Swiss fintech company Avaloq's full-year revenue for 2016 was CHF533 million, up CHF10% from CHF485 million reported for the previous year. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased by CHF41% to CHF82 million compared to CHF58 million in 2015, which was characterized by high upfront investments in new digital banking technologies, software as a service (SaaS) solutions and integrated business process outsourcing (BPO) offerings. EBITDA margin improved by 3.4 points year-on-year to 15.4%. The company reported strong cash flows with net cash from operating activities increasing by 100% to CHF 62 million and cash on hand increasing by 8% year-on-year to CHF 63 million. Net debt at year-end was 1.5x EBITDA.

"In 2016, we once again proved the attractiveness of our business model," commented Avaloq CEO Francisco Fernandez. "We saw strong revenue growth and increased profitability while continuing to invest in our offerings. Our transformation from a pure software company to a provider of integrated services is virtually complete and we are confident that our investments will pay off in 2017 and beyond. We intend to continue on the path to capital market readiness, which will also be reflected in greater financial transparency."

Avaloq continued to expand its business in 2016, investing in growth and acquiring six new customers, including Axion Swiss Bank, Arab Bank and Notenstein La Roche Privatbank. Liechtensteinische Landesbank, LGT Group and another large bank have decided to deploy Avaloq Banking Suite in additional international business areas. In addition, Deutsche Apotheker- und Ärztebank (apoBank) and Avaloq signed a contract for a project to evaluate future cooperation. Implementation project activities remained at a high level: 28 projects were completed in 2016 with a successful going live. These include the successful migration of HSBC Private Bank, Crestone and Maybank Private Wealth to the Avaloq Banking Suite, as well as the implementation of new digital solutions for several existing clients, according to the company.

Avaloq's customers include financial institutions and asset managers from around the world, who together manage assets of over CHF 4,000 billion with Avaloq solutions. Thanks to its growth, Avaloq has been able to create additional jobs and now employs people from 66 nations.

To the corporate website

Lidl Switzerland, which was ranked for the first time ever last year, is now at the top of the list of part-time employers with 1838 part-time positions advertised. Over the course of 2016, these were Part-time career.ch around 154,400 times. Three companies from the healthcare sector follow at some distance. (Zurich University Hospital, Hirslanden Private Hospital Group, Insel Gruppe AG) Manor (1207), last year's winner, can no longer hold its own at the top and slips to fifth place. Around 330 fewer part-time positions were advertised here than in the previous year. Aldi Suisse (1102) is also unable to maintain its very good positioning from the previous year and now occupies 6th place. The city of Zurich (1094) improves by 14 places to 7th place, followed by the canton of Berne (1084), which loses 6 places. Credit Suisse (1037) defends its strong positioning and ranks 9th. SBB (681) occupies 10th place.

Promoting diversity in companies

The city of Zurich, this year for the first time in the top 10 of part-time employers, was the second Swiss city to launch an action plan for gender equality in 2009. Due to the positive results, the equality plan is now in its second term. Ursula Hess from the Human Resources Management of the City of Zurich explains that "the realization of equal opportunities for women and men in the company as well as the promotion of flexible working time models is a central point of the personnel policy of the City of Zurich. New positions to be filled are explicitly advertised for both genders and each with 80-100%. Accordingly, every time a job is advertised, it is checked whether positions can also be advertised with a part-time degree." The aim of these measures is to increase the proportion of the underrepresented gender to 35 percent, particularly in management positions. In most cases, the proportion of women is too low here. The city of Zurich employs over 28,300 people, of whom around 59 % work part-time. 44 % of women and 15 % of men work part-time.

Number of part-time positions on the rise

A very pleasing trend emerges when comparing the number of advertised jobs in the top 10. A significant increase in the number of advertised jobs can be seen. While there were around 8700 in 2015, there are already around 12,000 part-time positions in 2016. Teilzeitkarriere.ch lists 15,00 advertised part-time positions on the Internet every day, and the trend is rising. This is a clear sign and confirms once again that many company managements are already rethinking how to meet the demands of changing social values. The trend is toward flexible, individual and mobile working time models.

