After the PKG Pension Fund 2022 first published information on its activities with regard to the environment, society and responsible corporate governance in a separate publication, this year the report was supplemented by a comprehensive greenhouse gas analysis of its own real estate portfolio. The results show that the company is further along the road to CO2-neutral operation of its properties than the industry average, it says. Peter Fries, CEO of PKG Pensionskasse, adds: "We are not pioneers or first movers in the field of ESG, but we are working on making progress every year. We believe that sustainability starts with transparency - towards society, towards ourselves. The more facts we have, the better we can act."

Fiscal 2022 fell short of expectations due to the rise in inflation and interest rates as well as turbulence on the stock market. The funding ratio fell from a previously excellent 123.2 percent to a still solid 106.6 percent. The obligations of the PKG Pension Fund are thus still more than covered. However, an above-average coverage ratio remains a focus of efforts in order to be a role model and reliable partner for future generations in building up their pension provision, the pension fund says.

The PKG Pension Fund was established in 1972 as a pension fund for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Today, with 1768 affiliated companies, 41076 insured persons, 6167 pensioners and currently 9 billion Swiss francs in assets, it is one of the largest pension funds under private law in Switzerland. It employs 40 people.

Source and further information: www.pkg.ch

The car-as-a-service provider LeasePlan regularly examines the development status of e-mobility in Europe. Our country can also rely on Europe as a driver. This is one of the main conclusions from LeasePlan's EV Readiness Index 2023, which comprehensively analyzes how the 22 European countries are prepared for the electric revolution in mobility. The index is based on three factors: the maturity of the EV market, the maturity of the EV infrastructure, and the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an EV in each country.

"Switzerland is ready for an electric future. Demand for electric vehicles is consistently high in this country. Among European countries, we even rank among the top 15 in terms of market maturity. Only in terms of infrastructure and total cost of ownership do we still have a lot of catching up to do. The Scandinavian countries show that demand can be further strengthened if there is uniform, state support. Therefore, stronger political measures are needed at the federal level," says Niklas Zetterlund, assessing Switzerland in the current EV Readiness Index 2023. In terms of the maturity of the EV market, Switzerland was even able to make up one place compared to.

Key findings from the 2023 Index show an increase of 12 % (72 points overall) in EV readiness across the countries surveyed, highlighting an overall improvement in EV maturity across Europe. Overall, e-mobility market maturity increased by 19 % (42 points) across Europe, reflecting an overall improvement in EV penetration across European countries. There were also significant improvements in charging infrastructure. Here, the index increased by 43 percent (45 points) across Europe. However, local and national governments, as well as the EU government, will need to invest further in charging infrastructure in the future to ensure it can keep pace with the sharp increase in demand, the study found.

Although EVs are cheaper than a comparable vehicle with an internal combustion engine in most countries, the TCO maturity of EVs was slightly down (6 % or 14 points). This was mainly due to rising energy prices in 2022. And, Switzerland, together with Romania, shows the highest increase in EV maturity - compared to 2022. In general, runtime has increased or remained the same in all countries except Italy.

Source: LeasePlan

"Search engines have already massively changed the way we access knowledge. There is now a massive data pool of information, where it is often difficult to find the right sources or it is time-consuming to find the desired material, for example a template, the right data set or help for your own program code," says Cosima von Kries, Director Solution Engineering EMEA at Nintex, a provider of process intelligence and automation solutions. "ChatGPT is here revolutionizing in many areas how digital data can be made even more consumable and usable for us to get where we want to go even faster and more efficiently. Collaboration between humans and AI is no longer an intangible buzzword, but a tangible reality with significant added value for our own work management," continues Cosima von Kries, naming the five most important applications of ChatGPT in the workplace:

1. improve customer service with ChatGPT

Almost 90 percent of consumers prefer interacting with a human over a chatbot. Frustrating bot-based customer service is bad for a business. Providing comprehensive in-person customer service is difficult and expensive. ChatGPT turns this calculus on its head (We have already reported on an application in the insurance sector).

ChatGPT is capable of learning answers and building on them. When connected to an internal database, it will transform our ability to respond to organization-specific customer service requests such as "How do I get a permit?" or "Where is your nearest office?". It will also be able to create content and present responses in a visual format, such as "Please send me a report on last month's sales."

