At this presentation, the Kongresshaus Zurich suddenly went quiet: When Tom Schwarz from Seven.One Ad Factory presented the flood wine campaign "Our Worst Vintage" at this year's Screenforce Day, he impressively showed what marketing can achieve in the hardest of times. The crowdfunding campaign for Germany's Ahr Valley, which was hit hard by floods in 2021, proves: creativity is crisis-resistant. The campaign sold quality wines from the region under the label #flutwein, which had become a rarity due to the floods - in original muddy bottles. This not only won the Grand Effie in Germany. But also more than 4.4 million euros in donations for those affected, countless contacts through press coverage, and a sustained increase in awareness of the Ahr Valley as a wine region.

A selfie - "backwards

A campaign that affects everyone and that everyone understands. And that's probably why it was so successful. It's a similar story for the winning campaign in the current Good Report 2022, a ranking by Act Responsible and the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) that honors the best campaigns and agencies for social and sustainable issues. As number one among the campaigns "for Good," the ranking selects the famous "Reverse Selfie" by Dove (agency: Ogilvy UK). With this, the cosmetics brand wants to draw attention to the dangerous beauty craze in social media - with a simple means: education. In the spot, the brand impressively showed the long story behind a supposedly perfect selfie and what the face behind it actually looks like. Ads were designed like a before-and-after comparison with and without filters. There was also an appeal to talk to your daughters about this topic, along with a comprehensive downloadable parents' kit that provided information about bullying, filters, social media and self-confidence. Result: more than 6 billion earned impressions, worldwide coverage, countless downloads. And above all, awareness of an issue where action is needed.

"... more than six billion impressions, but above all: awareness that there is a need for action."

Sensitive topics

This is also the case with cancer. It's a topic that poses a particular challenge for communication, reports Philipp Skrabal, Partner at Farner. "Cancer is unfortunately omnipresent, and many people have a painful connection to it. No one wants to be constantly reminded of it," says the advertiser, who was partly responsible for the "Recipes Rewritten" campaign for the Swiss Cancer League, which caused a stir throughout the country in 2021. This was achieved through an approach that does not aim for sympathy, but works with real insights from those affected - and thus not only tells a story, but also offers added value: Because a large proportion of cancer patients suffer from changes in taste as a result of the disease or therapy, Swiss celebrity chefs have adapted their signature recipes so that they taste good again to those affected. The recipes can still be viewed on the homepage - from baked tomato with burrata to grilled mini lettuce with sea buckthorn. The cinematic documentary resulted in a touching video - and an enormous media response. Farner speaks of a media equivalent value of CHF 1.6 million and a reach of 7.3 million.

"We were looking for a different approach than simply asking for donations. Rather, the goal was to use insights and dramaturgy to find a story that was so exciting that it would be picked up by the media. In this way, we got much closer to the target group than through the pity theme," says Skrabal. Instead of unpleasant feelings such as illness or death, the focus was on moments of enjoyment, on being together, on beauty. And in a way that everyone can relate to and that affects everyone in some way.

"We were looking for a different approach than just asking for donations."

The famous Ice Bucket Challenge

"The most important thing in motivating people to do something is emotion," confirms Peter Metzinger, who as "Mr. Campaigning" helps companies, associations and organizations to drive change (see free-standing interview). And in addition to emotions, says the expert, campaigns that want to make a difference for a good cause have to be as simple as possible.

That was probably one of the reasons why the world-famous Ice Bucket Challenge was so successful: The online hype from summer 2014, in which people were filmed pouring a bucket of ice water over their heads and sharing it on social media, went viral - 200 million US dollars in donations were collected, and even Eminem, Rihanna and many other celebrities took part in the campaign. A bull's eye, you might think. But there was also a problem: Many of the participants didn't even know that the campaign was intended to draw attention to a disease - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - let alone who the sender was. What it was actually about eventually melted away like the ice cubes above the followers' heads. "Social media makes such campaigns possible in the first place, but at the same time it also brings with it a disadvantage," says Philipp Skrabal: "Many who honor a campaign do so without knowing what it's actually about."

Emotion drives motivation

To ensure that the enormous effect does not fizzle out, a campaign must succeed not just in remaining a brief hype, but in embedding itself in all the measures of its sender. However, in contrast to classic marketing, "campaigns for good causes involve three stakeholders and not just two," explains Marianne Affolter, Co-Managing Director of Kampagnenforum: the sender, the target group - and the beneficiaries. "Campaigning is therefore even more dependent on effective storytelling than communication anyway: it must be told in a catchy and accessible way what the cause is, why it needs it, and how you can help." Only in this way can a charity campaign be anchored in the long term and sustainably - and find its way into daily awareness and concrete action, says Affolter.

