Many Swiss lawyers, trustees and service providers now record their project-specific services with "Plato", a software solution from All Consulting. Thanks to dynamic interfaces, it enables seamless integration with ERP software solutions and other systems. According to the company, the focus is on the digital customer dossier. Abacus Research AG is now taking over this industry solution developed and marketed by All Consulting, including the associated customer base. This is made up of lawyers, trustees and other service providers. This means that Abacus will gain around 600 additional customers directly and at the same time expand its industry portfolio, according to a media release. "With the acquisition of "Plato" and its integration into the Abacus software, we are bringing a software solution to the market that is optimally tailored to the customer needs of lawyers, trustees and other service providers. The software will optimally combine the strengths of both providers. This includes comprehensive and long-standing industry know-how as well as integrated, end-to-end processes," said Christian Huber, CFO and designated Co-CEO of Abacus Research AG. "We are looking forward to the intensive cooperation with the All Consulting team," Huber continues.

With the takeover of "Plato" by Abacus, existing "Plato" users will receive significant added value and, at the same time, a guarantee of continuity: "Plato" will be fully integrated into the Abacus software and will thus benefit from over 35 years of experience in the field of software development. The contact persons and the maintenance contracts remain unchanged. Marcel Rüegg, Partner and Head of Software Solutions at All Consulting: "With Abacus Research AG, we have found a partner who has established itself in the market with a proven solution, is constantly investing in the future with innovations, and shares the same values. We look forward to continuing to serve our existing customers personally and, in new ways, together with the Abacus team."

The software will now be known as "AbaPlato". All Consulting has been a Gold Partner of Abacus for 35 years and implements their comprehensive, modular ERP solution for SMEs.

Sources and further information: Abacus / All Consulting

Interest rate hikes, inflation, recession - the wind has shifted considerably for many companies in recent weeks and months after years of virtually unrestrained growth. The result: many employees have been laid off and are now looking for jobs. But those with IT skills still have a very good chance of finding a new job. An evaluation by LinkedIn of the most sought-after software engineering skills worldwide shows which skills are particularly in demand: programming languages are right at the top. Anyone with knowledge of these languages can help alleviate the shortage of IT specialists.

Knowledge of programming languages increases job opportunities

JavaScript, Java, Python and C++ are among the most widely used programming languages worldwide. Accordingly, it comes as no surprise that they land in the top 10 in the ranking of the most sought-after qualifications in the software sector, with JavaScript taking first place. In view of the increasing digitization of all areas of life, these skills will continue to be of great importance in the coming years and thus an advantage for employees.

But job seekers can also score points with other skills, for example CSS (5th place) or HMTL (6th place): Although neither of these is a classic programming language, they are essential for structuring, formatting or designing websites. Therefore, they are important skills for web and frontend developers, but can also be helpful for workers in other business areas such as marketing. The positive thing about CSS and HTML: they are comparatively easy to learn.

The most sought-after global skills in software engineering in 2023

1. JavaScript
2. Java
3. SQL
4. Python
5. CSS
6. HTML
7. Management
8. Cloud Computing
9. Git
10. C++

Overall, there is only one soft skill on the top 10 list: Management. Nevertheless, this skill should not be underestimated - just because someone is a good developer, for example, does not necessarily mean that they are also a good team leader of developers. After all, with the latter comes new and, above all, different tasks and responsibilities. Anyone who still wants to take the leap into a role with management responsibility should familiarize themselves with these requirements beforehand and check their skills accordingly.

IT skills shortage: Thinking about employees from abroad as well

"Digital transformation meets a shortage of IT specialists - this is the challenge currently facing many companies. But there is a way out of this situation: Many experienced IT professionals are currently looking for new jobs around the world. The task now is to actively approach them, convince them and make them an attractive offer, because of course the competition will not be sleeping either and will try to secure these talents. Since the demand for these talents is very high, the job seekers will probably not only have an offer and have to be inspired for their own company," says Barbara Wittmann, Country Manager and Senior Director Talent Solutions at LinkedIn DACH. "Whether it's a large corporation or a medium-sized company, I advise companies to open themselves up to looking for talent abroad as well and to develop a strategy for doing so. If they don't do this, they will fall behind in national and international comparisons, as IT talent is very mobile globally."