2. take language translation to a new level

We live in a global-acting world where it is increasingly important to communicate across regions, languages and cultures. Existing translation technologies help with short questions and commands and can interpret small blocks of text. That's a start, but ChatGPT has the reading and comprehension capabilities to understand longer texts and take translation to the next level.

ChatGPT can detect an employee's location and automatically translate pages of content into the person's local language. For developers, IT professionals, and users in general, this represents a huge time, labor, and cost savings in getting their work to market. ChatGPT also offers great potential for the development of automated assistive workplace technologies such as real-time screen readers and sign language translation for people with disabilities.

3. create effective summaries

Email was supposed to speed up correspondence at work, giving us all more time to focus on the real work. Instead, we filled our days with more and more correspondence with more and more people. Newer messaging platforms for work have only added to the communication overload. From emails to messages to reports, ChatGPT can summarize and share important information with busy employees. When used in conjunction with Word or Outlook, ChatGPT can review information and filter out what is important. It is able to turn an email into an action item and incorporate it into a workflow that is shared with a larger team.

4. create new content

ChatGPT also has the ability to create outbound written and visual content, from email responses to reports to external online content. Employees may not be able to hand off all their writing tasks to ChatGPT, but they will definitely have a number of routine tasks less and get writing ideas and support when they need it.

"Yes, ChatGPT can answer an email and fill out a vacation request form or other internal paper documents. But it can also create a 10-item report on health and safety risks or a blog about business performance or a new trend. In recent years, even the most tech-savvy employees have been tasked with some level of creative writing in their communications and internal marketing of their work. ChatGPT can be a reliable partner that makes this task much easier and sometimes even takes it away altogether," Cosima von Kries further explains.

5. also a task for ChatGPT: check and improve code

From workflow creation to proposals, ChatGPT can create, review and improve code. Whether organizations are just starting a project or examining existing work to see how it can be improved and optimized: ChatGPT supports coding in the same way it supports writing.

Technology innovation increasingly relies on Citizen Developers who have a great idea or insight into the needs of their organization, but little or no formal training in programming. ChatGPT is an important tool to support them.

Source and further information: www.nintex.de

The Zurich Logistics Colloquium in the Lecturers' Foyer of ETH Zurich was once again a complete success. Around 70 guests from industry and business took the opportunity on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, for a lively exchange of ideas in the course of the three inspiring presentations.

Modernized logistics center presented

Dr. Jean Philippe Burkhalter, Head of Operations (COO) and member of the Executive Board of Elektro-Material AG in Zurich, kicked off the event with a presentation of their modernized logistics center entitled "Logistics Center - New Standards".

At the beginning, Dr. Burkhalter emphasized the indispensability of sustainable and responsible action in the entire value chain of every company. This formed the basis in the development of the company's own solution concepts, in which EM applied a so-called "Urban Areas Strategy". This means that the company does not have a central warehouse, but rather nine branches in locations optimally placed for customer proximity. In addition, customer loyalty is strengthened via digital channels, personal advice in the EM stores, and customer-centric services.

In this context, Dr. Burkhalter presented the "movEM" project, in which a pioneering logistics center was developed in cooperation with Dr. Acél & Partner AG. The building design followed the principle of "Shape Follows Function", so that almost all logistics activities are accommodated on the first floor in a process-oriented manner. The high level of automation additionally increases efficiency in logistics. The implemented solution is groundbreaking for Switzerland.

Electricity also needs logistics

"Power supply: A logistical task?" was the question posed by Dr. Maurus Bachmann, Managing Director of Verein Smart Grid Schweiz (VSGS) and Swisseldex, at the beginning of his presentation. Although power supply is rarely perceived in this way, it is part of high-end logistics. What the power grid accomplishes today in terms of logistical performance is considered a distant goal to strive for by many other companies. Today, its availability is 99.996 %.

The challenge of power supply is mainly the "commissioning" of the voltage and the impossibility to "store" electricity. This means that the power supply requires perfectly coordinated logistics. Controlled in real time, the right quantity and voltage must always be available.

Production must therefore be permanently coordinated with consumption, both in terms of location and time. This is a complex task: What framework conditions apply to production, how does consumption change, what do the power grids do, what local utilization models exist, and how is the enormous challenge of seasonal variations to be dealt with?