When cooking, relatives think about the possibly altered tastes of those affected by cancer, omit certain ingredients and instead make greater use of other spices, then a campaign like Recipes Rewritten has achieved just that: a change in awareness - and perhaps a beautiful and happy moment for a loved one. And advertising can't get any better than that.

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INTERVIEW

"Classic advertising speak doesn't work!"

Peter Metzinger launched his first campaign in the charity and NGO sector in 1982 - he has now been Switzerland's "Mister Campaigning" for more than forty years. What is important in his work?

 

m&k: Peter Metzinger, how do organizations make campaigning projects go viral?

Peter Metzinger: There is no recipe for success. But there are certainly factors that increase the likelihood of success for campaigns and change projects. Among other things, it is important to polarize. Don't be different, be completely different! To get people to do something, you also need emotions and a certain simplicity. It can also help to think in scenarios - from worst case to best case. And to think about strategies for how to react in each case.

 

How does campaigning differ from classic communication, which is mostly about selling as much as possible?

In campaigning, you want to get people to help you achieve your goals. If you want people to help you, you have to engage with them. To make the best use of your budget, you only want to use tools that really make a difference. Such campaigns can't be planned as far in advance as traditional marketing, but must be constantly adjusted to unforeseen events. After all, as soon as an interim goal is reached, the situation is no longer the same and there are often knock-on effects that cannot be foreseen.

 

The topics they deal with are usually quite sensitive: illness, politics, grievances. What does that mean for the creation?

It has to be much more empathetic. Classic advertising slogans that gloss over everything and the typical PR slogans don't work here. If you want people to listen and perhaps even sacrifice their free time or a donation for this purpose, you have to be much more responsive to your target groups and speak their very own language.

The consequences of a cyber attack can be devastating. They range from financial losses to reputational damage to legal repercussions. And the risk is increasing. Latest Studies confirm that ransomware attackers succeed in encrypting data in 71 percent of attacks and that the overall cost of recovery doubles when a ransom is paid. In addition, data is also stolen in 30 percent of ransomware attacks in Germany.

The good news: companies can protect themselves against this by taking into account the five pillars of cyber resilience: identify, protect, detect, respond and recover. However, mistakes keep happening in the implementation of cyber resilience, which subsequently imply supposed security - just long enough for cybercriminals to find a gap in the seemingly secure wall of protection and cause major damage. The experience of Arcserve's data security and recovery specialists shows that there are usually three mistakes in the affected companies that lead to high risk and subsequently contribute to damage from cyberattacks.

The value of digital data is underestimated

One of the most consequential mistakes in cyber resilience efforts is that organizations misjudge the importance and value of their data. To realize the strategy of cyber resilience in cybersecurity, it is essential to fully understand the exact value of data, including intellectual property, customer data and proprietary information. Only then will leaders realize the importance of data to the business and what resources, budgets and solutions are needed to protect it. Often, insufficient awareness leads to inadequate protections, such as weak passwords, outdated software, and inadequate access controls, exposing the business to cyber threats in the first place.

The fact is that with the increasing reliance on digital technologies and data-driven decision-making processes, digital assets are more valuable than ever. Nevertheless, cybercriminals are on the hunt for this very data, because in addition to encryption, business interruption and ransomware, it can be sold underground at horrendous prices. Organizations should therefore conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify their most important assets, better understand potential Achilles heels, and implement robust security policies to protect data. These measures should include continuous monitoring, patching and updating systems and software, and implementing strong authentication mechanisms and encryption protocols.

Companies should also pay particular attention to checking potentially outdated operating systems and applications. This is because these can represent a significant problem and gap in the data security strategy - for example, if a backup provider cannot support the outdated operating systems. It's important to assess how many legacy applications are running on older operating systems and whether they can be backed up. If a company is still running legacy applications - perhaps forced to do so - and they cannot be backed up, it is essential to solve this problem to ensure data protection and security.

The ineffective management of risks by third parties

Many companies increasingly rely on third-party vendors, suppliers and service providers to support their business operations. These external partners often have access to critical systems, data and networks. However, not all third-party providers have a solid cybersecurity structure in place and can therefore become a critical vulnerability or gateway for cyberattacks.

