landscape as well as the people responsible."

Successful surveillance audit ISO 9001 and ICS

The first test of ELIZA was the ISO monitoring audit. This took place in December 2020 and was successfully completed. The ICS audit followed shortly thereafter. Previously, the ICS report had to be created in tedious manual work. Thanks to the diverse export options of ELIZA, this can now be automatically created as a Word document and made available to the auditors. The Excel exports serve not only the company but also the auditor as working tools. The time thus gained can be used for value-adding tasks.

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/fallbeispiel-hauert-hbg-duenger-ag-innert-kuerze-das-iso-9001-managementsystem-modernisiert/

Digital retrofit integrates legacy systems into modern workflows

Digitization is in full swing - and no one can escape it. One of the biggest stumbling blocks in the industrial environment is the integration of legacy systems (digital retrofit). This is because these systems lack two important prerequisites above all: the sensor technology to capture data and the data interfaces to forward it. Without these capabilities, however, the [...]

Editorial - February 17, 2022

Digitization is in full swing - and no one can escape it. One of the biggest stumbling blocks in the industrial environment is the integration of legacy systems (digital retrofit). This is because these systems lack two important prerequisites in particular: the sensor technology to capture data and the data interfaces to forward it. Without these capabilities, however, it is not possible to optimize planning and changeover times, increase performance and availability, improve quality tracking and tracing, or implement predictive maintenance.

Digital retrofit as a solution

A digital retrofit, often referred to as Retrofit 4.0 in reference to the hype term Industry 4.0, therefore consists of equipping legacy systems with the necessary sensor and control technology - and this during ongoing operation, without break or downtime. Another complicating factor is that these are usually special individual cases. "One size fits all" is practically impossible with retrofits. Sensor-communication retrofitting therefore requires a careful, application-related inventory and feasibility analysis in each case. The possible application scenarios for digital retrofits are wide-ranging.

Six application scenarios

LeanBI, a specialist for data science applications headquartered in Bern, describes six typical scenarios for practical use and the potential positive effects:

Intralogistics: Booming online retail is leading to a rapid increase in shipping volumes and thus to high utilization of logistics facilities, which are also unable to keep pace with this growth due to their (partially) analog structure. However, additional buildings or plant complexes cannot be realized as quickly as retrofitting existing facilities. It is therefore the faster as well as more cost-effective and resource-saving way. In addition, it can also increase the service life of the plant.
Assembly linesFor many product suppliers, such as automotive suppliers or bicycle manufacturers, meeting delivery times is becoming increasingly challenging due to the high demand and the growing number of variants. In the event of the smallest failure in the production chain, the entire plant comes to a standstill, delivery dates become wastepaper, and high penalties loom. Early detection of possible failures through predictive maintenance, which is only made possible by retrofitting, is the key factor in ensuring delivery reliability, increasing production output and customer satisfaction.
Packaging industryThe same applies to the packaging industry, where many machines are connected in series. If one machine stops, the whole line stops. With predictive maintenance, both unplanned malfunctions and planned interventions, such as maintenance measures, can be reduced. In addition, the retrofit of existing lines enables the use of sensor technology for ongoing automated checking of the packaging quality of a wide variety of products, and thus for reducing reject rates.
Metal production: In the manufacture of metal products, such as tubes, components or car body parts, it is important to detect quality variations in the process at an early stage. The more online sensor technology is used, the more reactive the process control can be designed. In addition, this ensures continuous traceability throughout the entire process. Here, too, the combination of decentralized data recording and central data analysis helps to reduce rejects.
Surface processingBy using additional sensor technology and combined analytics, wear times for machining tools can be better predicted. This optimizes processes in several ways: highly stressed components in surface treatment can be used for longer and material consumption is reduced, as are downtimes, which has a positive effect on increased productivity.
Electronics production: Retrofit can use highly complex, AI-assisted inspection methods for early detection of component failures in the production process, thereby increasing productivity rates. They also help to better understand and learn to fix rare special problems.

"Digital retrofit is one of the most important prerequisites and enablers for Industry 4.0," explains Marc Tesch, CEO of LeanBI. "Without this sustainable modernization technology, many valuable and in some cases indispensable legacy systems, production facilities and real estate would be lost to the digital future, along with the associated immense loss of value and resource robbery for expensive, time-consuming new installations." Source and further information: LeanBI

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/digitaler-retrofit-integriert-altysteme-in-moderne-workflows/

Aroma Creative creates world of experience for Trauffer cows

The original, handmade Trauffer cows and many other wooden toys should finally get the stage they deserve: The Trauffer family from Hofstetten near Brienz, who produced the wooden cow with the red spots, would like to give interested visitors young and old an unforgettable look behind the scenes and has entrusted Aroma Creative with the conception and [...]

Editorial - February 17, 2022

The original, handmade Trauffer cows and many other wooden toys should finally get the stage they deserve: The Trauffer family from Hofstetten near Brienz, which produced the wooden cow with the red spots, would like to give interested visitors young and old an unforgettable look behind the scenes and has commissioned Aroma Creative with the conception and implementation of its own world of experience.