At the Zurich Logistics Colloquium, Dr. Bachmann emphasized that the overall view of the power supply from production to consumption is central to the distribution network of the future. Short-, medium- and long-term concepts are necessary for this planning. But consumers also need to establish a new awareness and adaptability, especially with regard to e-mobility.

In summary, Dr. Bachmann sees the biggest challenges for the logistics of power supply in seasonal storage, the integration of photovoltaics, and the lack of a clearly set focus.

Waste disposal logistics for the major "Stuttgart 21" project

Finally, Dipl. Ing. Wolf-Dieter Tigges, Head of Technology S-Bahn Frankfurt-Friedberg / Gateway-Gardens, DB Netz AG, presented the major project of Deutsche Bahn with a focus on waste management logistics "Stuttgart 21: Challenges for waste management logistics". Stuttgart 21 fits in as a hub in the "Stuttgart-Ulm" project, which aims to expand the trans-European transport network on the central west-east axis to optimize passenger and freight traffic.

Deutsche Bahn's giant project has to deal with rather unusual logistical requirements. During the conversion of Stuttgart's main train station into an underground through station, which is to be rotated 90 degrees from its current position, new solutions are needed not only for the disposal of the excavated material that is produced. Due to the extraordinary location in the middle of the city, nuisances caused by noise, vibrations, dust, dirt and light must also be reduced as much as possible. New solutions solve these challenges. A new construction road system was set up for Stuttgart 21 so that public road traffic is not affected by the construction. Disposal can 98% take place via rail or trucks, excavation can be monitored seamlessly thanks to an electronic waste verification process, and new technologies are being used to combat immission pollution. Mr. Tigges highlighted the development of a new intermodal transport container as a particular success. The special container, developed together with Schmitz Cargobull, enables efficient and safe bulk handling operations.

Source and further information: Dr. Acél & Partner

On April 6, 2023 at 9:30 a.m., Pascal Huber, Managing Director of the eastern Swiss trust company Breitenmoser-Edelmann Treuhand AG, started the digital meeting for the foundation of the startup SpeedGo AG. He prepared the relevant documents on the digital foundation platform Hoop. All founding documents were signed digitally by the founders of SpeedGo at their different workstations. At 10:00 a.m., the money was deposited in the capital formation account of the fintech Yapeal. By 10:15 a.m., all documents had already been digitally signed by all parties and digitally transmitted to the notary for incorporation. Three hours later, the notary started checking the documents and subsequently signed them digitally himself. At 2:00 p.m., all documents required for the foundation of SpeedGo were again digitally transmitted to the commercial registry office.

Digital company formation in six hours

The entire incorporation process, which usually takes several weeks to months in Switzerland, was completed in a record time of around six hours. Six working days after the first meeting, SpeedGo was registered with the Zurich Commercial Register. After opening a business account with Yapeal, the company is now fully operational and can receive and send invoices.

"I was surprised myself how conveniently, easily and quickly the whole thing went through," comments Pascal Huber on the premiere. Silvio Enzler, COO of Hoop adds: "We have ushered in a new era in company start-ups, which is characterized by digitalization, speed and simplicity". Claudio Hintermann, CEO of DeepCloud is pleased: "We are proud to make an important contribution to the simplification of company formations. Without DeepID and DeepSign technologies, such a fast and end-to-end process would not have been possible." Yapeal is also proud to be part of Switzerland's first end-to-end digital company formation. "Our real-time services enabled the immediate opening of the capital deposit account," said Thomas Hilgendorff, CEO of Yapeal.

Definitely available for all from June 2023

The Commercial Registry Office of the Canton of Zurich refers to the establishment and registration of SpeedGo AG, which was carried out digitally from A to Z, in cooperation with Schmidhäusler Rechtsanwälte AG, as "a milestone on the way to fully digitalized document submission for the establishment of a company".

The Hoop platform is currently available as a beta version to 20 trustees. In June of this year, it will be available to all interested entrepreneurs.

Source: Hoop Corporate Services SA 

In Romanshorn TG, Forster Profilsysteme AG is building a 30,000 m2 campus as its new company headquarters. It consists of a production and logistics hall, an office building and a technology center. It will be the first commercial building ensemble in Switzerland to receive the internationally renowned LEED Gold level certification. "Gold" distinguishes particularly sustainable buildings. "Almost all roofs of the Forster Campus are equipped with solar panels. With a capacity of up to 1.5 MW, they fully supply the production with green electricity," says Willi Lüchinger, CEO of Forster Profilsysteme AG.

