SMEs can also achieve more than they think with limited budget, time and influence. Sustainability is often seen as a continuous process of change. Due to constantly changing framework conditions, it is important to review further measures and the achievement of objectives at certain intervals. A new sustainability guide for SMEs from OBT and HSG St.Gallen provides concrete instructions and practical examples.

A topic that affects everyone

The fact is that the topic of sustainability now affects all of us, whether personally or as a company, regardless of size and industry. However, practice shows that there is still a lot to be done and that the differences between companies are still very large: On the one hand, there are SMEs that are already considered pioneers when it comes to sustainability; on the other hand, there are those companies that are only beginning to ask themselves what measures might even make sense. And there is another group: those SMEs that underestimate their possibilities for contributing to greater sustainability or overestimate the effort involved. "Because even with supposedly small measures, a lot could be achieved over time. In our opinion, there is a lack of overview and inspiration - especially examples from SMEs for SMEs," write the editors of the new SME Guide to Sustainability. Too often, they say, the sustainability discourse takes place at the level of large companies, even though two-thirds of employees in Switzerland work in SMEs. The leverage to make a difference would therefore be great, they continue.

Sustainability guide with broad-based knowledge

This was motivation enough to develop a sustainability guide specifically for SMEs. According to the editors, they want to make a small contribution to even more sustainable business practices in the Swiss SME landscape and beyond. The sustainability guide first provides an overview of the concept of sustainability and explains sustainability standards and certifications. It then outlines ways in which the need for action can be identified and measures implemented - pragmatically and/or with a systematic approach. How sustainability can be communicated and continuously developed is also explained, and resources are also mentioned where SMEs can get external support.

The Sustainability Guide for SMEs is broadly based and brings together perspectives from theory and practice. Interview partners such as Stefan Aerni (Quality & Sustainability Manager at Dolder Hotel AG), Olmar Albers (Managing Director öbu - Association for Sustainable Business), Josephine Herzig (Co-Director Engagement Programs, B Lab Switzerland) or Stephen Neff (CEO, Foundation myclimate) have contributed their knowledge. The SME guide can be downloaded directly from the website of OBT and is also available as a short extract.

The Swiss IT company UMB has already received accolades from the experts on workplace culture in the past, as the company has already been voted the best Swiss employer in its category five times by Great Place to Work. Martin Gartmann, CEO of UMB: "It all started with a clear vision of becoming the best employer in Europe. Now we have achieved this goal, and we are incredibly proud of it as a team. We will do everything we can to continue to be the first address for ambitious IT talent in the future."

The UMB corporate culture

At UMB, corporate culture has always been a significant factor in the company's development. This is reflected in the fact that colleagues are taken seriously and involved in decisions at all times. Thus, everyone at UMB can get involved in the strategy process. In addition, the company operates an open information policy. Information about figures, strategies or personnel changes is provided openly and honestly on a regular basis - even negative topics are communicated at eye level. Moreover, UMB not only maintains generous training funds, but also its own security fund, from which colleagues are financially supported in emergency situations. This fund has been used several times in recent years.

The Great Place to Work Trust Model™

Great Place to Work uses a rigorous, data-driven model to quantify employee experience, the Great Place to Work Trust Model™. Since 1992, this trust model has been used to survey more than 100 million employees around the world, using these deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Employees of a great workplace trust the people they work for, take pride in their work, and enjoy working with them. Further, Grat Place to Work's For-All methodology builds on the trust model by ensuring that every single employee, regardless of who they are or what they do for their company, has a consistently positive workplace experience. The For All methodology is used to evaluate all Best Workplace Lists™.

Source and further information: UMB 

Revendo has big plans for the future. In Switzerland, the company has already been able to establish its refurbished concept and, according to its own statements, has become the market leader in this area. Only recently, the company has become a Partnership with a major telecom service provider received.

New Chairman of the Board of Directors of Revendo: Rolf G. Schmid

Now Revendo wants to use the coming years to further expand its presence in Switzerland and establish itself as a brand in Austria and Germany. The big goal is to give one million devices a second life every year by 2025. A great deal of know-how is needed on the way to achieving this major goal. The company has now brought this on board in the form of Rolf G. Schmid and appointed him Chairman of the Board. The former managing director of the mountain sports company Mammut Sportsgroup AG brings with him 20 years of experience in internationalization and retail. Rolf G. Schmid, the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of Revendo, established the Mammut brand internationally and increased sales tenfold. He therefore has the strategic experience that Revendo needs for its next entrepreneurial development steps. Today, Rolf G. Schmid is a full-time member of the Board of Directors of various companies, including Competec AG / Brack, Die Mobiliar, Mobility and Fenix Outdoor International AG.

