The Digital Employee Experience (DEX) is becoming a critical issue. This is the result of a study on the transformation of the working world by Nexthink in Germany, France, England and the USA. A total of 1000 IT experts were surveyed. The results show: Around a quarter of their working time is currently focused on DEX-related requirements. One-third of their working time is of a strategic nature - which includes collaboration with HR - and 40 percent is spent on general IT operations.

Change in the world of work as a question of the IT experience

From the results of the survey conducted by the independent market research institute Vanson Bourne Nexthink study it becomes clear that it is important to create solutions that support employee collaboration and productivity - i.e., the IT experience or the digital employee experience as a whole is what counts. Merely providing IT equipment is no longer enough. This is a development that was already evident before the pandemic. In fact, all study participants believe that IT plays a critical or important role in ensuring "flow" in the workplace, i.e., a productive, disruption-free workflow.

The areas of responsibility are also shifting significantly, with IT and HR becoming more intertwined. According to the IT experts surveyed from Germany, before the pandemic, responsibility for jobs lay primarily with HR (40%), or HR and IT in combination (39%). In the meantime, IT has gained considerably in importance in this area. Today, only twelve percent see HR as having sole responsibility here. In five years, i.e. in 2027, this figure will drop to four percent. 43 percent assume that corporate IT will then assume the leading role in the design and provision of workplaces, while 53 percent expect IT and HR to act together. After all, 94 percent of respondents from Germany, whose work culture is probably closest to that in Switzerland, are convinced that a location-independent work environment is more efficient if it is essentially designed by IT.

IT as the key to employee retention

Even requirements that were previously assigned exclusively to HR, such as employee well-being and satisfaction, are now increasingly being addressed by IT: 20 percent see IT in the leading role here, 38 percent IT and HR together. In addition, according to 92 percent of respondents from Germany, IT has a key position in retaining qualified employees and counteracting the critical issue of "great resignation" or the "great wave of resignations". 98 percent say a comfortable remote work environment improves employee retention. Compared to other countries, the UK has the lowest level of support for this at 89 percent.

This means HR and IT will have to find ways to cooperate closely - also in communicating with employees. This collaboration has been developing on several levels for some time, and new areas of responsibility have come to IT in the past five years: 27 percent from Germany, for example, said that they had carried out HR-related projects as IT experts, while 44 percent support communication platforms for employees. There are definitely differences in the countries surveyed when it comes to this topic: In France, significantly more IT experts (33 percent) said they had carried out HR-related projects, while the USA and the UK were significantly lower at 18 percent.

Safe and trouble-free is the motto

IT also seems to be clear: pure office workplaces are largely a thing of the past. 48 percent said that in five years' time, workplaces will be predominantly virtual for location-independent working. Only eight percent still see workplaces purely on-site in the company in the future.

As expected, security still plays the most important role in remote working at 26 percent (France 29%, UK 23%), but the challenge of developing the necessary tools for location-independent working is almost equally important at 22 percent (USA and UK 17%, France 19%). One in five IT experts sees a particular challenge in guaranteeing employees a trouble-free working environment. This is because, according to the unanimous opinion of 83 percent, IT disruptions are perceived as more serious in remote working than in the office.

IT demands more support

The fact that, according to the study participants surveyed, the management of remote and hybrid working will play an increasingly important role in corporate IT today and in the future is not surprising. IT experts are becoming increasingly important for companies that offer flexible working environments. But - and this is surprising - this realization has not yet reached all companies. When asked what would help them as IT professionals with their challenges for flexible workplace environments, most (57 percent) mentioned this aspect: more recognition and awareness of their role and responsibilities. This is true for all countries surveyed. In second place (51%) was the desire for investment in additional tools and software, closely followed by better support from managers (49%), more time for these tasks (48%) and training (45%).

Conclusion: IT and HR must go hand in hand for the transformation of the working world

IT experts in companies are aware of their significantly expanded role for strategic HR requirements. They see themselves as proactive designers of the future of work, and thus one of their central areas of responsibility is to support and further develop employee satisfaction and loyalty with an optimal IT experience of the digital working environment. To do this, however, they need not only additional technical tools and time, but also the backing of management - which still seems to be lacking in many cases.

Source: Nexthink

Ms. Colmenero, why is it worth investing in occupational health management (OHM)?

Healthy employees are more motivated, more productive, more creative, more loyal - this makes a company more successful and increases its attractiveness as an employer. If employees are unwell or absent, this causes costs. Stress-related productivity losses cost companies in Switzerland several billion francs every year.