LEED Gold level only possible thanks to Green Steel

With 600 t of Green Steel for the roof structure of the production and logistics hall and the technology center, the Forster Campus is the first major Green Steel project in Switzerland for Debrunner Acifer as supplier. For Willi Lüchinger, building with Green Steel is a logical consequence of building sustainably. "Of course, conventional steel is also 100% recyclable. But by using steel produced with reduced CO2 emissions, we're taking sustainability one step further: thanks to Green Steel, we're achieving the LEED Gold level."

20 trusses made of Green Steel for 15'000 m2 roof area

At Ernst Fischer AG in Romanshorn, the Green Steel beams, which correspond to the best category (Prime) of the metric developed by Klöckner & Co SE, were used to produce 20 trusses with a length of 37 m, a height of 3 m and a weight of 10 t each - for 15,000 m2 of roof area. Severin Gutjahr-Preisig, member of the Executive Board, produced with Green Steel for the Forster Campus for the first time and had a good experience: "Green Steel can be processed just as well as conventional steel. Steel produced with reduced CO2 emissions is the right way to improve the carbon footprint of the steel industry," he says.

Campus inauguration for the 150th anniversary

For Forster Profile Systems, the Forster Campus is one of the largest projects in the company's history. It will be completed in 2024, the company's 150th anniversary - as a clear and strong commitment to Switzerland as a place to work, as the company emphasizes.

Source and further information: Debrunner Acifer

On June 18, 2023, the Swiss electorate will vote on the Federal Act of September 30, 2022, on climate protection targets, innovation and strengthening energy security (Climate Protection Act). The Climate Protection Act was passed by the National Council and the Council of States in the fall session of 2022. It is the indirect counter-proposal to the Glacier Initiative. The bill comes to a vote because the SVP had taken the referendum. The association Swissmechanic recommends the acceptance of the bill. According to a survey conducted in April 2023 among Swissmechanic member companies, 2/3 of the companies surveyed are in favor of the Climate Protection Act.

Flexibly advancing the transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions ...

There is a high level of awareness of climate protection in the MEM industries in general and among Swissmechanic member companies in particular, writes the association. Many SME MEM companies, for example, have already done a lot of retrofitting in recent years and have implemented economically, technically and ecologically sensible solutions on their own responsibility.

The bill sets national interim targets for emissions reductions by 2050 and sets benchmarks for emissions reductions in the individual sectors - thus creating investment security for the Swiss economy and SME-MEM. The benchmark for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2040 gives industry the necessary flexibility to take account of any technological leaps and investment cycles.

Another important "flexibility plus", according to Swissmechanic, is that the effect of the remaining greenhouse gas emissions can be offset by the use of negative emission technologies in Switzerland, but also abroad. After all, it is irrelevant for the climate where CO2 is saved.

... without bans, but with start-up financing

For Swissmechanic, it is central that the climate protection law does not explicitly ban fossil fuels, because the association is committed to free-market, entrepreneurial solutions in climate and environmental protection and firmly rejects any bans on energy forms, technologies, production methods and the like. Due to the prevailing competitive pressure, companies have to produce in an energy-efficient manner anyway.

In situ, Swissmechanic supports earmarked start-up financing from the public sector. According to the bill, companies that voluntarily develop roadmaps for achieving the net zero target should be able to receive financial assistance for the application of novel technologies and processes.

MEM companies make an important contribution to a safer, more environmentally friendly and healthier Switzerland

"For our SME-MEM companies, innovation-friendly framework conditions and a secure as well as competitive energy supply are the elixir of life," says the Swissmechanic communiqué. This must be taken into account when drafting the decrees and legislative revisions that will follow in order to achieve the climate policy goals of the Climate Protection Act. This is the only way to strengthen Switzerland as a center of industry, technology and research, secure valuable jobs - especially in peripheral regions - and contribute to a sustainable future. "Because with their innovative technological solutions, our companies make an important contribution to a safer, more environmentally friendly and healthier Switzerland," Swissmechanic concludes.