Part-time employers: up and down the ladder

Solothurner Spitäler AG is the climber in 2016. With 108 places gained, it is in position 70 in the ranking. On the other hand, UBS AG also makes a considerable leap. With 101 well-made places, it now ranks 20th. Zurich Insurance Switzerland also delivers a very good result with 71 places gained; it currently occupies 15th place. The BIT - Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication - continues its high flight from last year (improvement +48 places) and improves again by 49 places to rank 31.

Charles Vögele Mode AG can be described as the relegated company in 2016, losing 51 places and now ranking 89th. The company's continuing loss-making business and the resulting store closures are certainly one reason for this. The department store chain Globus AG is also struggling with the difficult market situation in the retail sector. It has lost 32 places and is now in 60th position in the current ranking.

Industries under the magnifying glass

Retail, public administration and healthcare are the most strongly represented industries in the 2016 ranking of the 100 top part-time employers, an identical result compared with the previous year. A trend is emerging in the service sector. Here, interest in part-time positions seems to be growing; at any rate, significantly more companies are represented in the Top 100 Part-Time Employers ranking in 2016 than in the previous year. This year's ranking was newly categorized into 3 industries and a separate top 20 industry ranking was created. The healthcare sector is the most strongly represented sector in the Teilzeikarriere.ch ranking. Zurich University Hospital and the Hirslanden private hospital group share first place in the industry ranking, with Insel Gruppe AG close behind. Luzerner Kantonsspital and Spitex Verband des Kanton Bern follow. In the services/public facilities sector, the city of Zurich is ahead. The Canton of Berne and Credit Suisse AG follow in second and third place, while SBB, the Canton of Zurich and Zurich Insurance Switzerland take fourth to sixth place. In the retail sector, Lidl Switzerland leads the ranking, followed by Manor and Aldi Suisse. Aldi Suisse was overtaken this year by competitor Lidl. Migros, the largest retail company in Switzerland, takes 4th place in the industry's internal ranking of part-time employers, overtaking competitor Coop (5th place) for the first time.

Andy Keel, founder of Teilzeitkarriere.ch, notes that the first large companies (including Swiss Post, Swisscom, UBS, SBB) are systematically advertising positions with an 80-100% workload or in job sharing. "In addition to the improved reach in job recruitment," Andy Keel points out, "the internal impact is even more important. Thus, there is a reversal of the 'burden of proof' for line managers. Now a manager has to argue why it has to be a 100% job." This is leading to a culture change. First, it paves the way for a greater percentage of women in higher, skilled part-time positions. It leads to more part-time men and more employees in part-time retirement positions. On the other hand, it increases the attractiveness for Generation Y and Z in the labor market.

The top 50 part-time employers:

For a mass dismissal within the meaning of the law, the number of terminations in relation to the size of the company is primarily decisive. In companies that usually employ between more than 20 and less than 100 employees, at least ten terminations are required for the mass dismissal rules to apply. In companies with 100 to 300 employees, at least ten percent of the workforce must be affected by the dismissals, and in companies with more than 300 employees, 30 or more dismissals constitute a mass dismissal.

In addition, the dismissals in question must be made within 30 days for reasons unrelated to the personality of the employees concerned. This means that only dismissals due to economic, technical or organizational circumstances are taken into account. Dismissals due to insufficient performance or undisciplined behavior are not included in the calculation. If there are mixed reasons for dismissal, the decisive reason must be identified in the event of a dispute.

Important: In the case of cessation of operations as a result of court decisions, as well as in the case of dismissals in bankruptcy or in the case of a composition agreement with assignment of assets, there is no mass dismissal within the meaning of the Code of Obligations. Other regulations apply.

Inform and consult employees before mass dismissal

If a company plans to make a large number of redundancies, it is essential to clarify in advance whether a mass redundancy is involved. If this is the case, the relevant provisions of the Swiss Code of Obligations must be complied with.

The following applies: Before the employer definitively decides on a mass dismissal, the employees must be consulted in good time. For this purpose, the employee representation or, if there is no such representation, the employees must be informed directly and appropriately about the reasons for the mass dismissal and the number and period of the planned dismissals. A copy of this notification must be sent to the cantonal employment office.

The employer must also give the employees the opportunity to submit proposals as to how the dismissals can be avoided or limited or their consequences mitigated. In this consultation procedure, the employees must be given a sufficiently long period of time. The employer is at least obliged to seriously consider the proposals. However, it is not necessary to give detailed reasons for rejecting them.