How does BGM influence success?

Systematic health management not only has an impact on the health of the individual, but also on the working atmosphere. People feel valued, are more satisfied and identify with the company. This increases the willingness to perform. And it reduces fluctuation - a decisive factor in industries with a shortage of skilled workers. But occupational health management also reduces absenteeism.

How high is the savings potential there?

Studies show that occupational health management can reduce absence costs by around 20 percent. The actual savings potential depends on the number of employees, the payroll and the absence rate. What employers usually forget: In addition to these easily calculable wage continuation payments, there are also indirect costs. These are two to four times higher.

What indirect costs then?

If someone is absent, the employees present work overtime to make up for the work and are under greater strain. This often leads to additional absences. Temporary workers have to be recruited and trained. Production losses, delivery delays, loss of know-how, higher insurance costs. These factors are often misjudged.

And what does a company have to invest in BGM?

First and foremost, there needs to be clear responsibility and resources for this. And staying power. Because not all measures show immediate results. OHM is a cultural process. You have to stick with it and establish health as a corporate value. That is a medium- to long-term goal.

Where does BGM come in?

At all levels in the company: not only in working conditions and processes, but also in the continuous sensitization and empowerment of managers. How can they manage healthy, stressed or sick employees? How do they recognize early signals and can act before someone drops out? The focus in leadership should not only be on absent employees. And finally: How can everyone take care of themselves?

What should leaders pay attention to?

Since health management measures involve changes, it is important that everyone is brought on board. The best tools and initiatives are of little use if the topic of health is not accepted and lived by everyone in everyday life. Leaders have a role model function here. What if my supervisor sends me an e-mail at night? These are subtleties in behavior that can make a big difference. And they are free of charge.

What are most companies doing wrong?

As a rule, the focus is on the sick employees. But how are the others doing? Appreciation, for example, is an important and simple lever for positive change.

Helsana tools for a healthy SME

• For health literacy in a team: helsana.ch/short-check-company
• Toolbox: helsana.ch/kmu-tool-case

AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) conducted a representative online survey among 1,200 people aged 18 and over between May and June 2022. Ultimately, 949 employed Swiss men and women responded. The responses show that interesting work content is the most important criterion when looking for a job, followed by likeable colleagues and a high salary. The company culture, the image of the employer and the commute to work are also relevant.

Only 40 percent inquire about PF benefits when looking for a job

In order to secure financial independence in old age, the second pillar, i.e. the pension fund, plays an important role, as a significant part of the future retirement pension is to be paid from it. Depending on the pension fund, one has better or worse prospects of a carefree retirement. Nevertheless, according to the AXA IM survey, pension fund benefits rank 7th out of a total of 12 important decision-making criteria.

Around 40 percent of respondents said they explicitly ask about pension fund benefits during job interviews, with men, older people and people with high purchasing power bringing this up more frequently than women, younger people and people in a low purchasing power bracket. "When negotiating salaries with a potential employer, it is advisable to consider not only the salary, but also the pension fund contributions and benefits. These are virtually part of the total financial compensation and have a significant influence on the amount of the future retirement pension," says Daniela Bräm, pension fund specialist at AXA Switzerland.

Considerable differences depending on the pension fund solution

While some companies only contribute the legally required 50 percent of retirement assets, others voluntarily pay a higher contribution. This relieves employees financially and increases the retirement assets they can save over the course of their working lives.

Some employers also offer their employees the option of choosing from several savings plan options with the pension fund. In this way, insured persons can decide for themselves whether to pay in the minimum or voluntarily more for their 2nd pillar.

In addition to the mandatory part, some pension funds also offer savings options in the supplementary part, which also makes a significant difference to future retirement benefits. A maximum of around 86,000 Swiss francs of the annual salary is insured in the mandatory part - the remainder falls into the extra-mandatory part if the pension fund offers this.

Deal with retirement planning at an early stage

Particularly for part-time employees, it is also relevant how high the coordination deduction of the pension fund is. The law stipulates that around CHF 25,000 of the salary is insured via the 1st pillar. Therefore, this amount is deducted from the gross annual salary as a coordination deduction in the 2nd pillar, which disproportionately reduces the insured salary with the pension fund, especially for lower salaries and part-time positions, and leads to pension gaps. However, employers or the relevant pension fund commission can voluntarily set a lower coordination deduction or take part-time work into account accordingly, which noticeably increases the insured salary and enables significantly more retirement assets to be saved.