Continuing the growth course with broader management

In addition, Revendo restructured its operational management team at the beginning of the year and broadened the individual areas of responsibility. As a result of the increase in expertise, certain positions have been strengthened and others supplemented. With these changes, Revendo believes it is well equipped for sustainable growth in the DACH region. The management team is now composed as follows: For Finance, Revendo was able to recruit Daniela Leipert as CFO, who previously held senior positions in the finance and controlling departments in the pharmaceutical industry. Marketing is now headed by Mirco Helbling as CMO. He previously worked as
Marketing Manager at PCP Group and Mobilezone. Revendo was able to recruit Franziska Buser as CHRO to head the Human Resources department. She worked for many years as Head of School. Roman Holzweber heads Operations as COO and previously worked in the service sector at Sony and at Bachmann. Christian Rickenbacher was recruited internally as CTO. Laurenz Ginat, Co-Founder and Managing Director takes over the position of Chief Retail Officer to expand the retail business across countries and Aurel Greiner, Founder and Managing Director takes over the position of CEO.

Source: Revendo

Green Economy is one of the most important future trends. In the near future, more and more companies are likely to be involved in some form of concrete sustainable products - and for everyone else, regulations and other constraints such as climate change and the energy crisis alone are likely to lead to an increased focus on sustainable business. The current energy supply situation clearly shows that we now have to "make up for lost ground," he said. "We are not facing the energy crisis, we are in it," said Bern's mayor Alec von Graffenried in his welcoming message on the first day of the Swiss Green Economy Symposium SGES, and he admitted: "We have to act now."

SGES: The "green" business summit since 2013

Since 2013, the Swiss Green Economy Symposium (SGES) has been using concrete examples to show how business, politics, science and NGOs can jointly contribute to greater prosperity, environmental protection and more peaceful coexistence. This year's event was held under the motto "Working together responsibly and courageously". On the two symposium days of September 7 and 8, 2022, current issues around circular economy, climate protection and social responsibility were discussed in plenary sessions and various so-called innovation forums. A highlight was the keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Honorary President of the Club of Rome, who first pointed out the limits to growth 50 years ago. Today, it must be stated that the appeals of 1972 have unfortunately become more urgent - worldwide, but also in Switzerland.

Climate protection: Do we still have enough time?

On the first day of SGES 2022, for example, Katrin Schneeberger, Director of the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, provided an overview of the status of the circular economy in Switzerland. Although much is already being done, there is still a lot of room for improvement, she said: for example, only 12 percent of all Swiss companies have their own circular activities in their business. Only 9 percent invest more than 10 percent in the circular economy. And likewise, only 12 percent of Swiss companies generate more than 10 percent of sales with circular economy. On the subject of climate protection, National Councilor Jürg Grossen fired a broadside against the Federal Council. He said that the Federal Council had failed to set the course in good time and now had to take emergency measures on an ongoing basis. Jürg Grossen sees the greatest opportunities in digitization: Thanks to smart technology, up to 80 percent of energy can be saved, as he explained with reference to his own company building. "That's what we need to talk about, not more energy production," Grossen said. A sign of how proverbially heated the discussion currently is was probably also the action of some climate activists. They unceremoniously stormed the stage and demanded of panelist Juan Beer, CEO of Zurich Insurance, that his company abandon all investments in oil and gas on the spot. "We are in a transition, and it takes time," Beer's replica said, stressing that the first steps to phase out oil and gas had already been taken.

Existing narratives no longer work, as David Schärer from Rod Kommunikation also emphasized on the first day of the symposium. Companies need to become even more aware of their social responsibility. There are more and more examples of this. A pioneer in this area is Migros, for example, which invests considerable sums in social and cultural life every year with its cultural percentage.

Climate protection in companies: Still much to do

How much courage and responsibility are necessary for safe and sustainable energies was discussed in depth on the second day of the event. The question of how a global and sustainable Switzerland can be achieved through more cooperation was also discussed. As on the first day, various innovation forums took place, which dealt with circular economy, climate protection and social responsibility with a focus on individual industries. For example, they dealt with energy management in buildings, urban logistics, sustainable financing instruments, sustainability communication or concrete climate protection in companies. The Swiss Climate Action Initiative (SCAI) was presented in this context. One of its aims is to develop a guide for SMEs that they can use to draw up their own roadmap for achieving climate targets. The initiative also focuses on a climate information cockpit and the implementation of climate protection along the entire supply chains.