Source and further information: Swissmechanic

The hope of breathing a sigh of relief after the pandemic was short-lived. Sharply increased prices for energy and raw materials, strained supply chains and inflationary pressures did anything but calm the economic situation in 2022. However, the Trisa Group, consisting of Trisa Holding AG, Trisa AG, Trisa Electronics AG, Trisa Accessoires AG, Ebnat AG and Trisa Bulgaria GmbH, says it has responded quickly and flexibly to the volatile dynamics in a geopolitically challenging environment and can look back on solid business development. The company reports that it has countered the strong cost pressure with consistent efforts to optimize costs and increase efficiency along the entire value chain. Part of the increased expenditure could be passed on to the market. It also emphasizes that thanks to careful planning and a high degree of flexibility, full delivery capability was maintained at all times in all Group companies.

95 percent of Trisa toothbrushes are exported

In the Swiss market, pandemic-related sales increases of previous years and shifts between product categories were offset, particularly in the household electrical appliances sector. In the core toothbrush business, the export share was a remarkable 95 percent. Reported net profit amounted to CHF 12.0 million.

Innovations as a competitive advantage

The fact that need-based innovations were very popular was reflected in the 26 percent share of sales accounted for by new products less than three years old. The electromouth care segment in particular once again posted growth. The successful market launch of sustainable product and packaging concepts in various segments was also impressive. New in the
In addition, recycled plastics are used in-house for the production of sustainable oral, hair and body care products. The focus of innovation management is on new products made from sustainable materials that offer customers added value while protecting the environment, Trisa added.

Investing in the future

With CHF 15.8 million, the Trisa Group has again invested heavily in the future, in particular in several product developments, new operating equipment, automation and digitalization projects. The core pieces here are a new ERP system including a warehouse management tool and a powerful smart factory solution for optimal planning and control of production processes. In infrastructure, further investments were approved for the significant expansion of solar installations.

Trisa Group between the proven and the new

The Group has approached the new year with confidence, with many goals and innovative products in the pipeline. "We are facing the economic challenges with the necessary respect, remaining true to our strategy and relying on the performance of our teams," the statement to the media reads. With the annual theme "Agility & Resilience - between the tried and tested and the new", the company intends to take an in-depth look at strategies for acting with foresight and remaining successful under changing conditions.

Source and further information

The Prix SVC Central Switzerland was awarded for the ninth time in front of around 1100 guests at the KKL Luzern on May 2, 2023. Six finalists prevailed in a multi-stage selection process and faced the "final selection" that evening. Shortly before 7 p.m., SVC President Andreas Gerber let the cat out of the bag: Pirmin Jung Schweiz AG from Sursee won the first prize. This also made it clear that building with wood seems to be very popular in Central Switzerland. Last time, in 2021, a timber construction company, Renggli AG, won the award.

Winning prize for Pirmin Jung Schweiz AG from Sursee

The winning company 2023 is completely dedicated to the development of buildings made of wood. The cornerstone of Pirmin Jung's success was laid with the company owner's choice of profession as a skilled carpenter. He recognized early on the versatile possibilities of wood as a building material, "not only for single-family homes, but also for multi-story buildings," as he explained when introducing his company. Since 1996, the company has been developing and promoting construction with wood accordingly - out of conviction. Today, it has 120 employees at seven locations in Switzerland and Germany. As realistic forward thinkers of a new timber construction generation, they plan and act in the long term, sustainably and profitably, the company's tribute says. With their new company headquarters "House of Wood" in Sursee, Pirmin Jung is literally putting their company philosophy of "responsible building" into practice. The development and showcase project for digital, climate-friendly and recyclable planning and building meets the highest social, ecological and economic concerns. Urban Camenzind, jury president and Director of Economic Affairs for the Canton of Uri, paid tribute to the winner in his laudation: "Pirmin Jung Schweiz AG convinces through inspiration, quality and environmental awareness, combined with team performance, heart and soul and knowledge sharing." The jury was particularly impressed by the pioneering "House of Wood" building project, which embodies the company's vision for the timber construction of the future. And with the new construction of Dock A at Zurich Airport, another lighthouse project awaits realization.

The joy among the winners - represented by Pirmin Jung and Marianne Jung - was great. "The award is a huge recognition for us and is seen as an appreciation for all our employees," said Pirmin Jung in his acceptance speech. And Marianne Jung also expressed her satisfaction: "At last, with the engineers, those people are in the limelight who otherwise work mainly in the background.