As a conclusion of the study, the authors appeal to young professionals to always inquire about employers' PF benefits when looking for a job. "Depending on how much you work, how much you earn and your overall personal situation, there are various aspects to consider. In any case, it's worth looking into retirement planning even at a young age," summarizes Daniela Bräm.

Source: AXA

The construction of renewable energy systems itself requires a lot of energy: The production of solar panels and batteries is resource-intensive and causes CO2 emissions on a considerable scale. This means that in order to make the transition to a climate-friendly society, it is first necessary to invest a lot of predominantly fossil energy - and to do so as quickly as possible. Because the bottom line is that this will result in fewer climate gases entering the environment overall.

Energy storage systems play an important role in energy transition scenarios - from batteries to pumped storage power plants to synthetic fuels from renewable sources. If they are built and operated in addition to the solar infrastructure on roofs and facades, the energy demand for the transition increases. Scenarios developed by researchers in Empa's Technology and Society department now show that the more storage facilities that are built, the longer the system transformation will take and the higher the total greenhouse gas emissions will be - depending, of course, on the technologies used and on technological progress.

Calculate chances of success

One example: If we wanted to maintain our current energy use habits, about 60 percent of the world's solar energy output would need to be stored - and the bottom-line storage would need to be large enough to supply the world's entire energy needs for about three weeks. Even under extremely optimistic assumptions, this scenario would exceed the 1.5 degree target with at least a 50 percent probability.

However, the need for storage can be significantly reduced by technical measures. For example, the electrification of building heating systems and intelligent appliance controls make it possible in many cases to flexibilize the demand pattern without having to change energy behavior. Such a scenario could already roughly halve the storage requirement.

For the 1.5 degree target, this would mean: In the best case, there is only a 14 percent chance that it will be exceeded - namely, if efficient pumped-storage power plants with high efficiency are used for energy storage. If, on the other hand, a lot of energy were stored in synthetic fuels at today's technical level with low efficiency, the target would hardly be achievable. By comparison, an energy industry that requires hardly any storage could reduce the probability of exceeding 1.5 degrees to 3 percent.

The sunflower as a model

Study "Sunflower society

With the SVEB industry monitor, the Swiss Association for Continuing Education SVEB has established a systematic observation of the continuing education industry. After the first implementation in 2021, the monitor was further developed. This year, too, the online survey was sent out between April and May 2022. The results of the SVEB industry monitor refer to the data of 210 continuing education institutions.

SVEB Industry Monitor: Slight optimism despite uncertainty

Accordingly, half of the more than 200 respondents assess the development of their own economic situation for 2022 as positive. Nevertheless, many providers continue to face economic uncertainty. The situation regarding the Corona measures, for example, continues to play a central role after two pandemic years.

Further, participating organizations describe uncertainty in participant recruitment. As a result, some providers cite customer reticence as a major challenge. Nevertheless, almost 60% of the surveyed continuing education providers assess the development of demand as positive.

Digitization now also as an organizational and business model

The Corona pandemic brought a surge of digitization to the continuing education industry. Digitization continues to be a topic in the various offering formats. For example, many providers are currently addressing the meaningful use of digital learning. At the same time, digitization is also evident at the organizational level.

Source and further information

With brewbee, Locher Brewery has founded Switzerland's first food upcycling brand, which transforms brewery byproducts such as malt spent grains and brewer's yeast into sustainable foods and meat alternatives. "We stop the waste of valuable resources and use them to develop high-quality, sustainable foods," says brewery owner Karl Locher. "We are currently building Europe's largest spent grains upcycling plant for protein recovery with the Swiss startup upgrain here in Appenzell. It cannot be that the good nutrients and fiber are not utilized as they deserve. For decades, therefore, we have been working tirelessly to develop new ways of turning brewery by-products such as spent grains or brewer's yeast into high-quality food."

Barley malt snack "Trellini

The company's efforts to combat food waste are now beginning to bear fruit: Trellini, which is now available, makes snacking hearts beat faster. The malt spent grain and lentil snack contains hardly any fat, but plenty of vegetable proteins and valuable dietary fiber. Trellini" contain 56 percent fresh spent grains and are now available in the flavors "Salt & Vinegar" and "Tomato & Basil.

brewbee "Plant-based" line

In the search for sustainable and alternative sources of protein, there is no getting around brewbee spent grain. The malt spent grain is processed into meat alternatives that have incredible potential: brewbee "Ghackets" and brewbee "Gschnetzlets". These are just the beginning of the vegan brewbee "Plant-based" line. From bolognese to dessert: there are no limits to the creative cuisine. For some time now, several restaurateurs and butchers throughout the country have been working with these products. From now on, "Ghackets" and "Gschnetzlets" are also available for private customers in the brewery's online store, complete with preparation tips and recipe suggestions.