The obligation to inform and consult the workforce also exists if the mass dismissal has been decided by a foreign parent company without the influence of the Swiss subsidiary. In Switzerland, the Swiss subsidiary is the formal employer and in this capacity must comply with all legal obligations.

Information from the Labor Office: Start to the 30-day minimum notice period.

In addition to the initial employee information and after the employee consultation has been carried out, the employer must notify the relevant employment office in writing of the intended mass dismissal. A copy shall be sent to the employees or their representatives. The notification must contain the results of the employee consultation and all relevant information on the mass dismissal. The employees may also submit their comments to the Labor Office. The Labor Office is not required to verify whether the consultation procedure has been complied with. However, the Office shall, by law, seek solutions to the problems posed by the intended mass dismissal.

Important: An employment relationship terminated in the context of a mass layoff shall in any case end at the earliest 30 days after notification to the employment office or, in accordance with the contractual provisions, on a later date.

Obligation for a social plan

Companies with usually at least 250 employees that plan a mass dismissal of at least 30 employees within 30 days are obliged to draw up a social plan with the employee representatives. This sets out the measures to be taken to avoid or limit the redundancies or to mitigate their consequences. The subjects of the agreement are often internal job placement, customized outplacement including training, courses and further education, early retirement or severance payments.

Sanctions for employers in case of non-compliance with mass dismissal rules

If there is a mass dismissal and the rules of the Code of Obligations are not complied with, this has noticeable consequences for the employer at fault. According to Article 336 of the Code of Obligations, any dismissal that takes place in the context of a mass dismissal covered by the law without consulting the employee representatives or the employees is abusive. Any employee affected who raises an objection to his or her termination in good time is then entitled to a maximum of two months' salary. In addition, failure to report the dismissal of more than ten employees can be punished with fines of up to CHF 40,000.

Assemble a project team for mass redundancy

With regard to a mass layoff, it is advantageous to assemble a project team. In addition to management representatives and experts in the fields of law, tax, insurance and communications, this team should include a specialist for personnel issues in times of change. This is because a planned and necessary mass layoff is associated with considerable risks for the future of the company. In particular, unnecessary costs must be avoided.

The consequences of reputational damage and the negative impact on the morale of remaining employees associated with productivity losses are often underestimated. It is therefore important to organize and implement mass redundancies as smoothly as possible. The choice of the most suitable personnel measures for the benefit of the affected and remaining employees plays a key role.

Caroline Pfeiffer Marinho is Country Manager Switzerland at Lee Hecht Harrison in Zurich.

EOTEC AG in Muttenz is one of the leading Swiss companies in the fields of Video security, Communication systems, Media technology and IT Media. Stefan Schröder, the company's founder and CEO, looked back on the company's successful history as it celebrated its 33rd anniversary and said he was convinced that after more than three decades it was time for a breath of fresh air in the sails. "As a boss and as the captain of a ship, you have to be able to let go," he said. "You cannot set a new course and head for new destinations by holding on, but only by letting go."

Schröder has now handed over operational management to Martin Hänggi, who is to steer the EOTEC ship full steam ahead into the future and to new shores. The new Chief Operation Officer (COO) has already been with the company for years and is very familiar with today's market environment as well as EOTEC's corporate culture. "As an IT specialist, he brings exactly the training that is needed for such a task today," says Schröder. "He belongs to the upcoming generation and speaks the language of future customers. Moreover, he is characterized by his willingness to recognize and absorb new developments in good time."

In his speech, Stefan Schröder held that the world is becoming more exciting and challenging with increasing digitalization. "In order to keep up with the market, you have to constantly adapt and innovate as an SME," he said, symbolically handing over a ship's steering wheel to Martin Hänggi, with which he is to keep EOTEC always on the right course. Stefan Schröder will remain operationally involved in the company as Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO. He compares his new role to that of a foreign minister who looks after the external stakeholders - first and foremost, of course, the customers.

More about the company

The linen hanging manufacturer, which has been operating under the name Stewi (STEiner WInterhur) since 1947, is one of the most traditional production and trading companies in Switzerland. The company, managed in the second generation by the founding family through Walter A. Steiner, was sold on January 31 to the two entrepreneurs Stefan R. Ebnöther and Lorenz M. Fäh, who will continue and develop the company in the spirit of the founding family. The whole transaction was successfully carried out with the financing partner Raiffeisen Schweiz AG. STEWI Holding AG took over all shares of STEWI AG and at the same time STEWI of Switzerland AG was founded, which mainly focuses on the international business. These two companies are also held by the two entrepreneurs Stefan R. Ebnöther and Lorenz M. Fäh.