Organizations often fail to thoroughly assess the cybersecurity of their third-party vendors and ensure that they adhere to at least the same security standards as they do. Poor cyber resilience at third parties can create vulnerabilities in the cybersecurity chain. This gives cybercriminals the ability to exploit vulnerabilities in third-party systems and gain unauthorized access to a company's data or systems through the digital chain (supply chain). Comprehensive due diligence on third-party vendors provides a remedy. This assesses their cybersecurity capabilities, while leading to solid contracts and agreements that clearly define security expectations and responsibilities. Of course, this one-time status quo does not last forever. Regular audits of third-party vendors ensure that they do not slacken in their security efforts, but rather adapt and evolve their security in light of the ever-changing threat landscape. Incidentally, such audits are also the basis for compliance with data protection regulations.

Third-party cyber risk is particularly acute for organizations operating in a hybrid cloud environment. This is because supporting different cloud platforms and ensuring that they work well together can be complex and result in security breaches. The solution: organizations should develop an appropriate data protection and recovery strategy for their hybrid cloud environment. This includes choosing a cloud storage solution that provides continuous snapshots, multiple recovery points and security controls for private, public and SaaS environments.

Contingency plans without testing are rarely good in an emergency

Companies invest considerable resources and budgets in the development of emergency plans. The goal is to nullify or at least mitigate the effects of cyberattacks in an emergency. However, such plans often disappear in a drawer without further review or continuous adaptation until they are needed one day. By then, however, it is often too late, because no one knows whether the plan will actually work, since neither the interaction of employees and technology has been tested and practiced, and because too many general conditions have changed significantly since the plan was created. Experience shows that incident response strategies and plans are only effective if they are regularly tested, refined, and updated based on evolving cyber threats and changing business needs.

To eliminate this problem and to determine the effectiveness of emergency plans, companies should regularly conduct exercises or simulated cyberattack scenarios. These exercises help identify gaps and weaknesses in the plans and make necessary adjustments. This includes a detailed evaluation of the tests to determine the effectiveness of the response and potential for optimization. This continuous feedback loop is critical to improving an organization's response capabilities and the effectiveness and relevance of its plans.

Conclusion: Safe with security

One thing is clear: as the threat landscape evolves, organizations must avoid mistakes in their cyber resilience efforts. Understanding the value of data, effectively managing third-party risks, and actively testing contingency plans on a regular basis are the foundation for functioning and robust cyber resilience.

Author: 
René Claus is EMEA MSP Sales Director at Arcserve.

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/cyberresilienz-hinkt-oft-sind-drei-fehler-daran-schuld/

The German company Faulhaber is known for drive solutions that are used worldwide. For example, in medical and laboratory technology, optics, automation and robots of all kinds. Motors from this manufacturer have even been used on challenging Mars missions. From the very beginning, Faulhaber has specialized in solutions that are as small as possible, but with high drive power. The company was founded in 1947 and settled in Ticino, Switzerland in 1962. Faulhaber Minimotor SA in Croglio was followed by Faulhaber Precistep SA in La Chaux-de-Fonds, in western Switzerland. Other production sites are located in Bioggio and in Grenchen.

Shared vision to strengthen brand

The new joint appearance unites the Swiss subsidiaries into one company under Faulhaber SA. The merger of the companies is part of a new strategy to increase Faulhaber's market presence and competitiveness in Switzerland and internationally in the long term. The two managing directors Dr. Jonas Grossenbacher (La Chaux-de-Fonds) and Steffen Pruchnik (Croglio) have been jointly heading Faulhaber SA since June 2023. "By merging to form Faulhaber SA, we are pursuing the goal of further expanding our market share," says Co-Managing Director Steffen Pruchnik.

Nothing changes for employees

The employment contracts and conditions of employment of the total of more than 450 employees at all locations in Switzerland will remain unchanged. Jonas Grossenbacher, Co-Managing Director, is also looking forward to new challenges and a breath of fresh air: "I am particularly pleased that the merger will bring us closer together and enable us to pursue a common strategy. The challenge now will be to network and manage four sites in three cantons in the best possible way." But the company's management is positive that its market share will develop positively in the coming years. Particularly in the area of customer-oriented special solutions, the company has been a reliable partner in the industry for many years.