Source and further information: www.brewbee.ch

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The fact that one of their own machines could come to a standstill and costs explode as a result is a primeval fear of every industrial company. No one can afford - with high Swiss prices and the ever stronger Swiss franc anyway - delayed deliveries, poor service and customer frustration. How welcome would a reliable, smooth aftermarket service be here? This is exactly where Sebastian Beetschen's innovation comes in. When he founded the startup Almer Technologies two years ago, he dreamed of developing augmented reality glasses for Swiss industrial companies that were much more user-friendly and compact than existing solutions, and could be worn comfortably throughout the workday.

Of all things, to develop a product in a market in which well-known companies like Microsoft and Google have already tried their hand? A bold idea, said some. Almost cheeky, others thought, and advised him against the project.

Like a Terminator: Remote collaboration at the next level

The vision remained and the conviction rock solid: they wanted to give industrial companies a tool that would revolutionize professional collaboration. Not just with a copy of the Hololens, but through an intuitive, compact ecosystem of hardware and software. One that employees could wear comfortably and allow them to work hands-free while simultaneously using information superimposed on the augmented reality glasses.

With a team of hand-picked members, he came up with a business plan and a development goal that suddenly found approval. His company, Almer Technologies, won one entrepreneurial award after another and reinvested the money in research and development. In record time and with a fraction of the innovation budget of the competition, Almer developed a market-ready product.

Even interrupted supply chains during and after Corona could not harm the young Swiss startup. After a year of development, Almer started production - not just anywhere, but right in its offices in the Swiss capital.

New augmented reality glasses meet with enthusiasm

The result: augmented reality glasses that industrial companies have long longed for - and a game-changer for industrial collaboration, because they add a new dimension to communication between different sites.

The glasses are more compact, lighter and easier to use than comparable products, according to Almer. Customers who received the Almer glasses in September would also confirm this in the meantime, according to the statement. For example, Jürg Schneider, head of sales and customer service at Loepfe, a supplier to the textile industry, says: "The user-friendliness of the Almer glasses is a very valuable advantage for us and our partners. It allows us to offer our services faster anywhere in the world and strengthens the recognition value of the Loepfe brand."

Founder Sebastian Beetschen is overjoyed that the product launch of the first series is so successful and proudly says: "My team has achieved in one year and with two million Swiss francs what Microsoft has achieved in four years with four billion Swiss francs."

Source and further information: Almer Technologies

Leonardo Reinhard and Sven Affeltranger from Küsnacht in Zurich kicked off the third show of the current season of "Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz" with their "InClub" experience app. Whether it's a barbecue, game night or ski day, the "InClub" app allows users to organize and find private events. Users meet in real life. In this way, the founders want to combat the often-cited loneliness of Generation Z. According to the two founders, 60 percent of this generation feels lonely at least once a week. Despite many likes and followers on today's social media channels, this problem is even intensifying, they say. With their experience app - "the Airbnb for experiences" - the two have already taken first place in the app store charts several times. 15,000 users, 450 experiences, support from Swisscom and Oracle, and a highly motivated team behind the two founders should help the app achieve further success. In order to close the current financing round, Leonardo and Sven would like to convince the lions to invest 155,000 Swiss francs in exchange for five percent company shares. First came the usual questions about sales and positioning. How, for example, can "hanging out" be commercialized? The two did not tire of emphasizing the uniqueness and the focus on the young target group from 14/15 years. Bettina Hein jumped right in and offered the desired investment, Roland Brack also offered 155,000, Tobias Reichmuth was also convinced and made the same offer. The two also inspired Lukas Speiser with their energy. They were then spoilt for choice and decided on Bettina Hein and Lukas Speiser. The young entrepreneurs thus left the studio with twice what they had aimed for.