Next SGES: September 6-7, 2023

In addition to the presentations and the innovation forums, a small exhibition was held with 16 participating organizations. The focus was on different innovations for the way to achieve individual of the 17 sustainability goals of the UN. For example, solutions made of bioplastics were on display, as were sustainable building materials and consulting and training services. With a total of 250 speakers, 16 innovation forums and 11 keynotes, the SGES certainly lived up to its claim of being Switzerland's most comprehensive business summit on the Green Economy. Nevertheless, at times one could still get the impression of moving in a "bubble of like-minded people" for whom the direction is clear: words must now be followed by deeds. Ideologically colored lightning actions or consistent obstructionism are not very effective. Nevertheless, the direction of Goal No. 17 of the UN 2030 Agenda was right on both symposium days: "Strengthen means of implementation and breathe new life into the global partnership for sustainable development". The next Swiss Green Economy Symposium will take place on September 6-7, 2023.

More information

Can you learn entrepreneurship? At the latest since the SwissSkills 2022 we know the answer: Yes, it can be done. Because for the first time in history, the competition in the discipline of entrepreneurship was held at the Swiss Professional Championships from September 7 to 10. Raymond Tea and Ralf Boltshauser were crowned the first Swiss champions on September 10, 2022. They recently completed vocational training as application developers. Ralf Boltshauser comes from Fehraltorf and Raymond Tea from Gundetswil. Second place went to Julia Koch and Maria Näf from Thurgau, and the bronze medal went to Gian Wyss from Willisau and Yannick Tschuor from Adligenswil. The winning team will represent Switzerland at the EuroSkills in Gdansk in 2023 and at the WorldSkills in Lyon in 2024.

Great interest and ideas with potential

Around 150 young people from vocational education and training applied for the first championship in entrepreneurship last winter. Eight teams from the different language regions of Switzerland, 19 people in total, made it to the finals at SwissSkills 2022. Over four days, they put their entrepreneurial skills to the test. At the beginning of SwissSkills, they were given the task: Within three days, the finalists had to develop a business idea that would contribute to achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 3. This goal aims to ensure a healthy life for all people of all ages and to promote their well-being. The winning team's business idea was an app that promotes habits that strengthen physical and mental health.

During the preparations, the teams were accompanied by seven coaches from the startup scene. These evaluated their performance during the process. The final presentations on Saturday were evaluated by three external jury members (Michael Koch, Sandra Schnyder and Matthias Peterhans). In total, the final score was made up of 24 criteria. Among other things, the feasibility and financing had to be guaranteed and the business idea had to be presented convincingly.

"We learned an incredible amount during the competition".

"It was very inspiring to work with seven other innovative, motivated teams on SDG 3, which is about global health. And it was an incredible feeling to win a discipline that is being done for the first time," says winner Ralf Boltshauser. His teammate Raymond Tea adds, "We learned an incredible amount during the competition. Winning is great, but taking part and getting to know the coaches was the very best thing." Thomas Heimann, Executive Director of IG EntrepreneurSkills, is very satisfied with the first EntrepreneurSkills: "I am proud that we were able to hold the first Swiss Championships in Entrepreneurship at SwissSkills 2022". National Councilor and entrepreneur Andri Silberschmidt is the president of IG EntrepreneurSkills. For him, entrepreneurial thinking and action are key competencies for actively shaping the future of Switzerland in a responsible and innovative way: "The first-time staging of EntrepreneurSkills is a complete success. At last, young professionals have been able to compete in entrepreneurship and we have created a discipline of the future that will compete for medals at the Euro- and Worldskills".

The emergence of EntrepreneurSkills

A year and a half ago, various organizations - including the Swiss Conference of Directors of Vocational Schools, which is responsible for the UDH project (which aims to systematically anchor entrepreneurial thinking and action in basic vocational education), and FH Schweiz, the umbrella organization for FH graduates - decided to organize the Entrepreneurship competition. All participating organizations want to use EntrepreneurSkills to promote and make visible entrepreneurial thinking and action in vocational education and training.

Source and further information: www.entrepreneurskills.ch/

Since Wednesday, September 7, 2022, more than 1000 young professionals have chosen the Swiss champions at 87 professional competitions. At the three-hour awards ceremony on Saturday evening, which was marked by a lot of emotion, the top three finishers in each profession received a medal. The Debrunner Acifer Trophy for the best Swiss champion went to Matthias Baumann. He receives a hybrid passenger car at his free disposal for one year.

Record SwissSkills 2022

It has become already in the run-up signed off: SwissSkills 2022 will go down in history with several records. More than 1,000 young vocational talents took part in 87 competitions and 65 vocational demonstrations, and the organizers counted 120,000 visitors, 64,000 of them schoolchildren. For the arrival of the school classes, the SBB used 40 extra trains. The competitions and performances took place at around 250 stands, and the area around Bernexpo covered 100,000 square meters. More than 10,000 people were involved in the preparation and execution of the event. OC President Daniel Arn is very satisfied and happy: "I am absolutely delighted that everything went off without any major incidents. SwissSkills 2022 will remain in my memory as a wonderful event."