Source: LinkedIn / Hotwire PR

Appreciation is not everything, but without appreciation everything is nothing: If we lack it in our private lives, this is one of the most common reasons why we withdraw and relationships fail. At work, lack of appreciation is the number one reason employees quit. Lack of appreciation can even lead to physical illness: Medical experts attribute a large proportion of slipped discs to a lack of recognition and appreciation[1]. If, on the other hand, we feel accepted as we are, we blossom, trust, open up and let ourselves go. Appreciative relationships therefore provide energy in all areas and bring joy into our lives.

Even if our (business) world seems to be characterized by hard numbers - it only becomes worth living through the soft aspects: Those who treat their fellow human beings with more appreciation not only make the world more beautiful and peaceful, but also infect others with it - because we tend to pass on appreciation that we have experienced. Anyone who would like to become an "appreciator" can use the following 15 principles as a guide:

1. Give yourself completely in conversations and give your current counterpart your full attention. Do not neglect him for possible contacts in the virtual space. Switch your cell phone to flight mode and put it out of sight so that it does not distract you.
2. Listen attentively to the person you are talking to, without already preparing your own answer in your mind. Pay attention to the nuances and sense what moves him. In this way, you strengthen your neural networks for empathy, which is an important basis for appreciation.
3. Get close to nature regularly and take deliberate breaks from using your digital devices from time to time, this will also increase your empathy.
4. Observe what values are important to those around you and consider them when communicating with them. Do not judge anyone for being different. Do not condemn yourself for your mistakes and weaknesses, but see them as areas for development.
5. Dialogue is the art of thinking together: be mindful of what your conversation partner's statements trigger in you. Only then think about a response and allow it to develop from the shared space between the two of you.
6. Meditate regularly or practice mindfulness exercises and consciously develop your awareness of what is happening. Use situations that make you emotional to reflect and get to know yourself better.
7. Show respect for others by speaking non-violently when criticizing them and avoiding "you" messages and judgments. Separate behavior from person. Adhere to the principle that everyone is fully accepted for being human. This does not exclude that he is responsible for his behavior in case of negligence or intent.
8. Be patient and trust that those around you will open up at their individual pace. Respect their boundaries and give them space. Pay attention to nonverbal signals that show someone is uncomfortable or stressed.
9. Be tolerant of mistakes and don't impute intent to others or that they are doing something to deliberately harm you. Most people try to be a good person.
10. Don't judge someone whose situation you haven't been in. Learn to appreciate the differences between you and others and ask yourself what you can learn from them.
11. Be peaceful: It is not about always being right and keeping it, but about the feelings you trigger in your fellow human beings and thereby bring into the world.
12. Clarify your mutual expectations with those around you so that disappointments are prevented. Be transparent, open, but at the same time tactful and discreet. Do not talk about absentees, but in such a way that all your words could be in the newspaper.
13. Appreciate those around you in the ways they understand best. Some feel valued by material gifts, others by praise and recognition, by help and support, by physical closeness or by time spent together.
14. Practice gratitude exercises and open your heart to be more loving toward your fellow human beings. Meet others as equals, even if there are differences in status between you.
15. It is not many shallow contacts that will fulfill you, but the depth of your most trusting relationships. This takes time, so invest more in quality than quantity.

[1] Werner Bartens: Emotional Violence; p.77, rowohlt, Berlin, 2018

Author:
Christian Bernhardt is a lecturer, author, consultant and speaker on solutions to the skills shortage. His new book "Echte Wertschätzung" was published in September 2022 and already jumped into the Amazon bestseller charts in November. It describes 111 ways to lead employees in a more appreciative way. Bernhardt advises companies and holds lectures and trainings in Germany and Switzerland. More at www.bernhardt-trainings.com

Book tip

Christian Bernhardt
Genuine appreciation: Strengthen relationships. Deepen trust. Develop teams together.
300 pages, from 24,95 Euro
ISBN: 978-3-86980-666-2
BusinessVillage Publishing House, September 2022

Over the past three years, the pandemic shift to the home office has taken its toll on Swiss companies. The surge in digitization predicted by experts in this context is very evident in this country: according to a Study of the University of Zurich Before the COVID 19 pandemic, just under 20 % of employees worked from home; during the pandemic, this figure was over 60 %. In many places, hybrid working models were introduced that required a more modern IT infrastructure. For many mid-sized companies in particular, the digitization of business processes became an ad hoc project during this period. The slow reopening of the world in 2022 brought with it a whole new set of challenges. What has happened since then? What impetus did the COVID 19 pandemic provide for the world of work today? Which innovations have been further put on the back burner by supply bottlenecks and price increases?