InfoGuard AG from Baar and Stöckli Swiss Sports AG from Malters (LU) in second and third place, respectively.

Second place goes to InfoGuard AG from Baar, the leading independent Swiss company for comprehensive cyber security. Every day, 200 security experts work to ensure cyber security for more than 400 business customers in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. This is always a race against the cyber criminals: Sometimes they are one step ahead, sometimes again the defenders, CEO Thomas Meier characterized the daily work of his company. Customers include well-known banks, insurance companies, industrial companies, energy service providers, hospitals as well as service providers and public authorities. InfoGuard is an independent company, fully owned by the management and the board of directors with participation of the management.

The bronze medal went to Switzerland's most successful ski manufacturer, Stöckli Swiss Sports AG, based in Malters (LU). The long-established company, which has been in business since 1935, operates 10 specialist sports stores in Switzerland, 2 test centers and selectively supplies Swiss specialist sports retailers. Successful ski racer Marco Odermatt also relies on the Swiss ski brand, making him a valuable brand ambassador. Over 60 percent of the annual ski production is exported to over 40 countries. The company is led by CEO Marc Gläser. Addressing climate change and the associated lack of snow, he acknowledged the need to monitor developments. However, through diversification - for example, into sportswear - the company considers itself prepared for various scenarios. In any case, the outlook for the winter business in 2023 is still good, according to Gläser.

Diploma ranks go to Bachmann Forming AG from Hochdorf, EVZ Holding AG from Zug as well as Trihow AG from Rotkreuz

The diploma rank was awarded to Bachmann Forming AG, headquartered in Hochdorf, the Swiss family business develops and produces customized, intelligent packaging solutions for the food and non-food sectors; EVZ Holding AG, the largest ice hockey club in Central Switzerland and also an innovative sports company in the areas of sports, management, young talent and gastronomy; and Trihow AG from Rotkreuz, which develops holistic and human-oriented solutions in the hybrid space and thus builds bridges between the analog-sensual and the digital-efficient world.

Business rendezvous

The Swiss Venture Club (SVC) honors exemplary small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for the ninth time with the Prix SVC Central Switzerland. Nik Hartmann hosted the award ceremony at the KKL Luzern, which was also livestreamed. The event offered the 1,100 invited guests from business, science, politics and the media insights into the region's impressive and diverse entrepreneurship. Christoph Baggenstos, SVC Regional Director Central Switzerland, emphasized: "It was wonderful to be able to compete again this year for the coveted trophy with the six impressive finalists in front of packed rows of seats. I was particularly pleased with the great atmosphere and the many personal encounters at the networking afterwards."

More information: Swiss Venture Club

How well are SMEs around the world digitally positioned? This was the question addressed in a study conducted by Adobe. It surveyed 1,000 employees in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, and Japan. The survey also took into account pervasive socioeconomic factors such as inflation, recession, layoffs, and global unrest.

Digitization has a positive impact on work

The results show: Small businesses around the world have some digital catching up to do. For example, 88 percent of SMEs say that inadequate technologies would affect their company's productivity. 55 percent of the SMEs surveyed also say that at least half of the work in their company is still done on paper. Due to outdated work processes, half of SMEs (58 %) lose between two and four hours of productivity per day. Correspondingly, almost a unanimous number of SMEs (85 %) believe that automation increases their company's productivity. An even higher percentage (92 %) of employees in AI-savvy SMEs say that AI-driven technology has a positive impact on their workflows.

Good technology increases workplace attractiveness

The "digital fitness" of an SME is also a decisive factor for job placements. This is because almost all employees (92 %) of the SMEs surveyed say that work technology is a factor in whether they accept a job at a new company, with almost a quarter
(24 %) say it is "absolutely critical" because their success depends on good technology. Respondents go on to say that they place great value on technologies that promote collaboration in decentralized teams, including video conferencing tools, but also digital document management - PDFs and e-scans rank first among the technologies that are indispensable to them, while collaboration tools and video conferencing rank second and third.

Software against digital pent-up demand

"Digital documents are an essential part of our business. We use them for everything from invoices to contracts to product catalogs," says Sofiya Deva, founder of The Postcard Edit. "For example, we find that it's smooth and easy to edit, share and close contracts with Acrobat. We operate globally and work with both large retailers and young designers*. PDFs help us communicate in a way that feels professional while being agile and user-friendly."