Proud Federal Council

Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin congratulated each winner personally. In his speech, he expressed his pride in the participants of SwissSkills 2022, saying that they had given their best and had shed an extraordinary light on the enormous diversity of vocational education and training in our country, its quality and efficiency.

"You belong to the elite of Swiss vocational education and training," the enthusiastic Minister of Economic Affairs called out to the professional talents. Parmelin expressed his conviction that those winners who participate in the international competitions EuroSkills 2023 and WorldSkills 2024 would represent Switzerland in a worthy manner. He also wished the SwissSkills National Team every success for the upcoming World Skills Competition 2022. The decentralized competition format takes place in 15 countries, including six Swiss cities.

Family day last highlight

On Sunday, 11 September 2022, SwissSkills 2022 came to an end with a final highlight. Under the title "Best of SwissSkills", visitors had the opportunity to try out for themselves most of the 150 professions presented. In addition, the newly crowned professional champions were available for discussions.

OC President Daniel Arn is delighted that the Swiss Vocational Championships have met with such great interest. He was particularly impressed by the interest shown by schoolchildren who have yet to complete their vocational training: "On weekdays, tens of thousands of schoolchildren flocked to the grounds when the doors opened. Most of them were interested in the professions, went to the stands, got information and didn't kill time in a corner somewhere. The young people were literally on their way to their professional future."

Next SwissSkills in three years

Organizing the Swiss Professional Championships means a great deal of effort every time. Without the support of the trade fair location Bernexpo, the public sector and sponsors, it would not work, says Daniel Arn. The professional associations and their participants also brought life to the stands with their facilities and demonstrations. Daniel Arn: "Without them, there would be no SwissSkills!"

Is it possible to top this year's edition of SwissSkills? Hardly, admits Daniel Arn. "We have reached the capacity limit. Nevertheless, there will always be opportunities to gain a few square meters at one location or another, for example if a new association wants to participate in SwissSkills. But we don't want to define ourselves simply by size. Growing in quality is much more important to us." With these prerequisites in mind, they are now planning the next SwissSkills, which will once again take place in Bern in 2025.

Source: www.swiss-skills.ch; the complete rankings are available here: swiss-skills2022.ch/en/competition/results 

Swissmechanic, the employers' association for SMEs in the mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and metalworking industries, took an in-depth look at the hot topic of "ENERGY - Is Switzerland running out of electricity?" at its traditional Business Day on September 6. Top-class experts - experienced luminaries in their fields - examined the topic of energy and the environment from their own specific perspective. "At the moment, politicians, parties and associations are showering each other with accusations, recriminations and wild demands. There is a hot argument about who has been too opportunistic or too careless and who can be assigned the scapegoat. But we don't need buzzwords now that trigger a media response but provide little knowledge and hardly any solutions. We need clear facts so that we can find solutions that work in reality," criticized Jürg Marti, Director of Swissmechanic, in his welcoming speech.

Criticism of Europe's climate policy

National economist and financial scientist Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Sinn, one of Germany's most important minds and winner of numerous awards, spoke about the climate problem and the Swiss energy transition. His conclusion: "The climate cannot be protected without concluding and monitoring binding global agreements. Europe's unilateralism on climate policy will undermine the competitiveness of its industries, initiate economic decline and discourage other countries from following the European, especially the German, path."

What to do in the event of a crisis

Werner Meier, a graduate electrical engineer from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), who has already worked for several companies in the energy sector and has been the Delegate for National Economic Supply since 2016, explained the hazards and the way in which the National Economic Supply intervenes.

Dr. Suzanne Thoma, a graduate chemical engineer (ETH Zurich), doctor of technical sciences, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sulzer AG and previously CEO of BKW AG for nine years, warned: Switzerland's energy supply is more than 60 percent dependent on foreign countries (oil and gas), and the move away from fossil fuels will lead to further demand for electricity. Sufficient power at any time during the day requires additional power sources or power imports. At times, there is a shortfall of up to 7 GW. Thoma spoke of a "trilemma" in Swiss electricity policy. This has three main problems: limited imports (greatly reduced capacity in France, lack of gas for German gas-fired power plants, no EU electricity agreement), rising electricity consumption and limited expansion possibilities. A massive expansion of solar energy would not solve the problem sufficiently. Controllable gas-fired power plants as a transitional solution are a "must". Investment incentives must be set, the blockade mentality for expansion projects must be overcome and the situation with Europe must be clarified, because energy is relevant to security. "There is no such thing as a fiver and a dime with any energy strategy," Thoma explained in the discussion round.