The ten biggest brake blocks

The results of the 2022 SME study by SAP Concur, a software company that provides travel and expense management services for companies, confirm the digitization push in Switzerland in terms of technical equipment, but there is still some catching up to do when it comes to the digitization of business processes. The question of how employees in SMEs can best communicate with each other is becoming particularly important. It has not yet been answered digitally.

Against this background, the top 10 hurdles for Swiss SMEs in their day-to-day work are as follows:

For the respondents in 2022, the most potential for frustration was poor coordination with colleagues (25 %). One reason for this is the choice of communication tools: even if digital collaboration tools support communication, personal contact on site cannot always be digitized in daily coordination. For example, 47 % of respondents say that digitization and virtual meetings can maintain business relationships remotely, but they do not replace business trips and the associated face-to-face exchanges. More than half of the respondents (55 %) have become aware of the importance of face-to-face contact with customers as well as colleagues as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic and the large number of virtual meetings. At the same time, 34 % of mid-market employees still say they travel less than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. Although many employees were not yet traveling at pre-pandemic levels in 2022, approving and accounting for business travel was still a hurdle for 7 %. Especially in light of air travel chaos, wars and continued pandemic rules, just over a third of respondents (38 %) would like their employer to provide apps that make business travel easier.

The best of both worlds

Compared with the rest of the DACH region, Switzerland is clearly ahead in terms of digital equipment in the workplace. In this country, only 15 % of respondents felt thwarted by outdated IT hardware (Germany: 23 %; Austria: 21 %). Only 13 % cited outdated IT software as a hurdle in their day-to-day work (Germany: 19 %; Austria: 18 %). Nevertheless, too many processes in SMEs are still characterized by bureaucracy (24 %) and recurring administrative procedures with no added value (23 %). 38 %, for example, still have to submit invoices on paper and fill out Excel spreadsheets. The billing processes take a correspondingly long time: almost one-third of respondents (29 %) have to wait two to four weeks for reimbursement. According to the survey, there is still a clear need for optimization in Swiss SMEs when it comes to digital solutions for expense management. While 40 % of employers in Austria already use digital solutions to settle employee expenses such as home office costs, expenses or mileage allowances, according to the respondents, this is the case in just under a quarter of Swiss companies (26 %; Germany: 28 %).

"Efficient, digitized processes in the workplace increase employee satisfaction. SMEs should not underestimate this positive influence. The study results clearly show that too much bureaucracy and paperwork in the daily work routine lead to frustration and loss of productivity," says Dennis Torchetti, Head of Switzerland & CEE at SAP Concur. "This makes it all the more important to focus now on IT solutions that reduce monotonous, time-consuming work processes and create space for value-creating activities. Those who continue to put off digital transformation will lose employees and innovation in the long term."

Source and further information: SAP Concur

The year 2022 was characterized by turbulence at the political, economic and monetary level. Geopolitical tensions, especially the war in Ukraine, but also inflation and rising interest rates were at the forefront throughout the year. On the financial markets, these crises and uncertainties led to high volatility and sharply falling bond and equity markets - an unfavorable environment from which compenswiss was not spared. Manuel Leuthold, Chairman of the Board of Directors, emphasizes: "One of compenswiss' main tasks is to keep sufficient liquidity on hand so that the three social security funds can meet their payment obligations at all times. The more liquid asset classes in which compenswiss consequently primarily invests, such as bonds, equities, listed real estate funds and shares, were particularly hard hit in 2022."

Negative net return - but liquidity always sufficient

As of December 31, 2022, the total assets managed by compenswiss amounted to CHF 37,282 million (previous year: CHF 40,882 million). Assets under management consist of non-current assets, which amounted to CHF 34,599 million (previous year: CHF 38,682 million), and cash and cash equivalents (treasury), which amounted to CHF 2,683 million (previous year: CHF 2,200 million).