Stewi, as the epitome of laundry drying and symbol of Swiss quality products, distributes its products in Switzerland and worldwide. The founding father Walter Steiner was considered a pioneer in the industrial production of rotary clothes dryers, which is one of the 100 most important Swiss inventions. In 2009 Walter Steiner passed away and the company was successfully continued in the second generation by Walter A. Steiner. "Having experienced Swiss entrepreneurs as successors for Stewi is a stroke of luck for all employees and partners", says the spokesman of the previous owner family and adds "we are happy to have found an ideal solution for our family business and wish Stephan R. Ebnöther and Lorenz M. Fäh much success with Stewi for the future".

To the company website

No one for all, all for none: this is roughly how the results of a survey conducted throughout Europe could be summarized. Even though the study mentioned above was actually about "IT satisfaction in European companies," some of the answers suggest that the dream of (IT-supported) teamwork has been shattered - in favor of the office mores that still prevail.

Sharing information? Missing

For example, almost half (46 percent) of respondents say that comprehensive sharing of information is not a matter of course in their day-to-day work. This means that one of the most important basic prerequisites for successful collaboration is not in place or is only in place to a limited extent - which in turn leads to inefficient workflows and has a negative impact on the company balance sheet. Just under 38 percent of employees blame this primarily on the technical equipment, which makes it difficult to share information with colleagues.

Watch out, colleague pig

The study also reveals a number of ego-related behaviors that dominate everyday office life and explicitly counteract the team concept. These include behaviors with serious consequences, such as a lack of care with passwords, which have a detrimental effect on the company's success. However, trivial and equally annoying habits that gradually lead to bad moods among colleagues also cause great damage in the long run. Empty printer trays, for example, are frequently mentioned here because a colleague has once again failed to refill the paper tray - this is something that one in two (50 percent) experience on a regular basis, and a further 23 percent admit to frequently failing to refill the paper tray themselves.

The top 10 office miscues:

1. Forgetting printed pages in the printer tray (84 percent)
2. Secretly changing the temperature of heating/air conditioning (79 percent)
3. Do not refill paper in the printer (73 percent)
4. Move documents/change folder structures arbitrarily (70 percent)
5. Password and access data wasted (64 percent)
6. Continue to work on own to-dos in meetings (61 percent)
7. Interrupting others (58 percent)
8. Ignoring technical problems with shared devices (54 percent)
9. Changing templates or not adhering to specifications (49 percent)
10. Important information is not shared (46 percent)

Swallowing anger or venting it?

Although they regularly suffer from these behaviors on the part of their colleagues, 27 percent of those surveyed still prefer to simply look past them and swallow their anger. 26 percent call the responsible colleague to account by e-mail, if possible, or complain to others. Another 21 percent stick a note at the scene or in a place in the office that is clearly visible to everyone. Things are apparently particularly uncompromising in the area of human resources management: Here, 35 percent of those surveyed stated that they prefer to vent their anger by notifying their supervisor directly. "Almost every employee knows such behaviors from personal experience and accepts the associated annoyances and disadvantages as part of working life," says Alexander Hermann, Vice President at Sharp Information Systems Europe. "If you look behind the scenes, however, we are dealing with a serious problem here: The team spirit suffers considerably or, in the worst case, is non-existent. If serious problems such as a lack of information exchange are added to the mix, a company as a whole quickly finds itself on the losing side. So it's imperative that companies create the best possible conditions to ensure this exchange - This applies to the physical working environment as well as the technical equipment and the corporate culture as a whole, which should focus on the employees."

Source and further information:  Sharp

Detailed results of the study are available here.

The management hotline offers immediate support for problem areas in the day-to-day running of a company by calling 071 523 88 88. Experts from various disciplines such as HRM, marketing, finance, law, communications, IT and strategy are available when acute problems arise. The management hotline is also available in the event of imminent danger to life and limb (such as suicide threats by employees) and immediately forwards inquiries to specialists.