Political talk at the Swissmechanic Business Day

Thierry Burkart, lawyer and party president of the FDP, represented the viewpoint of a liberal energy policy at a political talk with moderator Claudia Steinmann, editor-in-chief of Tele Z. With regard to a possible phase-out of nuclear energy, Burkart advocated a sequential approach: first, guaranteeing the security of electricity supply in the short term, decarbonization in the medium term, and the nuclear energy discussion only in the long term. Burkart also pointed out that Switzerland would have to do its own homework in terms of complete liberalization of the electricity market before considering an electricity agreement with the EU. Burkart concluded the subsequent discussion with the Swissmechanic audience with the statement: "You are systemically relevant, you are too many to fail!"

Safe modern nuclear power plants

Dr. Marc Kenzelmann, Director of the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) since 2020, presented the nuclear power plants of the current four generations and their safety systems to those present. While a serious accident occurs statistically every 200 to 2,000 years in power plants of the currently predominant generation two (with 500 reactors worldwide), reactors of generation three are ten times safer (one serious accident every 20,000 years), mainly thanks to passive safety systems. When asked about radiation exposure, Kenzelmann, who is from the canton of Valais, explained that the natural radiation in his home canton is the same as the current radiation exposure in areas around Fukushima that are still closed today.

International coordination is missing

Daniel Büchel, Vice Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and Program Manager of SwissEnergy, gave an overview of the current energy situation and short- and longer-term measures for coping with an electricity and gas shortage. The challenge in Europe, Büchel said, is that while all countries are simultaneously engaged in the energy transition, they are not coordinating among themselves. Finally, Büchel addressed energy issues that affect SMEs in the MEM sector and showed the areas in which the federal government supports companies in implementing energy-saving measures.

The Business Day was framed by numerous exhibitors who presented their latest developments, first of all on the topic of energy. The entrepreneurs present took the opportunity to exchange ideas and ask the speakers critical questions.

Source and further information: Swissmechanic

Since 2012, the company ALAN Software AG was part of the FIVE Group from Schönbühl BE, which has been offering, integrating and developing IT and software solutions since 1988. On September 1, 2022, Zehnder Investment AG from Dübendorf ZH added this software company with over 150 customers to its portfolio and acquired all shares in ALAN Software AG. "10 years ago, we took ALAN Software AG under the FIVE umbrella. FIVE management became financially and developmentally involved with ALAN and gave the ERP solution a new perspective," says Ulrich Tschanz, CEO and board member of the FIVE Group. "ALAN has since successfully evolved and maintained its position in the market."

With Zehnder Investment AG, a partner has been found that will improve the ALAN law firm software technologically and functionally. The change of ownership itself will not be qualitatively noticeable for ALAN customers in terms of support, according to the companies involved. The preservation of technical and industry-specific knowledge is also guaranteed, as Udo Schneider will remain with ALAN in his role as product manager and project manager. "The primary goal is and remains to keep customer satisfaction high and to continue to ensure future security," explain Michael Zehnder, owner of Zehnder Investment AG and Sebastian Hurter, new CEO of ALAN Software AG. "We are pleased to have been able to win ALAN for us and appreciate the work FIVE has done so far as well as the long-standing customer loyalty of the law firms. Scaling ALAN is very important to us in order to maximize customer value and ensure the continuation and further development of ALAN."

Sources and further information: FIVE Group / Zehnder Investment

He always has a lucky hand when it comes to the topicality of the topics: When Armin Baumann, founder and CEO of KMU Swiss, decided on the motto for the KMU Swiss Symposium 2022 about nine months ago, he probably had no idea how topical it would be by then. Indeed, we are currently experiencing our limits in many respects - probably most visibly in energy supply, which seems anything but self-evident for the near future. So are we reaching our limits here for a Switzerland 4.0?

Work 4.0 - Company 4.0 - Switzerland 4.0?

For the time being, however, the possibilities with which work is changing seem limitless. "Knowledge work is undergoing the greatest transformation in its history," said futurologist Raphael Gielgen, who is a "trend scout" for furniture manufacturer Vitra AG. So what does the future of work hold? And how can companies anticipate it? To this end, Gielgen recommended that the entrepreneurs present ask themselves "What if..." questions every now and then. Because in the future, we will be working on products that don't even exist today. And the nature of work will also continue to change, for which employees will have to be continuously retrained - and this will probably be easier in the future than always having to recruit new skilled workers. According to Raphael Gielgen, however, one thing will remain and become more important again: Perceiving the world with all our senses. Because digitalization cannot replace this.