After taking into account currency hedging, the net return generated on non-current assets reached -12.85% at the end of 2022 (previous year: 5.28%). The net return generated on cash and cash equivalents amounted to -0.23% (previous year: -0.33%). The net returns on the assets of the three social security funds amounted to -12.38% (previous year: 4.94%) for the AHV, -11.24 % (previous year: 4.10%) for the IV and -12.21% (previous year: 5.05%) for the EO. The slightly less negative result for IV is mainly due to higher liquidity reserves.

In 2022, cash inflows, which came mainly from contributions by insured persons, employers, the self-employed and the federal government, fully covered outflows. Eric Breval, director of compenswiss, explains, "Throughout the year, compenswiss had sufficient liquidity to enable insurers to pay out pensions and other benefits without having to sell assets from their portfolio. Despite a clearly negative performance in 2022, there were no effective losses. These were merely book losses. The cumulative performance over the last ten years remains positive."

Total operating and asset management expenses (including stamp duties) are 0.20% of total assets and have remained stable compared to the previous year (0.19%).

Responsible investment policy of compenswiss to be continued

In 2022, compenswiss tightened its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) criteria requirements in line with its statutory obligations - liquidity, security and return. This responsible approach led to an acceleration of divestments, particularly in the coal sector. The Anstalt continued to exercise its voting rights for the Swiss shares held in its portfolio. As a member of the Swiss Association for Responsible Investment (SVVK), the Anstalt continued its shareholder dialogue and normative exclusions. It also developed measurement tools in the area of sustainability which, among other things, enable it to assess the climate compatibility of its market portfolio using the "Swiss Climate Scores" introduced by the Federal Council.

Stabilization of the AHV fund thanks to the AHV 21 reform

On September 25, 2022, the Swiss people and the cantons approved the AHV 21 reform to stabilize the AHV. The people were in favor of a gradual increase in the retirement age for women to 65 and an increase in value added tax of 0.4%. Thanks to these measures, which will come into force on January 1, 2024, the financial balance of the AHV will remain secure for another seven to eight years.

The operating results of the three social insurance schemes AHV, IV and EO for 2022 will be published in April 2023.

Source and further information

The Rothenburg-based company Pistor is growing continuously. The wholesaler no longer supplies only bakeries, but also restaurants and healthcare facilities such as hospitals and retirement homes. In addition, the company provides services such as consulting or billing processing, as well as setting up a digital B2B marketplace.

Pistor: Always more broadly positioned

"We are developing into a broad-based company. We hire a correspondingly large number of qualified personnel," explains HR and ICT Manager Michèle Waeber. In the last year alone, the workforce has grown by ten percent, so that today 616 employees work for the company. But the development is far from over, says Waeber. "We plan to create more than 50 new jobs in the course of this year. This makes us not only one of the most important employers in the canton of Lucerne, but in the whole of central Switzerland."

Combating the shortage of skilled workers with an attractive overall package

Pistor's job expansion is broad-based: Virtually all areas of the company are set to grow. From truck drivers to ICT experts, a wide range of profiles are sought. In order to score points with employees, Pistor offers various benefits. In addition to remuneration in line with the market, these include, for example, flexible working time models with up to nine weeks' vacation, a staff restaurant with discounted menus or offers for physical well-being and leisure experiences. "For job seekers, it's not just the salary that counts these days, but an attractive overall package. Pistor is also characterized by a personal corporate culture. That is why I am convinced that we will continue to be able to fill our vacancies with qualified personnel," says Michèle Waeber.

Source

The Bühler Group held its Annual General Meeting on Friday, February 10, 2023. A new election to the Board of Directors was also on the agenda. Marco Gadola (59), a Swiss and French citizen, was elected. He can look back on a long professional career. Marco Gadola began his career in banking. He later worked for Novartis International Ltd. in Basel as an audit manager. Starting in 1992, he spent nine years with the Hilti Group in management positions in the areas of trading, sales and finance in Liechtenstein, the United States, Spain and Germany. After five years as CFO at the Hero Group, he joined the Straumann Group in Basel as CFO and VP Operations. In 2008, Marco Gadola was appointed CFO of the Panalpina Group in Basel. From 2013 to 2019, he was CEO of the Straumann Group, a listed Swiss company with revenues of over CHF 2 billion.