Source and further information

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/antriebssysteme-faulhaber-konsolidiert-schweizer-standorte/

PwC estimates that the global volume of cashless payments will increase by more than 80 percent between 2020 and 2025, reaching nearly 1.9 trillion transactions. The rise in bank transactions in traditional e-commerce pales in comparison to the explosion in subscription e-commerce - a market that is expected to grow from $72.91 billion in 2021 to $904.2 billion in 2026, with a CAGR of 65.67 percent. There is ample evidence that modernization is high on the agenda. However, the explosive growth in transactions places a new emphasis on renewing systems to handle demand. Banks have little tolerance for technology transformation initiatives that take years to deliver even incremental improvements in scalability and resilience, customer experience and operational efficiency. Far too often, initiatives do not address the root cause, which is fixing the technical debt.

Every bank needs to get its risk management and governance in order. This includes regularly carrying out stress tests in which various future market scenarios are modeled. The purpose is to determine whether the bank has an adequate financial cushion for the worst conditions. Such tests should be combined with the collection of liquidity and other metrics. All metrics should be transparent and ideally published as information.

According to the latest EY Banking Barometer 2023 it seems that, due to the current very uncertain environment, banks are once again looking to focus more on cost-cutting programs and efficiency enhancements. The latest Swiss Private Banking-Deloitte's study concludes that technology will replace the human element in the future. New opportunities will be created that will allow banks to bundle offerings, reach more customers, use social media and build networks. In addition, technology will allow them to work more efficiently, implement updates faster and more cost-effectively, and use multiple platforms to increase employee expertise. Marc Meignier, Leader Cloud Romandie tells us more about some of the technology trends in banking.

Where and how the data is stored by banks

Oracle supports many financial institutions, including public and private banks in Switzerland and around the world, with a variety of technology solutions that meet their specific needs. These include, among others BPC, German Bank, Volkswagen Financial Services, BBVA, Erste Group Bank, Crédit Agricole, HSBC and Lalux.

As cloud technology enters a more mature phase, we are finding that there are specific and unique cloud technology requirements for each financial institution. Common to all is the desire for a clear and transparent understanding of where data is stored, how it is processed, and by whom. But also how to take advantage of cloud technology, such as speed or scalability, and the ability to drive innovation faster. That's why we've developed a distributed cloud strategy that offers different cloud services depending on workload and customer requirements. Options offers. The commonality of this model is that the same secure base technology is used across our cloud infrastructure portfolio. Options include, for example, public cloud services, multicloud, hybrid cloud services or dedicated cloud. We let our customers choose whether they want to work in the cloud, in a hybrid model (see below), or on-premise. Many private banks choose the latter, and some banks prefer to keep their data in the locations where they operate rather than running it in the public cloud. This allows them to meet their specific data governance and residency requirements.

For example, Deutsche Bank uses Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer, to run thousands of financial workload databases in the bank's own data centers. It is already benefiting from significant cost savings and a reduction in energy consumption for running these databases at 50 %. The corporate and investment bank of Crédit Agricole in France and Lalux Insurance in Luxembourg are reaping the benefits of their on-premises cloud deployments in terms of performance, operational costs, flexibility, and data sovereignty.

The Swiss-based company BPC (Banking, Payments, Commerce), which provides payment solutions to virtually all digital payments players, decided to move its payments suite to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to meet growing customer demand from multiple regions and save on hardware costs. Ultimately, the company gained a competitive advantage by reducing the time it takes to onboard new customers, enabling it to offer fast and innovative payment solutions.

What about security in banking?

When it comes to data security, no industry is as challenging as the financial services sector. Banks, credit unions and other financial institutions are consistently among the organizations most frequently targeted by cyberattacks. Attackers seek to gain access to information systems and capture sensitive financial data that they can then use for their own financial gain. Attackers use a variety of constantly evolving techniques, such as compromising application or privileged user credentials, exploiting misconfigured database systems, and attacking unencrypted data.

Financial institutions must not only protect their data from attempted attacks, but also comply with ever-changing and growing regulatory requirements, including regional data protection regulations. Despite these immense challenges, most financial institutions are able to protect their sensitive data, satisfy auditors and comply with regulations - all while maintaining successful financial margins. We support organizations in their zero trust initiatives through our cloud, which is designed to provide customers with integrated security services. Once configured, these services help secure workloads in the cloud quickly and effectively.

Why banks are particularly demanding cloud customers

Each bank has its own requirements that are tailored to its customers, existing systems, legal regulations, etc. Data sovereignty is one of the most important aspects of financial services, but not the only one. They are actively pursuing IT modernization and are increasingly turning to digital technologies to save costs, innovate on a large scale and offer new services to clients. In many ways, this is similar to other sectors, so Oracle's broad portfolio of cloud infrastructure, back-office and purpose-built financial services applications meet these needs.