The Leadership Hotline team, led by management consultants Bettina Osterwalder and Guido Kriech, was recently expanded to include two additional network partners. On the one hand, Mark Widmer from Light LRC AG thanks to his experience in various industries as a sales trainer in questions and challenges in the areas, sales and customer acquisition available. "As a sales trainer at Umberto Saxer Training AG, one of the most renowned sales training companies in German-speaking countries, I accompanied a company in Germany as a trainer and coach, which in only 6 years developed from 2 million euros in sales and 11 employees to 97 million euros in sales with over 100 employees. This in a pure displacement market. Licht-LRC AG complements the management hotline when it comes to questions of building, expanding and training sales organizations. Because as a manager one is always confronted with the question: 'Why are we not reaching the sales targets?' Here, with our experience, we can often and quickly find new approaches that lead to success," says Mark Widmer.

On the other hand, Christian Götz from BESTSEC could be won as a network partner. He says about his commitment to the management hotline: "With our physical security solutions, a solid foundation is created for the customer, which supports the processing in the event of an incident. Every company offers different requirements, these must be included in the solutions. With this know-how, from the planning of the security-related trades, to the investigation of irregularities, a gain is created for every customer."

The services of the Leadership Hotline are available by subscription. More information is available here.

In the face of aggressive competition, only companies that react quickly to current market events can survive. Companies that use big data as a source of information are particularly efficient.

Databases push limits

Big data comprises data from different sources, which are available in various formats and are constantly updated. However, they can hardly be processed into usable results using conventional means: relational databases fail due to the volume of data and ETL processes are too slow and have difficulties with the diverse data formats. The complexity of the data can therefore only be efficiently managed with the use of special Big Data technologies.

Data helps improve business processes

Getting started with Big Data processing always begins with scenarios of how data can help improve business processes or change business models. Once the projects have been identified, it must be clarified whether all the necessary information is available. If this is not the case, new data sources must be tapped - such as newsletters, landing pages, social media, Google Analytics or online portals and databases.

Now the data can be prepared, analyzed and graphically displayed with tools. However, there is no single tool that covers all functions. Only the linking of different solutions allows the adjustment to individual needs.

Five tips for Big Data projects:

1. Department managers and specialists define which results are to be achieved.
2. Data experiments reveal interesting correlations, yielding new insights.
3. The data can be prepared with metadata without adjusting the data source.
4. The traceability of data models should be guaranteed at all times.
5. Use available Big Data technologies instead of developing your own solutions.

About the author: Cyrill Durrer is a Data Scientist at Oyatec in Lommis, Switzerland

With the Prix SVC Espace Mittelland, the Swiss Venture Club SVC honors exemplary SMEs from this region that impress with their products and services, innovations, corporate culture, the quality of their employees and management, as well as their sustainable track record and regional roots. The following six success stories will be presented on March 8 in the Kursaal Bern to an expected audience of around 1400 guests (in alphabetical order):