A wealth of experience

Marco Gadola is Chairman of the Board of Directors of DKSH, Chairman of the Board of Directors of WS Audiology and Medartis Holding AG, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of MCH Group AG and member of the Board of Directors of Straumann Group. Marco Gadola holds a Master in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Basel, Switzerland.

"With this appointment, the Bühler Board of Directors gains an accomplished and proven executive with nearly three decades of experience in various industries in the tools, medical and logistics sectors," says Calvin Grieder, Chairman of the Bühler Board of Directors.

Konrad Hummler resigns

At the same meeting, Konrad Hummler resigned as a member of the Board of Directors of Bühler and of the respective committees on which he served, having reached the statutory limit. Konrad Hummler had been a member of the Board of Directors since 2010. "We thank Konrad Hummler for his foresight and great contribution to our company and wish him all the best for his professional and personal future," says Calvin Grieder.

Source

In a study of the investor app Splint Invest (known among other things also by the TV show "The Lion's Den Switzerland), a small, albeit representative, sample of private investors from German-speaking Switzerland was surveyed. Of the 61 respondents, 56 invested in traditional investments at the time of the survey. First and foremost in ETFs. However, a large proportion of the participants wanted to invest more - 85.7% of the respondents stated this. Preferably in alternative investments. The problem is that there is a lack of access.

This does not mean that investors do not know where they can invest alternatively. Rather, the problem is financial. Access to alternative investments is made more difficult by high investment amounts. Plus: The fact that often only large amounts can be invested means that there are legal requirementswho is allowed to invest in alternative investments. In short, this means that anyone who is not a millionaire will have difficulty finding alternative investments that can actually be used. Yet the need is certainly there. 17% of the interested investors - and thus almost one in five - would like to invest CHF 1,000-2,000 per month in alternative investments. 38.3% would like to invest CHF 250-999 per month. 44.7% would like to invest CHF 50-249 per month.

Legal restrictionsnkings forr private investors

In addition to the financial hurdles, however, there are also obstacles of a legal nature. In Switzerland, alternative investments are regulated by the Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes. Only qualified investors may be used in collective investments (KAG) invest. This also includes private individuals, but only those who are wealthy. These include either investors "who, by virtue of personal education and professional experience or comparable experience in the financial sector, possess[ed] the knowledge necessary to understand the risks of the investments" and at the same time have assets of at least 500,000 Swiss francs. Or investors who have assets of at least 5 million Swiss francs.

In demand are investment möOpportunities in Private Equity & Venture Capital Funds

The figures from the survey show: The willingness to invest is there. However, the majority of respondents do not want to invest more than CHF 50 to 999 per month in alternative investments. "Investors are particularly interested in investing in private equity and venture capital funds," says Mario von Bergen, Head of Investments and Co-Founder of Splint Invest. "But a majority of respondents would also like to invest in established companies or in startups. But this is hardly possible with amounts below CHF 1000 per month."

Due to the fact that there are both legal and financial limits on which products may be offered to retail investors, there are always companies within the industry that set up constructs in order to be able to offer alternative investments. This is a logical consequence of the increasing demand for alternative investments among retail investors. The problem is that these constructs often involve unnecessary counterparty risks and often do not allow direct investments but only investments via certificates or similar products.

Another difficulty is that, because some alternative investments cannot be offered to retail investors, retail investors are forced to switch to higher-risk products. The goal of protecting retail investors is therefore not achieved.

What woulds discouraging private investors from investing in alternative assets?

Private investors would like to invest in alternative investments - at least according to the respondents. But they don't. Firstly, because retail investors want to invest on a monthly basis, as they are still in the phase of building up capital. One-off investments in large amounts are therefore not optimal. For another, retail investors want to achieve adequate diversification. But this is only possible if they can invest in several alternative investments - which again means enormous financial pressure.

Several alternative investments in small amounts would be optimal. In this way, private investors could invest their money in a broadly diversified manner and at the same time regularly invest small amounts. In this way, assets are built up piece by piece over the long term. The option to exit should be available at any time. For example, if the private financial situation changes.