Good technology not only helps small businesses be more productive, it also helps them attract qualified employees. Automation and AI continue to be the buzzwords of the day when it comes to getting work done smarter and faster, the Adobe study concludes.

Source: Adobe

The Hammer Group industrial group, which specializes in high-quality metal construction solutions (https://www.hammer.ch) is strengthening its offering for structural building infrastructure made of metal. With the acquisition of Anytech Metallbau AG (https://www.anytech.ch) from Huttwil, the Group is expanding its service portfolio with system balconies. It thus complements its subsidiaries with their leading positions throughout Switzerland in the product areas of bicycle parking systems, pedestrian shelters, barrier systems, street furniture, fire doors, checkrooms, waste systems and work platforms.

From now on everything from one source

Anytech Metallbau AG has achieved a unique position with an innovative modular balcony system. Development and production of the technically mature balcony modules are carried out in Switzerland in a standardized or customer-specific manner. The system solution is used in particular in the increasingly important renovation market and takes an extremely short time to install. Claudio Ammann, Head of Corporate Development at the Hammer Group, comments: "Anytech is an excellent addition to the range of products and services offered by our group of companies. The Hammer Group is thus developing into a comprehensive provider of structural building infrastructure. Together, we can now offer our customers real added value in real estate projects - and, what's more, everything from a single source."

Anja Russo, the previous owner of Anytech Metallbau AG, adds: "With the Hammer Group, I have found a powerful umbrella organization and partner, which on the one hand convinces with its entrepreneurial values as well as its vision and on the other hand can further strengthen our market position with its presence throughout Switzerland."

Group of companies with six locations

The cooperatively organized Hammer Group, headquartered in Zurich, together with Anja Russo as Managing Director and all employees, will continue the activities of Anytech Metallbau AG in full. For customers and partners, this change of ownership does not result in any changes and all contact persons remain unchanged. "With the integration of Anytech Metallbau AG, we are strengthening our position and creating synergies. In this way, we are also increasing the attractiveness of our subsidiaries among their customers," says Harry Kramis, CEO of the Hammer Group. The group of companies includes Velopa AG (https://www.velopa.ch) in Spreitenbach, MAKK AG (https://makk.ch) in Dachsen, Wasta AG (https://www.wasta.ch) in Stans, Hammer Metall AG (https://www.hammermetall.ch) in Nänikon and Blechtech AG (https://www.blechtech.ch) in Dachsen. The Group employs around 200 people at six locations.

As of May 2023, Daniel Schwander will join the team as a partner and member of the Board of Directors, providing their services to family businesses and entrepreneurial families throughout Switzerland as well as in southern Germany.

Meeting companies at eye level

Daniel Schwander is a business economist with an Executive MBA degree and completed training as a Dipl. Controller FH. He has more than 30 years of in-depth experience in the financial and private industry. With his many years of management experience, also of larger organizational units, he will meet entrepreneurs at eye level. He was most recently head of BG OST-SÜD for five years, which played a prominent role in COVID's challenging time in favor of the SME world. It was in this role that Daniel Schwander gained a close relationship with family entrepreneurs and representatives of entrepreneurial families, both at the strategic and operational level.

As a personality with an entrepreneurial mindset, he is ideally suited to deal with complex situations and issues related to a generational change, but also to recognize the emotional hurdles and dynamics of a family business. Due to his successful work in banks, he also has practical knowledge of M&A processes as well as sales strategies. In addition to the development of succession strategies, he focuses on conflict resolution between family members and/or business partners and accompanies these processes.

20-year anniversary

Continuum AG advises and supports smaller, medium-sized and larger family businesses in their long-term development and helps entrepreneurial families to solve their many challenges in the succession process. This year, the company celebrates its 20th anniversary. Rolf Brunner, who as managing partner has accompanied family businesses and entrepreneurial families in development and succession processes for more than twenty years and brings with him more than 40 years of experience in generation management, is pleased with his team and the entire board of directors, led by Hanspeter Thür, about the reinforcement: "Continuum's already broad and also proven field of competence will be significantly expanded and ideally complemented with Daniel."

Source: Continuum AG