• Armin Strom AG, Biel: The history of Uhrenmanufaktur Armin Strom AG begins with the founder and namesake of the company, Armin Strom, who opened his first watch store in Burgdorf in 1967. Since 2009, the company has been developing and producing watch movements of the highest quality in its own manufactory under the direction of Serge Michel and designer Claude Greisler. The watches of Armin Strom AG convince with transparent mechanics and expressive design and are distributed worldwide. The company is based in Biel and employs 23 people.
• Furrer + Frey AG, Berne: The family business for catenary systems was founded in 1923 by Emil Furrer and Arnold Frey. Today, Furrer + Frey is managed in the third and fourth generation by Beat and Rico Furrer. The company develops, plans and builds overhead contact lines for railroads, light rail and trolley buses. Thanks to innovations such as the overhead conductor rail or the rapid charging station for electric buses, the family-owned company is able to successfully hold its own in the market. The company is headquartered in Berne and has branches in Montreux, Zurich, Bellinzona, Berlin, London, Rome and Guangzhou, and employs 270 people.
• Heiniger AG, Herzogenbuchsee: Heiniger AG, based in Herzogenbuchsee, was founded in 1946 by Hermann Heiniger. The company is a leader in the manufacture of animal shearing products: Millions of farm animals such as sheep, cows, horses or even dogs and camels are sheared and groomed worldwide with Heiniger equipment and products. The products are developed and manufactured in Switzerland. The family business was under the management of Werner Heiniger from 1983 to 2012 and is now managed by CEO Daniel Heiniger in the third generation. It employs over 100 people, 33 of them in the subsidiary in Australia and eight in New Zealand.
• HESS Carrosserie AG, Bellach: The company HESS Carrosserie AG, now in its fifth generation, was founded in 1882 by Heinrich Hess as a wainwright's shop and blacksmith's shop. Today, the company manufactures buses, trolleybuses and commercial vehicles. HESS produces exclusively in Switzerland, but moves people from A to B all over the world. Together with international licensees, around 2400 buses are produced each year. CEO Alex Naef attaches great importance to sustainability and environmentally friendly transport solutions. The company employs 250 people and 25 apprentices.
• Kühni AG, Ramsei: Kühni AG creates living spaces from wood. In just a few years, the original carpentry shop from 1989 has become a leading nationwide wood construction provider with its own carpentry, joinery, flooring and general contracting. The family-run company offers end-to-end market services from carpentry to fine wood parquet flooring to turnkey home construction. With 165 employees, 34 of whom are in training, Kühni AG is a major employer in the region. The company is managed by Ernst Kühni, Ulrich Kühni, Ueli Haldemann and Markus Gerber.
• Moser-Baer AG, Sumiswald: Precision in time and technology, that's what Moser-Baer AG in Emmental has stood for for around 75 years. With its MOBATIME brand, the company is a leader in the development, production and sale of clock systems, time systems and time references. Whether analog or digital - several tens of thousands of systems from the family-owned company are in operation worldwide at airports, train stations or hospitals. Moser-Baer from Sumiswald is led by CEO Reto Reist and employs 90 people and 20 apprentices.

So there should be plenty of excitement at the 2017 Prix SVC Espace Mittelland awards ceremony.

Information: www.swiss-venture-club.ch

In front of around 700 invited guests from the worlds of science, business and politics, Schwendimann AG was presented with the Zürcher Kantonalbank's SME Award for sustainable companies. The family-owned company with core competencies in waste separation and disposal, green care or street cleaning and maintenance relegated Biopartner Schweiz AG from Seon and J. Grimm AG from Oetwil am See to the places of honor. Matthias Schwendimann is suitably pleased: "Years ago, we did not write our objective under our logo for aesthetic reasons - "traditionally forward-looking since 1935" - but rather we strive for sustainability in the ecological, economic and social areas out of conviction. The renowned jury of the ZKB, which audited our company, is also of this opinion. This is a huge confirmation for our sustainable family business and shows us that we are on the right path into the future with our grandchild-friendly actions." The celebration was jointly accompanied by Heinz Kunz (Head of Corporate Clients at ZKB), Christoph Weber (Head of Private Banking and Deputy Chairman of the General Management) and Bruno Dobler (Vice Chairman of the Bank Executive Committee). The guests got in the mood for the award ceremony during Heinz Kunz's words of welcome and Sandra Studer's, as always, skillful moderation.

More information and pictures

The Swiss workplace is in danger. The trust of SMEs in appropriate treatment in line with their economic importance and their services to Switzerland's prosperity has cracked, and patience has been exhausted, according to a recently published communiqué from the industry association Swissmechanic. It is therefore calling for economic and political support for the domestic value creation of the SME industry from the Swiss government and the Swiss National Bank.

SMEs dying and "natural structural change

Recognized economic experts and institutes would confirm the unique economic gap between the large companies with value added abroad and the smaller, domestic companies, it continues. For Swissmechanic, it is clear that it is the exchange rate situation that puts domestic industrial SMEs at a national and international disadvantage. Until 2010, for example, mechanical engineering in Germany and Switzerland developed in parallel despite structural changes. When sales figures are indexed, adjusted for working days and converted from CHF to euros, it is clear that the slump in sales was triggered by the strength of the Swiss franc. Exports collapsed and the price competitiveness of Swiss quality products is no longer given internationally. There was a gap in the development of sales figures - triggered by the exchange rate.