New MöOpportunities forr Retail investors

The figures of the Splint Invest survey speak a clear language. But how can the problems of retail investors be solved? Aurelio Perucca, CEO and Co-Founder of Splint Invest, has two suggestions: "Revising the laws or unblocking the products for retail investors would be a first step. Also, increased regulation at the provider level would provide more certainty, while less to no regulation at the product level would allow more opportunities." This approach would also alleviate the issues surrounding the regulation of cryptocurrencies, Perucca says.

Until that happens, private investors from Switzerland will lack access to alternative investments. Although solutions to the dilemma are already being worked on. Von Bergen and Perucca have created a tool with their app Splint Invest that allows investors to make monthly investments in amounts starting at 50 euros. The focus is on luxury items, such as rare whiskey or limited edition handbags, which are purchased and stored safely through Splint Invest. The investors share the costs for the respective luxury items among themselves. And jointly profit from the accrued return.

Source and further information: Splint Invest

Guido Schilling is completing the generational change in his company: In the future, his executive search firm schillingpartners will be managed by the longstanding partners. However, he himself will remain with the company as Chairman of the Board of Directors and will focus on filling board and senior management positions. The role of Managing Partner will be taken over by Malte Müller, who has been with the firm for 10 years and heads the Industry/Energy practice. Like Müller, the other partners will also concentrate on an industry focus, applying their expertise on behalf of clients.

More than 30 years experience

Guido Schilling has been active in executive search for over 30 years and established schillingpartners as one of the leading executive search companies in Switzerland. Systematic, reliable and goal-oriented, the headhunters find the right executives at the highest management level for SMEs and large companies. In 2019, Guido Schilling started the succession process with the partners to sustainably position the company for the future. The majority of schillingpartners' shares are now in the hands of the new generation. Guido Schilling comments on this milestone as follows: "It fills me with joy and pride to have found an excellent solution for the future of schillingpartners and its employees together with the long-standing partners. I will stand by the partners with advice and support in the realization of their business plans."

Ambitious goals

schillingpartners has set itself ambitious goals for the future after the generation change. "We want to be the number 1 for filling top positions in Switzerland," Malte Müller explains the company's vision. "To achieve this, we will continue to expand the team and are especially looking for strong consultants who share our quality standards and deliver the maximum performance for our clients every day."

The company currently employs around 30 people. The consultants specialize in individual focus areas, ranging from industry, IT technology, financial services, healthcare and life sciences to consumer goods, energy, real estate and the public sector. Internationally, the firm is affiliated with IMD Search Group with offices in 25 countries on four continents.

Source: www.schillingpartners.ch

The threat of climate change continues to grow, and with each passing year it seems more real. All over the world, people are stepping up their efforts to mitigate or even prevent this looming catastrophe. Even in times of economic or energy crises, climate change does not lose importance in many considerations. The industrialized countries in particular cause a large percentage of the CO2 gases that are considered harmful. In a global comparison, not only factories or the manufacturing industry are responsible, but also classic office buildings. Computers, telephones and printers consume a lot of electricity. However, quite a bit of energy can be saved here, for example with appropriate economy modes on the devices or the general reduction of consumables. "New devices usually come up trumps with a better eco-balance and thus bring along oodles of savings potential. Even a complete switch from laser printers to inkjet printers can cut the emissions generated during the printing process by almost half," explains Tanja Schmidt, Managing Director of igreeen solution GmbH and expert for technical office equipment.

Possible step towards climate neutrality?

Sustainability as a core issue has long since reached all industries. Increasing demands from customers, employees and politicians are ensuring that companies make themselves and their processes more climate-friendly. In this context, Germany, for example, has set itself the goal of reducing the greenhouse gases it produces by 80 to 90 percent by 2050 compared with 1990 levels. With this overarching goal of net zero, the German government wants to achieve its environmental targets and come a big step closer to the planned climate neutrality in the wake of the 1.5-degree target. However, this requires a strict compensation policy as well as a steady reduction in energy consumption. Schmidt clarifies: "Ongoing sustainability efforts by companies, such as the switch to more economical and healthier equipment, make a decisive contribution here. At around a quarter of total consumption, electrical appliances in the home and office do not prove to be the biggest consumers of electricity, but the increasing ownership of a wide variety of devices means that individual consumption must nevertheless be drastically reduced. Economical inkjet printers can quickly reduce demand by a large proportion."

