SEF.23: The SME elite in Interlaken

After "excursions" into more geopolitical topics, the 25th edition of the SEF is once again dedicated to the "core business": SMEs as the backbone of the Swiss economy. The "hidden champions" should be brought back into focus. What are their recipes for success? And where do the challenges lie? Because there are plenty of them at the moment, as is well known. The SEF, for example, was originally born out of a crisis: In 1991, the Spar- und Leihkasse Thun (savings and loan bank) crashed, leaving behind an immense trail of damage, especially in the Bernese Oberland. In addition, there was a time in Switzerland in general that was characterized by stagnation, encrusted structures and a real estate crisis. Instead of lamenting, however, the Bernese Oberland chose a forward strategy and thus laid the foundation for the development of the SEF from a rather regional event into a major event, to which important personalities from abroad - Kofi Annan (2009), Tony Blair (2010), Nicolas Sarkozy (2014), Mike Pence (2021) - repeatedly paid their respects.

SEF.23 with focus on SMEs

This year, the SEF was opened by President Alain Berset. With a view to the current situation and the upcoming challenges, such as the climate and energy crisis, he called for renewed trust between business and politics. In doing so, he also emphasized that one of the strengths of Swiss companies in particular is that they always want to learn from the best. "That is why we are top in competitiveness and innovation," said Alain Berset.

And companies such as Röthlisberger Schreinerei AG from Gümligen, Jakob Rope Systems from Trubschachen or Rausch AG Kreuzlingen are among such top performers. All three family-owned companies can certainly be counted among the SME elite. But they cannot rest on their laurels. The current challenges are different. For example, Sandra Banholzer, head of Rausch AG Kreuzlingen, a manufacturer of hair care products, said that the company is constantly on the lookout for new ideas to better appeal to customers for a traditional product. "We see tradition as a strength, but hardly anyone knows that," was her answer to the question of whether it was perhaps tradition that proved to be a hurdle in marketing to the younger generation (see also her interview with our magazine). Beat Röthlisberger, CFO of his family-run company with two main divisions, furniture and interior design, including an in-house engineering department and air-conditioning technology, sees the shortage of skilled workers as the main problem. "It's getting harder and harder to find people who have the passion to learn a craft and participate in its success," Röthlisberger said. Peter Jakob, CEO of Jakob Rope Systems, which manufactures wire ropes for a wide variety of applications, on the other hand, recommended looking on the bright side. "We see too much only the negative things all the time. In many countries, people lost everything during the Corona crisis, while here in Switzerland we came through just fine. We are good at complaining, but enormously privileged at the same time." A statement that was acknowledged by the audience with applause.

"Never waste a good crisis"

But how does the SME elite mentioned above deal with problems? For Beat Röthlisberger, the forward strategy is paramount. That's why his company has created its own furniture collection for upscale demands and also set up branches in New York and London. Sandra Banholzer, on the other hand, is like Winston Churchill: "Never waste a good crisis. This forces one to be constantly creative and innovative. As an example, she mentioned the development of a new extract from apples in cooperation with local farmers, when it was a question of finding alternatives for faltering supply chains. The family structure also proves to be an advantage, said Peter Jakob. "As a family business, we are not beholden to shareholders and can operate for the long term." Asked whether a family does not also have a considerable potential for conflict, which is ultimately not beneficial to the company, Beat Röthlisberger said: "Intra-family conflicts are necessary. Sometimes it is necessary to speak plainly behind closed doors.

And how do SMEs see the role of the state? Politicians repeatedly talk about easing the administrative burden on SMEs. Sandra Banholzer conceded that entrepreneurship is indeed held back by a lot of paperwork. But she put it into perspective: "We often complain at a high level. We just have to talk to each other, and then something can be done.

Initiative for the energy future of Switzerland presented

In addition to the exchange about current challenges of SMEs, other topics were also in focus on the first day of SEF.23. Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Swiss National Bank President Thomas Jordan discussed the current economic situation and called for moderate intervention by central banks to prevent inflation from rising even further. Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov was asked about the current Ukraine crisis and showed himself to be a staunch critic of the Russian invasion, but also pointed to mistakes made by the West, which had failed to recognize in time what Vladimir Putin really had on his agenda since coming to power. And referring to his 1997 defeat by the chess computer "Deep Blue," he said AI was just a technology. "Machines make fewer mistakes," Kasparov said, and that had been the reason a machine had defeated him.

And finally, SEF.23 was also about the "Future of Energy in Switzerland". Here, a new initiative called "Coalition for Green Energy & Storage" was presented. In the face of a combined energy and climate crisis, Switzerland must act to transform its energy system, said Joël Mesot and Martin Vetterli, presidents of ETH and EPFL, respectively. Together with partners and funders from science and industry, the two federal universities are therefore launching an ambitious initiative together with PSI and Empa to develop scalable solutions for a climate-neutral and independent energy system.

More information and impressions: www.swisseconomic.ch