Swiss franc shock - a blackout, not a "natural structural change

The fact is, in the eyes of Swissmechanic, that within one day the sales prices of domestic products were once again massively increased, but it was left to the SMEs to decide how to retain their customers abroad despite more favorable purchasing conditions or how to realize a cost reduction of 20% - and all this without capital for investments and without the real possibility of moving abroad. Nor is it a matter of a few production sectors. Apart from chemicals and pharmaceuticals, the entire industry is affected by export slumps. This means not only the MEM sector, but also accommodation, publishing, trade, textiles and many others. The weakness of the SME industry is therefore by no means a "normal structural adjustment", but a consequence of the strength of the Swiss franc, Swissmechanic continues.

Mitigating the strength of the Swiss franc through a targeted, vital industrial policy

With a view to other countries that are implementing resolute economic and political industrial promotion despite a stabilized currency situation, e.g. Germany, Norway, Singapore, Swissmechanic is therefore calling for an energetic industrial policy for Switzerland as a manufacturing location and for small and medium-sized commercial enterprises. Specifically:

1. Creation of an SME fund: An investment opportunity is to be created for pension funds, companies and private individuals so that risk capital for investments is granted by the commercial banks. This money from the National Bank, the Confederation and investors is to flow into domestic production at the Swiss location. For example, in the upgrading of machinery, in Industry 4.0, plant purchasing, robotics, digitization projects, in succession financing, further education and higher vocational training. Loan defaults are to be covered by guarantees from the SNB. The investments made possible by the SME fund, which contribute to maintaining competitiveness, require time to implement and develop their effects. Therefore, a further stabilization policy of the National Bank during the next 3 years is important so that SMEs consistently use the levers of automation, Industry 4.0, and progress is not pulverized by a falling euro exchange rate. At the same time, a placement fee for commercial banks is demanded. The processing, examination and mediation of innovation loans to industrial SMEs must be promoted accordingly. So it's not about gifts, it's about providing urgently needed venture capital to promote Switzerland as a place to work and its jobs, which contributes to a win-win situation for all parties involved.
2. SME export promotion: This involves export promotion and financial assistance to support disadvantaged SME industry in activities abroad. For example, in sales, marketing, trade fairs, lobbying, sales and purchasing associations, export guarantees and export risk insurance.

According to Swissmechanic, it is a matter of preserving the image-forming "Swiss quality products" - they are just as worthy of protection as other national achievements and are a guarantee for competence-based value creation. Now courage is required to openly face the crisis in the secondary sector, not to sugarcoat anything and to work out pragmatic solutions that benefit the entire Swiss workplace.

www.swissmechanic.ch

Investments in new tech companies, i.e. knowledge and technology-based startups, have almost tripled in the last five years, according to the latest Swiss Venture Capital Report. According to the report, domestic and foreign investors provided 909 million in venture capital in 2016, 35 percent more than in the previous year. There was another 26 percent increase in the top 20 rounds, from CHF 561 million to now CHF 706 million, due to larger financing transactions taking place at a later stage of development. In addition, financing rounds of more than CHF 100 million took place for the first time. In both cases - ADC Therapeutics and Mindmaze - the money went to companies based in Vaud.

Largest increase in the ICT sector

In percentage terms, the strongest growth was in the area of information and communications technology (ICT), including fintech. The reported figure of 271 million is more than double that of the previous year. Responsible for this increase are, on the one hand, providers of B2B software such as Nexthink or SonarSource, and on the other hand, tech companies whose products are used in the digitization of traditional industries. Swiss fintech startups alone attracted just under CHF 50 million in 2016. In absolute terms, the most money went to biotech companies. This sector continued to grow in 2016. Around 400 million was raised in 25 financing rounds.

Focus Lausanne

What is remarkable - according to one finding of the report, which covers all published venture capital investments in Swiss startups - is the geographical distribution of investments. Vaud swung way up at the top in 2016. More than half of the total amount invested went to the innovation cluster around the ETH and the University of Lausanne. The canton in western Switzerland also attracted the most money in the ICT sector for the first time, it adds. The canton of Zurich, which for years was considered Switzerland's ICT stronghold, now leads only in the fintech sector.

Seven IPOs

Whether a startup's commitment pays off for the investors is decided at the time of the exit. The company is then either taken over by a strategic investor or remains independent and goes public. And 2016 also had a lot to offer in this respect. Including two reverse takeovers, seven venture capital-financed tech companies ventured onto the stock market last year. In addition, a number of startups were acquired by large companies such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise, 3M and TripAdvisor.

Source: www.startupticker.ch