Banks also have special requirements in areas such as financial crime and payment processing. Therefore, we also offer a range of Cloud-based services todeveloped for financial services companies. These include highly scalable demand deposit account processing for enterprises, real-time global ISO20022 payment processing, digital service capabilities, anti-money laundering solutions, and more. These offerings enable banks to modernize their business capabilities faster and with less risk.

From a data governance perspective, banks are indeed regulated, so the issue of data governance is of great importance to them. There are interesting parallels with the healthcare industry. The Geneva hospital HUG for example, is using Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer to modernize its technology infrastructure and accelerate the migration of its systems to the cloud. The hospital will migrate the majority of its database systems to Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer, a deployment option of Oracle's Exadata Cloud Service that is delivered as a managed service in the organization's own data centers. As a private cloud platform, Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer will enable the hospital to consolidate critical systems into a single IT platform while keeping data on the hospital's premises and within its firewall.

Author:
Marc Meignier is Cloud Leader Oracle Suisse Romande. www.oracle.com

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/mit-der-cloud-das-banking-neu-definieren/

The responsible marketing policy statement posted on the website also states that Lindt's advertising messages are aimed at so-called "gatekeepers", i.e. those people who look after the children, such as parents or grandparents.

Advertising in cinemas, on online sites, on billboards or product placement would also no longer be shown in media where at least 35 percent of the audience is under 16. Furthermore, no communication at all is directed at children under 13. In addition, advertising never encourages excessive consumption, according to the statement.

This is the company's way of marketing responsibly as part of its sustainability strategy, according to a presentation by the chocolate maker on Tuesday. (SDA)

As a cloud service provider and Swiss Google Cloud Partner, StackWorks replaces complex IT infrastructures with simple, secure cloud services. The cloud consultants around founder and CEO Ishan Don make companies as well as schools fit for the digital age with the goal of being up to the work and learning of tomorrow today and a step ahead of the competition. The services begin with consulting and support in the development of their Google Cloud infrastructure. They continue with the practical implementation of all necessary measures as part of the migration to the Google Cloud and range from training to support and further development of the IT infrastructure. 

Intensive audit

StackWorks has now introduced a quality management system that defines and documents all management, core and support processes. These serve as a tool to ensure that work is comprehensible and carried out according to high quality standards. To ensure that this works in practice, StackWorks commissioned an independent audit of the system. After intensive checks of the processes, the auditors came to the conclusion that the quality of the services was convincing. StackWorks was well organized and could receive the certificate. "We are extremely happy about this," says Ishan Don, founder and CEO of StackWorks. He explains: "The ISO 9001 certification is an internationally recognized proof of our quality when we support companies and organizations in replacing complex, expensive IT infrastructures with simple, secure as well as cost-effective cloud services. This allows us to send a clear signal at a time when correct processes are becoming increasingly important in terms of IT security and productivity."

Benefits for customers and employees

The certificate shows customers that StackWorks operates efficiently according to uniform standards. Mariana Mark, Head of Internal Operations at the cloud service provider, gives an example: "If an employee is down, business doesn't stop. Substitutions are clearly regulated and every team member knows where to find which information. We can continue to work seamlessly and devote ourselves entirely to our core tasks, which benefits the customers."

This way of working also has a positive effect on employee satisfaction. This is because the reliable flow of information is part of the pleasant working conditions. Onboarding is mastered systematically. This in turn represents an important milestone for the further growth of StackWorks. Last but not least, it motivates every employee to get involved and continue to contribute to the ongoing perfection of the processes. Because one thing is certain: StackWorks also intends to master the independent audit based on random samples in a year's time.

Source and further information

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/stackworks-ist-nach-iso-9001-zertifiziert/

Damaged cable connections on a hairdryer or fume hoods in a restaurant kitchen that are heavily soiled with grease can quickly develop into a danger for guests or employees that should not be underestimated. In the worst case, just a small spark can cause a house fire. But even minor inconveniences or difficulties can quickly have a negative effect. For hotels, because of their dependence on customers, it therefore proves important every day to present their own services and premises in the best possible light. "Facilities as well as technical, mechanical and sanitary equipment should always be in optimal and safe condition in this day and age in order to satisfy guests and not endanger anyone during their stay," knows Carsten Müller. He is the managing director of Echt! Smart Work GmbH in Bürstadt, Germany, and an expert in smart testing and maintenance processes. His company sees itself as a service partner for smart monitoring and documentation of testing and maintenance work. "Many companies schedule important maintenance and servicing work throughout the year. This is the only way they can meet the desired standards and thus ensure the profitability of the company," he explains further.