Carla Kaufmann's presentation was also about the future, namely those of companies that need to regulate their succession. "Successful company succession means overcoming boundaries" was the title of her input presentation. The succession expert and co-founder of the Swiss umbrella organization for business succession CHDU on the entire life cycle of companies in connection with long-term entrepreneurship, which is only possible by means of successful succession planning. She illustrated this, among other things, with the example of the bell foundry H. Rüetschi AG, which, with 655 years today, is one of the oldest Swiss companies. In a live talk with Natalie Spross, CEO of Spross Holding AG, she delved deeper into the topic and showed how decisive cultural change is in a family-run company. Natalie Spross successfully leads the 130-year-old horticultural company in its fifth generation.

Energy: From leaving the comfort zone

The next block of presentations dealt with the topic of energy. Christian Schaffner showed how rocky the road away from fossil fuels still is. But this is the only way we will manage to achieve the net zero target by 2050. The measures taken and launched so far would go in the right direction, but should be accelerated. In the subsequent panel discussion with National Councilor Beat Flach and Axpo CEO Christoph, the latter first explained what the recently agreed 4-billion rescue package for this energy supplier was all about: not about rescuing the company, but about a "stopgap" to ensure sufficient liquidity so that the collateral required on the electricity exchange can be provided. This process is comparable to providing a rental deposit, Christoph Brand explained, emphasizing that this loan has not yet had to be drawn down. With regard to achieving the climate targets, Christoph Brand also made it clear that some illusions had to be shattered: "You can't have maximum comfort, security of supply, maximum environmental protection and minimum prices at the same time." He - along with fellow panelists - deplored the sometimes lengthy planning and approval processes for wind power plants, for example. National Councilor Beat Flach also accused politicians of having been "asleep for too long." In this context, he showed a prospectus from 2009, which already at that time dealt with the promotion of alternative energy. Christian Schaffner called for the current crisis to be used as an opportunity to finally move forward.

Preserve and revive ideas

In the last block, Guido Honegger from tracker.ch AG spoke about reviving companies. This was not so much about personal succession, but about the preservation of business ideas that are viable in themselves. As an example, he cited PubliBike AG, which he helped acquire from Swiss Post in an MBO at the beginning of 2022 and which is now about to take off again. Guido Honegger is also currently occupying a successful niche with the company Adon Production AG: the vinyl LP, which had been declared dead, is being produced in increasing numbers by this company and is thus also being revived.

At the end, former top diplomat Dr. Thomas Borer drew a picture of Switzerland's future that is rather mixed: Our country should indeed weather the crisis better than other countries thanks to its economic strength and the highest standard of living - now confirmed according to the UN. Nevertheless, Switzerland will no longer be able to stay out of geopolitical crises as easily as it might have been able to in the past.

As a conclusion of the conference, one could take away: A "Switzerland 4.0" is very well possible, but we do not want to reach our limits with it, a return to the good-Swiss ability to compromise is necessary and a turning away from discussions that are currently still too dogmatic. Or as Christian Schaffner demanded in his presentation: "We have to decide now where we want to be in 20 to 30 years.

More information: www.kmuswiss.ch

For around 93,000 Swiss SMEs, business succession will become an issue in the next five years. To ensure that as many of them as possible find a successful solution, the Swiss umbrella organization for business succession CHDU, founded on December 10, 2021, is actively involved in politics, research, the profession and practice. Behind the association is a team of around 15 highly qualified succession experts who have joined together as an ExpertCircle with a uniform market presence. Following the motto "Passing on instead of giving up", in 2018 the ExpertenCircle called for the Initiative Nachfolgebus.ch into being. This was done with the intention of sustainably securing the continued existence of SMEs and thus of economic substance and jobs in Switzerland through the targeted promotion of company succession. To this end, the ExpertenCircle toured 14 cities in German-speaking Switzerland with an Infomobile and provided SME entrepreneurs with information about business succession in free personal meetings. Thanks to extensive digitization and constant further development of the offering, the reach of the initiative expanded steadily until 2021. There has been a noticeable increase in awareness among entrepreneurs of the great importance of company succession and their own succession planning. However, the high social, economic and political relevance and acceptance has not yet been achieved. The foundation of the CHDU, in order to achieve this goal in this format and in cooperation with organizations that pursue the same interests, is therefore a next logical step. In a first phase, the association's activities will be concentrated on German-speaking Switzerland. Expansion into French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino will follow in the course of 2023.

Maintain SME diversity

The dynamics of companies in Switzerland - from their founding to their handover to the next generation, or their demise - are still too little known. Yet their scope is enormous: more than three million employees, two-thirds of the working population, work for an SME. "We cannot afford to leave Swiss SMEs alone with their business succession. Switzerland is based on sustainable SME diversity. This is also where the breeding ground for our innovative strength lies, but its value creation must be built up over generations. The 'price' we pay for unsuccessful succession arrangements in the form of job losses, know-how and innovative strength is therefore simply too high and urgently calls for countermeasures," sums up Carla Kaufmann, Vice President of the CHDU and Partner of Companymarket AG.