A lot of goodwill, but still no deal

Marcel Roesch from Thun entered "help2type", a typing aid for the visually impaired. His startup enables blind and visually impaired people to type on their smartphones. Founder Marcel Roesch is almost blind himself. He has developed a tactile keyboard that can be attached to any smartphone. It connects via Bluetooth and works for both iOS and Android. The product sounds promising. His goal: to find a strategic partner in the "Höhle der Löwen": 20 percent for 280,000 Swiss francs was Marcel Roesch's idea. And the potential he explained in his pitch seems great: in Switzerland alone, there are 300,000 people affected. At a selling price of 200 francs, this would result in a volume of 60 million francs. Marcel Roesch put the cost price at just over 70 francs. As is so often the case, it was Tobias Reichmuth who put the fine figures to the test. What struck him a bit was the relatively low number of units sold within the last two years. The high price also caused question marks. Or is the need within the target group not so high after all? Lukas Speiser praised the product, but did not see it as an investment case for himself. Tobias Reichmuth was of the same opinion. Anja Graf said she would buy the product, but the financial proportions were not right for her to invest in it either. Jürg Schwarzenbach at least made himself available to make an assessment with the founder. But there was no investment from him either, nor from Roland Brack. Conclusion: Many words of praise, and one or the other investor's heart bled at having to turn down a project because the sales figures were not convincing.

A trendy idea finds favor with the lionesses and lions

Sarah von Aesch and Raphaell Schär from Brugg (AG) then presented the online garden "MyFeld". It works like this: The start-up sells garden plots every season, where customers determine online what should be planted. They then get the vegetables delivered to their homes - even the crooked ones not just the straight carrots. The target group: anyone who likes to eat home-grown vegetables but doesn't have their own garden. And last but not least, "MyFeld" wants to help reduce foodwaste. Their capital requirements, with which they confronted the lioness and lions: 375,000 for five percent company shares. With this, they want to achieve a 1 percent market share of the entire vegetable market in Switzerland.

For their concept, the two earned praise from the lionesses and lions. Since 2020, the founding year, sales of 120,000 francs have been achieved (2021 season). Then came the critical questions from the investors: Jürg Schwarzenbach, for example, questioned the high valuation. And the sales development also caused some frowning. Anja Graf doubted the scalability and dropped out. Lukas Speiser took the same line and also refrained from investing. Tobias Reichmuth, on the other hand, made an offer: 375,000, but against a 10 percent stake. Roland Brack and Jürg Schwarzenbach were also prepared to make the same offer. But Sarah and Raphaell preferred Roland Brack together with Tobias Reichmuth. Jürg Schwarzenbach then withdrew and let the other two lions go first. That's how a deal was made.

And once again a "Unfortunately no

"SavaSano Natur Pur" - Sandro Savastano from Zug is behind this line of natural cosmetics. The young entrepreneur produces high-quality natural cosmetics and natural oils: from organic ingredients, by hand, without water and preservatives. In the future, the founder wants to produce without electricity, obtain a pharmaceutical approval - and become a business unicorn. To achieve this, Sandro, who abandoned his pharmaceutical studies in favor of his business idea, wants an investment of 250,000 Swiss francs in exchange for ten percent company shares. The lionesses and lions then immediately put the product to the test: How does it feel on the skin? But the investors were much more interested in the cost structure. The manufacturing costs range from 33 to 56 Swiss francs, and the price range between the cheapest and most expensive product is between 88 and 216 Swiss francs. Considering the size - or should we rather say "smallness" - of the boxes on display, this is quite a large sum, as the lionesses and lions had to admit. When asked about the future and the exact purpose of the investment, Sandro's answers seemed a bit vague. And then the vision of a business unicorn? Jürg Schwarzenbach recommended to first look for a suitable team. Despite praise for the high quality of the products, in the end no one was willing to invest. Especially since the actual company had only recently been founded by Sandro Savastano. The timing and the difficult scalability probably proved to be too "investment-hostile".

Met the taste

Swiss hummus from fabas: Behind it are Anik Thaler and Tobias Vogel from Dietikon (ZH). "Radically local" is the motto of the start-up, which produces hummus from Swiss legumes. The founding duo know all the farmers personally and think "the grow must go on." 100,000 Swiss francs against ten percent company shares: That was the capital requirement with which the two ventured into the lion's den. With this investment, they want to make the brand and the product better known in Switzerland. During the tasting, the lions were surprised at how good the hummus tasted to them. But then it was back to the numbers. Anja Graf asked about pricing. It turned out that the margins are still a bit low. The turnover was stated by Anik and Tobias at 75,000 Swiss francs, with an upward trend after Alnatura, among others, added the product to their range. In order to be able to refinance the whole team and the overhead, it would need a turnover of 800,000 francs up to 1 million.