Fire with many sources of fire

Often rather forgotten by guests, there are also some danger spots in the lodging industry, which general managers urgently have to take care of in their daily routine. In addition, depending on the country, there are duties and responsibilities prescribed by the state for hoteliers. Large accommodation chains therefore often provide their own in-house maintenance service, which travels from hotel to hotel across the country or even across Europe, checking all technical systems for proper functioning and safety in specific cycles. Only very few hotels have their own departments in the building that only deal with technical or mechanical problems. For technical systems such as fire detectors, alarm systems, heating systems or lifts, some also rely on appropriate external companies that specialize in the maintenance of these machines. Many conclude maintenance contracts here. "However, smaller hotels or family-run businesses in particular cannot rely on such a service for the majority of tasks and have to take on many general check-ups themselves so that maintenance does not break the budget," explains Müller.

Digitization as an uncomplicated solution

With the constant digitization of their preventive maintenance strategy, franchise operators have the opportunity to track exactly which tasks responsible technicians are already completing and where problems may arise in the future, anytime and anywhere. Among other things, this helps with budget planning for the individual sites. Small operations benefit most from the software solution's transparent traceability and simplicity of such protocols. "In many everyday cases, the use of digital software can be worthwhile as a helpful support," clarifies the expert. "Especially when maintenance technicians or employees use them in combination with special QR codes. Attached to the items to be maintained, such as hair dryers, water taps, fire extinguishers or fume hoods, this makes the work more effective. By scanning it in the software, responsible persons on their cell phone or tablet immediately get to the appropriate protocol and can save it digitally directly after filling it out." This saves hotels and operators a lot of time and paper, while reducing the number of folders on the shelf.

Support in hectic everyday life

Thanks to the software's support, hotel staff can also check the condition of technical or sanitary equipment without much effort during the course of other tasks, such as room cleaning. Müller explains: "In the event of a sudden problem, there is also the option of immediately reporting it digitally to superiors with an appropriate priority so that they can get to work on fixing it as quickly as possible. Thanks to clearly defined deadlines and uncomplicated inspection sheets, room maintenance hardly takes any additional time. Only larger technical devices and systems such as lifts or heating systems require external companies as inspectors, but these external workers can also use the software in their work." Poor maintenance otherwise leads to inadequate standards, which do not convince many customers and thus also reduce the hotel's profit. "Moreover, if televisions don't work properly, the shower only dispenses cold water or the heating goes on strike in the middle of winter, many guests also leave bad reviews, which have a negative impact on the establishment's status of further bookings," says Müller. Regular maintenance work therefore proves to be a decisive factor for the hospitality of a hotel. 

Smart monitoring of maintenance work

The company Echt! Smart Work GmbH sees itself as a service partner for the smart monitoring and documentation of inspection and maintenance work. By providing each object to be inspected with a scannable QR code, tasks can be called up directly via cell phone or tablet, among other things. In this context, the company's software allows the scheduling of maintenance appointments, the completion of inspection sheets on the mobile device or even direct photo documentation. With a central, online managed filing system, the software coordinates all individual inspection tasks.

www.echt-smartwork.de

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/gaestezufriedenheit-immer-im-fokus/

When developing electronic systems, manufacturers are often forced to focus on factors other than electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). For example, components must be economically producible, have high performance and meet the requirements of the application. In addition, EMC is often only tested at a later stage of development or even in the production phase, which can lead to higher costs and delays if rework becomes necessary.

A quality-oriented procedure for design EMC and a test of internal EMC before components and machines are placed on the market are a necessary evil. But they also offer a lot of potential to increase the overall efficiency of a piece of equipment in the long term, especially in the use phase. Software such as ESMA can help here. It enables a software-supported "QM process EMC" that allows manufacturers and users to record and analyze important parameters at various points in the planning and production cycle with the help of an assistance system. In this way, producers of equipment are supported in the design and cost planning phases through risk analysis and the scalable use of constructive measures.

Increasing production efficiency through INTRA EMC type testing

The procedural steps of the construction are interrogated step by step and project-specific measures are to be defined in the process. Based on this preliminary work, risk priority mitigation factors are activated from the database and hierarchically algorithmically evaluated. For each process step, the mitigation factors are stored in a differentiated manner for each of six impact options in the system. The respective impact chain is considered, e.g. device (G) to device, device (G) to line (L) or far field (F) to device. The more than 400 process steps multiplied by six influence paths each and three effect factors each of the probability of occurrence, fault detection and damage consequence according to FMEA result in more than 7,000 factors in the database and this shows the accuracy of the risk priority calculated by multiplying the project-related factors.