Swiss umbrella organization for business succession with four fields of action

The CHDU therefore focuses on raising the awareness of society, politics and business for the market dynamics of business succession and also wants to actively contribute to the positive development of successful SME successions. To this end, the association is committed to these four areas:

• In politics, to raise national and political awareness of the economic importance and relevance of business succession and long-term entrepreneurship, e.g. to make the legal framework more business- and succession-friendly.
• In research, to better understand the fundamentals and operating principles of the corporate life cycle and long-term entrepreneurship, and to make these insights available to all companies for their succession process.
• In the professionalization of succession consulting, by means of a holistic training and continuing education program that ensures a defined quality standard for the advisory support of business succession. The CHDU is developing this offer in cooperation with EXPERTsuisse. The first step is the Day Seminar "Big Picture of Successful SME Succession.
• In practice, thanks to the targeted promotion of SME succession for entrepreneurs, for example through simple and transparent access to the succession market, various free information and networking offers, etc.

The Member Offer of the CHDU is aimed at SME entrepreneurs who want to sell their company or buy a company, as well as succession advisors, fiduciaries, tax advisors, auditors, lawyers, business/organizational consultants, coaches and other professionals and/or career changers in the field of succession planning.

Canton on board

The location promotion department in the Office of Economic Affairs and Labor (AWA) of the Canton of Zurich supports the development and expansion of the association as a partner organization. Anita Martinecz Fehér, Deputy Head of Location Promotion at the AWA and member of the CHDU Advisory Board, comments: "A successful company succession offers the opportunity to build on established values and develop them further: Entirely in the sense of 'Future has origins'. The Standortförderung very much welcomes the fact that the CHDU does networking work, prepares data and works towards helping more business successions to succeed and to raise awareness of the essential decisions among the parties involved.

Source and further information: www.chdu.ch

The Allianz Trade Export Forecast stands at -1.13 points in the third quarter (May: +0.33 points). This means that the indicator is significantly below the long-term trend growth. Negative annual growth rates are expected for exports in the next six to twelve months. Growth forecasts for the global economy have again been revised downward. Accordingly, the export outlook is no longer developing so positively.

Uncertainties cloud export prospects

"Despite temporary brightenings in the financial markets, most leading and sentiment indicators continue to point clearly downward," Allianz Trade Europe economist Katharina Utermöhl explains the situation. "The Ukraine war, inflation concerns and key interest rate hikes are weighing on the markets." Currently, a flight to safe currencies such as the Swiss franc is taking place in the foreign exchange market. The euro has been below the one-franc mark since the beginning of July. Due to the uncertainties in many places, the mood of Swiss consumers and investors has suffered massively. At -42 points, SECO consumer sentiment is at its lowest level since the survey began in 1972. On a positive note, however, the risk of recession for the Swiss economy in the short term is significantly lower than for neighboring European countries, as the surge in inflation and dependence on Russian gas are less pronounced. However, the Swiss economy is not immune to the global economic slowdown.

GDP downward revisions

For Switzerland, Allianz Trade expects GDP growth of 2.4 % in 2022 (2023: +0.7 %), inflation of 2.8 % (2023: +1.6 %) and export growth of only 2% (2023: +4.0 %). World GDP has been further revised downward. For 2022, real, inflation-adjusted growth of 3% is still expected (average of international forecasts). At the beginning of the year, the average value was still 4.3 %, three months ago it was 3.3 %.

Tourism drivers in the summer months, industry hopes for fall

Particularly in the summer months, the Corona reopening effects should be felt strongly in the service sector thanks to the recovery in tourism. Industry is hoping for the fall, as there are signs that global supply chain bottlenecks have peaked, which, coupled with the increasing cooling of the global economy, should allow production bottlenecks to ease in the coming months. As soon as industrial companies are able to ramp up production, the Swiss economy can look forward to somewhat stronger economic tailwinds again, at least in the short term. However, this outlook assumes that there will be no interruption in energy supplies - either gas or electricity.

Vehicle market slumped

Swiss foreign trade continued to grow in the second quarter of 2022, posting new record levels in nominal terms for both directions of trade. Exports rose by 0.9 % compared with the previous quarter. In real terms, they fell by 0.5 %. Imports rose strongly by 2.4 % in nominal terms and by 0.6 % in real terms. The trade balance showed a quarterly surplus of CHF 7.6 bn. The nominal increase in exports in the second quarter of 2022 was based on the three product groups machinery and electronics (CHF +420 mn), jewelry (CHF +334 mn) and metals (CHF +223 mn). Shipments of precision instruments increased slightly compared with the previous quarter, while those of watches stagnated at a high level. Exports of chemical pharmaceutical products decreased by 1.2 % (CHF -403 million). The decline was particularly pronounced for immunological products (CHF -1.3 billion). The vehicle market slumped for both passenger cars and commercial vehicles. In the first half of 2022, 17.7 % fewer new commercial vehicles hit Swiss roads than a year ago. According to the import organization Auto-Schweiz, the supply chain problems are now also affecting motor homes.