The evaluation round followed: Lukas Speiser saw problems with scalability and stated that the product was primarily limited to a niche. He therefore dropped out. Patrick Mollet thinks the product is great, but did not want to invest. Roland Brack also dropped out due to a lack of expertise in the food sector. Anja Graf, on the other hand, was very enthusiastic and offered the required 100,000 francs. Jürg Schwarzenbach would probably also have been prepared to make an offer. This is how the deal between the lioness Anja Graf and the young entrepreneurs came about.

Save the best for last: When lionesses and lions almost fight over an investment

"Re-Zen" is the brand name for the portable sparkling water bottle developed by Christian Kaeser and Linus Lingg from Aarau (AG). The former ETH students have developed a bottle that allows you to make your own sparkling water on the go - completely without PET and disposable plastic. Self-confident and with a valuation - which they themselves admitted was high - they entered the lion's den: 100,000 francs in exchange for a company share of 1.6 percent. Roland Brack's forehead was already wrinkling... The product literally has it all: A bottle with modules or adapters for fizz, taste or even water purification was presented to the lions. But do Mr. or Mrs. Swiss want to drink sparkling water on the go? At first, the lionesses and lions were skeptical. But Tobias Reichmuth had to admit that the pricing was quite attractive compared to sparkling water from the retailer. After all, 15 centimes for 3 or 5 dl is quite reasonable, as Christian and Linus calculated. And another highlight: To produce sparkling water, the two also rely on commercially available CO2 capsules, such as those from Sodastream. But the price of a bottle is still 100 francs. Tobias Reichmuth, however, praised the high quality. "A brilliant idea," he noted. Then, however, still follows the question about the high valuation. This was based on the potential and the expected revenues, he said. "We always hear that from all the startups here," was Bettina Hein's scathing reply. But then Christian and Linus delivered figures: 1 million by the end of 2022, 3 million by the end of 2023, and by 2025 they want to have sold 115,000 units with 20.5 million in revenue. Tobias Reichmuth then asked: Why only 100,000 francs capital requirement? He therefore made an offer: 200,000 francs against a 3.2 percent share in the company. Bettina Hein and Roland Brack were even prepared to join in with 300,000 for 4.8 percent. In the end, because Lukas Speiser did not want to participate, Jürg Schwarzenbach was left. Tobias Reichmuth immediately offered to join forces with him for an offer of 500,000 francs. It developed almost like an "offer battle", which happens quite rarely on the show. In the end, two offers were on the table: 400,000 at 6.4 percent "flat" from Bettina Hein and Roland Brack against another 400,000 francs at 6.4 percent, intended as a "convertible loan" from Tobias Reichmuth and Jürg Schwarzenbach. But the two founders saw an opportunity: Why not secure the literal lion's share for a large financing round today? And that's how it happened: the four lionesses and lions mentioned above joined forces and jointly donated 800,000 Swiss francs of capital in exchange for a 14 percent share in the company. Thus the deal of the evening was perfect.

Update October 22, 2022:

After the broadcast, however, the two company founders turned down the offer from the four lions. It was learned that the young company had found another investor who was better suited to their ideas.

More information on upcoming shows: https://www.oneplus.ch/detail/1000604

Go to At the beginning of the year, Lyreco reported for the first time about the construction of its own photovoltaic plant. Since then, a lot has happened on the roofs in Dintikon: On October 11, 2022, the plant was ceremoniously inaugurated and from now on generates around 1 million kWh per year of green, climate-neutral electricity for logistics.

Solar power plant with over 5400 m2 area

The inauguration ceremony was held with Erwin Fries, COO of Lyreco Switzerland AG, and Peter Dietiker, Head of Solar Business Development at Romande Energie, as well as all those involved in the project. "We are pleased that from now on we will be able to cover 40 % of our energy needs ourselves, with the remaining 60 % flowing directly into Romande Energie's local power grid," said Erwin Fries. The newly constructed plant, consisting of around 3000 solar panels on a total surface area of 5424 m2, can generate 1.1 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, which is equivalent to the demand of around 450 homes. Lyreco is thus making a decisive contribution to reducing its ecological footprint and cutting climate-damaging CO₂-emissions from energy generation.

In line with the sustainability strategy

"Sustainability is firmly anchored in our corporate philosophy," Lyreco writes in this regard. That is why the company is consistently committed to further minimizing its ecological footprint and reducing its CO2 emissions. For example, with environmentally friendly transport by rail with SBB Cargo, by e-van or cargo bike - as well as with the robust and climate-neutral reusable boxes made of recycled material, which are used up to five times on average. "Our goal by 2026 is for our company vehicles, business trips and company facilities to be climate-neutral. With ecologically produced electricity from solar energy, we are a significant step closer to this goal," it continues.