Relevant measured values can also be recorded with the LogAmp measurement method for the validation of electromagnetic parameters in the close-up range within operating equipment. The advantage of the measuring device is that it can be used easily and cost-effectively by maintenance personnel without special EMC expertise. A simple comparison of the "marker values" during type testing, maintenance and repair and with target values from the database in ESMA, based on the EN 61000-4-39 standard, with defined immunity categories, is sufficient. This enables a "good/bad" analysis on site. The amplitude curve and equivalent value recorded by a logarithmic module in the device is output as a so-called "marker value" for the energy content of the amplitude density. The measurement is performed in the three relevant frequency ranges for the near range (10 kHz to 150 kHz, 150 kHz to 1 MHz, 1 MHz to 10 MHz).

Avoidance of production interruption with minimum maintenance effort

Since downtime must be avoided at all costs in numerous production areas, deviations from EM parameters should be detected before a fault occurs. EMC tests at a wide interval by external testers can only do this to a limited extent. Instead, a separate maintenance interval should be established that is based on the predefined failure probabilities of the individual EM-relevant systems and components. In this way, maintenance tasks can be synchronized with planned production breaks, for example. Using the measured values of the "INTRA EMC type test" as a target specification for the utilization phase, it is possible for plant operators to carry out regular, close-meshed condition monitoring with the help of a digitized assistance system and mobile measuring devices. Due to the improved, digitized data basis, proactive maintenance can ultimately be ensured without interrupting production due to unexpected malfunctions.

In the course of this, "INTRA-EMV tests" should be carried out regularly with mobile measuring devices. A change in an EM parameter such as magnetic near field, interference current or interference voltage are already indicators of degradation or fatigue of mechanical or electrical assemblies, e.g. ESD discharge brushes, shaft bearings, PE connections, cable shielding supports or EMC glands. If the deviations are regularly checked and detected in time, failure can be better predicted and at the same time spare parts procurement can be more efficient.

Minimization of life cycle costs in the use phase up to obsolescence

The fault resilience in the utilization phase until obsolescence depends on the degradation of the EM parameters of the design measures and components used for the operating conditions of the equipment, such as ambient temperature, humidity, corrosiveness and power quality. The occurrence of a fault is prospectively not deterministically predictable. The path to uninterrupted production, on the other hand, is the detection of an EM deviation, which can then lead to a proactive maintenance action with the specification of an acceptable schedule. A digital assistance system consisting of the software ESMA with correlated measuring system LogAmp gives the manufacturer and later the user the possibility to introduce a RCM (Reliability centered maintainance management) in-house and to follow a predictable or predictive maintenance concept in the utilization phase. This enables a risk-analytical evaluation of scalable EM detail design measures and a scalable maintenance effort with maintenance cost objectives. Likewise, the assurance of the long-term usability of the plant by reparability after obsolescence of original spare parts by definition of the EM installation conditions in case of replacement by alternative components succeeds.

ESMA LogAmp procedure for maintenance concept Reliability centered EMC maintainance

Due to the EM setpoints already defined inside the equipment during the design phase, the application of the LogAmp measuring method and the accompanying risk assessment by the ESMA software can maintain availability during the utilization phase and avoid production interruptions due to unexpected malfunctions. One way to achieve this already during and immediately after commissioning is the consistent use of a maintenance concept with condition monitoring with short maintenance intervals. By algorithmically evaluating the results of each maintenance, the interval until the next maintenance is adapted. If the digitally stored preliminary analyses of the components are used and supplemented by a close-meshed network of inspection intervals, downtimes can be reduced and maintenance can be better planned. With the help of such a maintenance concept, which is not based on manufacturer specifications but on fault resilience and probable material fatigue, the maintenance effort becomes scalable, which saves costs in the long term.

Due to today's fast innovation cycles or interrupted supply chains, original replacement components with identical EM parameters are not always procurable - and exact fault resilience after replacement is not predictable. If the EM interface parameters of components and assemblies are already stored in the assistance system during design or commissioning, replacements can be organized in good time during production breaks with acceptable time spans until proactive repair calculated algorithmically from maintenance results.