Export prospects receive a damper

"We expect a significant damper on Swiss export growth over the next six to twelve months," comments Jan Möllmann, Co-CEO ad interim Allianz Trade Switzerland. "Reasons for this continue to be supply chain problems, which fortunately should slowly dissipate, weak demand caused by high prices, which unsettle consumers and investors, and recession risks. The likelihood of recession in important export markets such as North America and the euro zone is at a very high level. The weak economic outlook has led to a significant correction in commodity markets, except for energy. This is helping to control inflation and restore consumer and investor confidence. China's zero-tolerance policy on COVID-19 is leading to historically low growth rates in that country."

Source: Allianz Trade Switzerland 

What was launched in 2011 as a ranking and event to honor the best Swiss startups has since become a benchmark in Switzerland as "TOP 100 Swiss Startup". Today, TOP 100 offers an Investor Summit, several matchmaking events throughout the year, the only startup magazine translated into five languages, and the benchmark event TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award, often referred to as the "Swiss Oscar for startups". This ecosystem provides a platform to connect promising Swiss startup CEOs, executives, investors and journalists to gain insights into the latest concepts, strengthen networks and forge new business relationships. The 512 Swiss deeptech startups included in the TOP 100 ranking over the past 12 years have created 16,149 jobs and raised CHF 11.1 billion. 71 exits and eight IPOs round out the achievements of these innovators.

Honored with the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award: Yokoy, Planted Foods and Ledgy

For the first time since the TOP 100 ranking was established, a fintech startup has taken first place, highlighting the rapid growth of this field in recent years. With more than 40 new nominees, the 2022 ranking provides a unique overview of this innovative ecosystem, which is among the best internationally. The three top-ranked startups in fintech and foodtech, Yokoy, Planted Foods and Ledgy, represent the diversity and potential of Swiss startups: they are on average three and a half years old, have already created over 420 new jobs and raised a total of CHF 153 million from investors. Here is a brief portrait of the three top startups:

1. Yokoy (www.yokoy.ai): This fintech company uses artificial intelligence to automate the entire process for corporate spending and corporate credit cards. The Zurich-based startup was founded in 2019 by Melanie Gabriel, Devis Lussi, Thomas Inhelder, Philippe Sahli and Lars Mangelsdorf and landed in 20th place in 2021.
2. Planted Foods (www.eatplanted.com): Turning plants into "meat," Planted Foods is revolutionizing the food industry by creating plant-based protein from 100% animal product-free ingredients. The vegan meat alternatives contain no additives. Planted Foods was founded in 2019 by Christoph Jenny, Eric Stirnemann, Lukas Böni and Pascal Bieri and ranked 37th in 2020.
3. Ledgy (www.ledgy.com): Ledgy is an equity management platform that helps startups manage their equity investments, employee stock ownership plans, funding rounds, and investor relations. The fintech startup was founded in 2017 by ETH Physics graduates Yoko Spirig, Ben-Elias Brandt and Timo Horstschäfer and ranked 13th in 2021.

Investors discover Swiss startup gems at TOP 100 Investor Summit

100 hand-picked Swiss and international super angels, venture capitalists, corporate investors and family office representatives, representing an investment potential of more than 20 billion Swiss francs, attended the TOP 100 Investor Summit 2022, which took place before the awards ceremony. This event, to which only accredited investors are admitted, provided those in attendance with what they described as a unique platform to identify the future gems that have what it takes to be among Switzerland's best. The TOP 100 Alumni include several Unicorns - such as Climeworks, GetYourGuide, MindMaze or wefox.

Along the growth curve

Since the TOP 100 Startups ranking is limited to startups up to five years after founding, a growth jury was asked to select the best 25 scale-ups. These companies, which are between five and ten years old, create thousands of highly skilled jobs and have made Switzerland a hotspot on the global innovation map. The scale-ups show the greatest potential and follow in the footsteps of TOP 100 alumni such as Bcomp, Doodle, Insphero, Kandou Bus, On, Optotune or Sophia Genetics. "This year's ranking reflects the strength of the Swiss ecosystem," says TOP 100 Program Director Stefan Steiner. "With a record CHF 2.6 billion in venture capital already flowing into startups in the first half of the year, we are on our way to new heights, and we intend to continue on this path despite the current crises in the global economy."

Click here for the TOP 100 rankings