Source: Lyreco

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According to management and technology consultancy BearingPoint, the following 5 tech trends will be particularly in the focus of companies next year: Generative AI, Metaverse, Cloud-native Platforms, Embedded Data & Analytics, and Zero Trust at Scale. To find out these trends, more than 1200 technology consultants were surveyed.

AI still No. 1 in tech trends

According to survey participants, artificial intelligence (AI) is still the top trend, just with a new focus than the year before. Metaverse is a new addition to the list of top tech trends this year - this trend is also seen as playing an important role in making businesses more sustainable. Embedded Data & Analytics is ranked 4th for the second year in a row.

Commenting on the findings, Stefan Pechardscheck, Global Head of Technology at BearingPoint, said: "Our new technology trends provide answers to the most pressing challenges for businesses. Our top 5 technology trends for 2023 are real game-changers and can be the basis for new business models. New trends like the metaverse - where digital and real merge - will play a big role in society, as will sustainability through substitution or optimization. Our customers can benefit from all these technologies. Digital tools are getting better, opportunities are more diverse, and companies have more potential to create value."

1. generative AI - accelerated innovation through new data

Generative AI is a broad term that describes any type of Artificial Intelligence that uses learning algorithms to generate new digital objects such as images, videos, audio, text, and code. The purpose of a generative AI model is to generate synthetic data and train the model to make inferences about the most relevant training data.

While generative AI is often associated with deep fakes, the technology is playing an increasingly important role in automating the repetitive processes used in digital image and audio correction. Generative AI is also being used experimentally in manufacturing as a tool for rapid prototyping and in business to improve data augmentation for process automation (RPA).

Tomas Chroust, Partner at BearingPoint: "AI solutions not only make predictions, but can generate new ideas based on existing data. Artificial intelligence thus opens up new dimensions of innovation."

2. metaverse - merging the digital and the real

The Metaverse blurs the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds, between actual and virtual reality - a network of 3D virtual worlds where VR and AR headsets enable social connections. The Metaverse is a persistent, living digital universe that offers individuals a sense of agency, social presence, shared spatial awareness, and the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive virtual economy with profound social impact.

In addition, the Metaverse can help with environmental transformation by helping to reduce CO2 emissions - whether by replacing physical goods and meetings with digital solutions, by replacing real presence with virtual interactions, or by digital twins that will help us optimize the physical world.

3. cloud-native platforms - new ways in product development

As most public and private organizations have migrated their legacy information systems to the cloud using the 6R (Rehost, Replatform, Repurchase, Rearchitecting, Retire and Retain) model, development teams are now using cloud frameworks and platforms to develop new applications. This new approach to product development is driven by traditional cloud promises such as accelerated product development cycles, scalable managed services, innovative cloud capabilities (serverless, machine learning, advanced analytics), and sustainable, resilient, and highly automated technologies.

This revolution in new application development brings challenges in change, vendor and cost management, and has a major impact on how IT organizations manage talent and corporate culture.

4. embedded data & analytics - no success without actionable use cases

Successful companies take a holistic approach and continuously incorporate data and analytics into their business. They also keep an eye on new trends and adapt accordingly. However, they always move along a roadmap with initiatives and use cases that lead them to their goals. Companies need to define and prioritize actionable use cases and work with a holistic plan. Without such use cases and a corresponding plan, data analytics will not go far.

5. zero trust at scale - cybersecurity at the core of the information security architecture

Enterprises increasingly operate in complex business ecosystems. These require connections to IT resources from a multitude of users from different organizations, connecting from any location and from any device. All of this is happening against a backdrop of an explosion in cyber threats that necessitates the promotion of Zero Trust as a core architectural principle. Therefore, Chief Information Security Officers need to implement comprehensive, dynamic and granular identity and access control solutions on a large scale.

Source: BearingPoint

The consulting and auditing firm Deloitte has published a major study on the Swiss watch industry for the ninth time. It is based on an online survey of 70 senior executives in the industry conducted between mid-August and mid-September 2022, supplemented by interviews with industry experts. At the same time, Deloitte conducted an online survey of 5,579 consumers in Switzerland and in the Swiss watch industry's largest export markets: China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. According to the company, the study follows an independent approach and is also based on internal research by Deloitte.