Efficient device management

At first glance, the move to more sustainable printing appears to have little direct impact on the path to climate neutrality and the future of the planet. But according to estimates, printers of all kinds alone cause almost 2.5 tons of CO2 and consume around 4,500 gigawatt hours of electricity per year (Source: https://epsonemear.a.bigcontent.io/v1/static/Epson-HeatFreeReport-German_final). Based on precise data, researchers can state that inkjet printers are approximately 90 percent more efficient than laser printers. According to a study by Epson and the University of Cambridge, there is thus the possibility of saving up to 1.3 million tons of CO2. "This shows that net zero by 2050 in terms of printers is definitely possible if energy-efficient technology is used more in homes as well as businesses. Some manufacturers are even already working here with special printing processes that manage completely without heat. This reduces the power consumption required and at the same time also the greenhouse gas emissions that are produced," says Schmidt. By switching to modern inkjet printers, private individuals and companies can significantly reduce their CO2 emissions and make a decisive contribution to the fight against climate change.

Source: www.igreeen.de

Manual and paper-based forms of invoicing are increasingly being replaced by electronic and digital methods. These enable processes to be simpler, more accurate and more sustainable. This is the conclusion of a joint study by SIX and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, which examined the future of accounting.

Invoices worth over 8 trillion Swiss francs

In Switzerland, 1.27 billion payment transactions with a total volume of CHF 8.09 trillion were processed in 2021. This is more than ten times the country's gross domestic product. This number will continue to grow in the coming years, as all common forms of billing in the country have shown increasing transaction numbers in recent years, according to the study. As a result, the need for automated, digital and sustainable forms of invoicing is also increasing, it added.

The future of accounting lies in eBill

The use of eBill clearly shows this trend, the study authors continue. At present, eBill is the only end-to-end digital form of invoicing in Switzerland. Between 2020 and 2021, transactions via eBill increased by around 27% to over 50 million. Thus, in 2021, 83% of all payments were triggered electronically and already over 4000 companies use eBill for invoicing. At the end of 2022, over 2.7 million users were registered with eBill and, according to a representative survey, seven out of ten study participants use the solution to pay bills.

Sustainability as a driver

In addition to automation and digitization, the issue of sustainability is another important driver of development. The use of eBill allows a reduction in CO2 emissions of around 82% compared to paper-based invoices, the study calculates. According to the forecast, by 2028, 80% of all invoices in Switzerland are expected to be processed with eBill. According to an analysis by carbon-connect AG, an emissions reduction of up to 66% can be achieved as a result. In the context of this change, the QR bill ensures that previous manual and analog forms as well as needs in invoicing will continue to be covered.

Source: SIX

In the wake of the Corona crisis, automation, digitization and digital transformation have become increasingly important as strategic points for many companies. The rapidly growing market and the great demand for solutions have led Canon Switzerland to focus even more strongly on its solutions business in order to be able to respond better to the individual needs of customers together with its partners.

With the implementation of a strategic, dedicated and cross-company solutions division, Canon is taking an important step to further strengthen the company's position as a player in a fast-growing market, and to push and further expand its business, according to a statement. The new solutions division is headed by Michael Maunz, who also holds the role of Head of Professional Service. "The trend towards hybrid and flexible working has been emerging for a long time. We are no longer talking about a trend here. If hybrid or remote working is to function smoothly, companies need to be provided with the right hardware as well as the right software solutions - and ideally everything from a single source," explains Michael Maunz.

Together with its partners, Canon says it has the industry know-how and a broad portfolio of solutions to offer customers from the various segments customized solutions and thus ensure a smooth end-to-end process. "We have made it our goal to accompany our customers on their digitalization journey with end-to-end solutions and services. In doing so, we support them in the optimization and automation of processes and workflows," says Michael Maunz.

Michael Maunz joined Canon Switzerland in 2018 as Professional Service Manager and has more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry. He is a proven expert and has an in-depth knowledge of the solutions business and the needs of customers. He brings many years of management and leadership experience in support, delivery and sales. "We are pleased to be able to drive the solutions business forward under the leadership of Michael Maunz and to be able to increasingly address the needs of our customers," comments Markus Naegeli, CEO Canon (Schweiz) AG.

Source: Canon Switzerland