Author:
Josef Schmitz is a partner of J. Schmitz GmbH, an owner-managed competence center for all aspects of EMC. The service portfolio includes, among other things, an accredited measurement laboratory for CE conformity verification as well as competent EMC consulting for manufacturers with regard to the qualification of their products and the support of new developments. Further information: www.jschmitz.de/system-emv/vollversion-esma/

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/produktionsunterbrechung-mit-proaktiver-instandsetzung-vermeiden/

The two best students of the year, Nadine Rohn (Marketing) and Jasmin Natascha Kneubühl (Sales), have shown an outstanding performance. They were presented with the Swiss Marketing Award for their achievements by the two presidents of the examination boards for the federal professional examination for marketing and sales specialists, Robert Wernli and Christoph Portmann.

Of a total of 412 people, 293 passed the exams in marketing. In sales, with 380 participants, the pass rate was 61.8%, which corresponds to 235 people.

The Employer Branding Switzerland 2023" Monitor is designed to provide companies and HR units with insightful insights in times of skills shortages and addresses issues that may never have been on employers' radar because they were deemed unimportant or irrelevant. The study is designed to provide companies with insights to analyze, sharpen or realign their own employer positioning for clear market differentiation. The Klar agency developed and conducted the study together with the market research company Blue Eyes Marketing.

According to the study, the working atmosphere is more important than the salary for employees in Switzerland. However, this does not apply equally to every age group. The study also examines what other expectations employees have of their employers, what their wishes are and what their no-gos are. The study also reveals differences between Gen Z and the baby boomers and reveals how important a company parking space is and what role the staff restaurant plays.

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The Monitor by Klar and Blue Eyes Marketing is conducted annually and is based on a representative online survey of 525 employees in German-speaking Switzerland who could imagine changing jobs. The first survey was conducted from December 2022 to January 2023 using a structured questionnaire.

Interested parties can Order the most important insights of the study here.

• Population: men and women, 20 to 60 years old
• Sample size: Total of 525 interviews, soft quotas on occupational groups (academics, craftsmen, office workers)
• Maximum sampling error: +- 4.4%
• Survey topics: Work culture characteristics, employer attractiveness, and employer benefits.
• Psychography: The Klar Monitor is based on the "blue mind" psychography model. The data collected is applied to the generation models/personas on the basis of their values.

The Raja Group has appointed 52-year-old Franck Chenet to the newly created position of Group Marketing Director. He has also been appointed as a member of the Group Management Committee. He reports to Nathalie Chapusot, member of the Raja Group Executive Committee and Managing Director of Marketing and Technology.

Chenet is now responsible for developing the Group's multichannel strategies and optimizing the customer experience. Under his leadership, the Group's brand profile is to be sharpened as well as the collaboration of the cross-functional marketing teams intensified on an international level.

Born in France, he began his professional career in Canada and the USA. He worked at Brodart for 13 years. Most recently, he was responsible for international development at Brodart as a member of the Executive Committee.

In 2008, Franck Chenet returned to France and took on various sales and marketing management positions at Fiducial Group, a B2B services group. In 2014, he became Managing Director of Skinjay, a cosmetics start-up in Lyon, France. From 2016 to 2022, Franck Chenet was Group Director at Antalis, responsible for digital transformation, service, communication and corporate social responsibility.

Franck Chenet studied at the Ecole Nationale de Commerce de Paris in France and at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, USA. An expert in digital transformation, Chenet also speaks at numerous conferences. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Adetem, the French professional association for marketing professionals.

The Raja Group has appointed 52-year-old Franck Chenet to the newly created position of Group Marketing Director. He has also been appointed as a member of the Group Management Committee. He reports to Nathalie Chapusot, member of the Raja Group Executive Committee and Managing Director of Marketing and Technology.

Chenet is now responsible for developing the Group's multichannel strategies and optimizing the customer experience. Under his leadership, the Group's brand profile is to be sharpened as well as the collaboration of the cross-functional marketing teams intensified on an international level.

Born in France, he began his professional career in Canada and the USA. He worked at Brodart for 13 years. Most recently, he was responsible for international development at Brodart as a member of the Executive Committee.

In 2008, Franck Chenet returned to France and took on various sales and marketing management positions at Fiducial Group, a B2B services group. In 2014, he became Managing Director of Skinjay, a cosmetics start-up in Lyon, France. From 2016 to 2022, Franck Chenet was Group Director at Antalis, responsible for digital transformation, service, communication and corporate social responsibility.

Franck Chenet studied at the Ecole Nationale de Commerce de Paris in France and at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, USA. An expert in digital transformation, Chenet also speaks at numerous conferences. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Adetem, the French professional association for marketing professionals.