Swiss watch industry between growth and uncertainty

The majority (57%) of watch industry executives surveyed in the study view the outlook for the industry over the next year as positive, despite rising inflation and geopolitical turmoil. This is a significant drop from last year, when more than three-quarters (77%) were positive about the outlook. In addition, nearly 80 percent of watch industry executives say that geopolitical uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine and tensions between China and the U.S. is significantly impacting their company's outlook.

In terms of growth, most industry executives consider the USA, which is already the most important market for the Swiss watch industry in terms of export volume, to be the next big growth market, followed by India and China. However, growth expectations vary greatly depending on the region: For Hong Kong, for example, a further decline or stagnation is expected, and only 57 percent expect the Chinese market to grow. By contrast, more than three quarters (77%) expect the market in North America to continue growing.

Watches are increasingly purchased on the Internet

According to this study on the Swiss watch industry, 40 percent of all consumers and 45 percent of respondents under the age of 40 would be most likely to purchase a new watch from online retailers. Nevertheless, most watch industry executives are convinced that traditional watch stores will remain the most important sales platform in the near future.
"Two out of five consumers prefer to buy their watches online. To meet the expectations of their clientele, it is therefore essential that the watch industry significantly expands its online offering and complements its already rich offline offering," stresses Karine Szegedi, Head of Consumer Goods Industry and Member of the Executive Board at Deloitte Switzerland. "According to our estimates, the share of watches purchased online is likely to double to 30 percent by 2030."

Watches are increasingly seen as an investment

Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) buy watches for investment purposes, with a view to subsequently reselling them. Singapore (33%), Hong Kong (32%) and China (29%) lead the way. This may also explain why consumers in some Asian markets are more willing to spend more money on new watches. In China, for example, over a third (35%) are willing to pay CHF 5,000 or more for a new watch, compared to 8 percent in Switzerland and just 2 percent in France. 36 percent of respondents who buy watches as an investment say they intend to resell them at a higher price. 33 percent would like to diversify their investment portfolio as a result. Consumers in China are particularly interested in diversifying their portfolios by purchasing watches (55%). "Especially in a volatile market environment with high inflationary pressures, luxury watches are seen as reliable value investments," explains Karine Szegedi. "The shortage of luxury watches caused by supply chain issues and the current economic environment attracts a clientele that invests in the hope of reselling the watches at a higher price."

The secondhand market continues to grow

With almost a third of the customers surveyed (31%) planning to buy a second-hand watch in the coming year and companies setting up their own sales channels for used watches, the segment is visibly gaining in importance. Second-hand watches are becoming increasingly popular, especially among millennials and Generation Z: 48 percent of them say they are interested in such a watch. Most respondents are motivated in particular by the opportunity to buy a luxury watch at a lower price (44%). Others take the opportunity to buy a watch that is no longer manufactured (29%) or opt for a second-hand watch for reasons of sustainability (21%).

The executives surveyed have an even more positive view of the secondary market than last year. More than 70 percent believe that the secondhand market has a positive impact on brand value and perception, and welcome the side effect it has on the awareness and visibility of the watch industry as a whole. "The secondhand watch market has enormous growth potential," says Karine Szegedi. "Looking at current trends and the fact that brands continue to invest in this area, we expect the market volume to increase significantly in the coming years from its current 20 billion Swiss francs. By the end of the decade, it should reach 35 billion Swiss francs, which would represent more than half of the primary market."

Swiss watch industry does more for brand image or sustainability

For a quarter of respondents, owning a wristwatch has become more important in the last five years. This proportion is even higher among Millennials (35%) and Generation Z (33%). With more younger people showing an interest in watches, it seems reasonable to assume that the aspect of sustainability is gaining in importance. However, only 32 percent of respondents state that they consider sustainability to be more important than brand image. The same proportion state that sustainability is not important to them if they like the watch. Over one-fifth (21%) state that brand image is more important than sustainability.

Nevertheless, there is a clear consensus in the watch industry that it must make its contribution to a more sustainable future. Many brands have already taken steps in this direction. For most executives (64%), ethical raw material sourcing and human rights are the most important sustainability issues, followed by reporting and compliance (21%) and packaging (12%). "While the Swiss watch industry is rooted in tradition, it is still one of the most innovative industries," said Karine Szegedi. "This spirit of innovation has been crucial to finding new materials that are more recyclable, sustainable and have a better environmental footprint."

Source and further information: Deloitte