The future of quality assurance lies in digitalization. The use of AI automates complex processes, which leads to an increase in the quality of products and services. These developments are particularly important in industry in order to optimize internal processes and ensure customer satisfaction in the long term.

Precise forecasts thanks to AI support

AI technologies enable precise predictions by analyzing large amounts of data and detecting errors at an early stage. This helps companies to continuously improve their quality standards. In quality assurance, AI contributes to error prevention and recognizes patterns that can be used to quickly identify defects and predict possible defects in the end product. These data-based forecasts of product and process quality enable companies to move closer to the goal of predictive quality. With the help of computer-aided monitoring of all parameters, it is possible to identify quality defects along the entire supply chain before they actually occur.

Flexibility and scalability with the help of the cloud

Cloud-based data and document management systems (DMS) are characterized by their flexibility and scalability. New partners can easily join the quality processes along the supply chain at any time without any installation effort. The resulting shared data environment links all quality-relevant information in a "single source of truth". This ensures that everyone involved throughout the company is always working with the latest version. A smart roles and rights system ensures that only authorized persons have access to sensitive data. Regulated communication and a transparent exchange of information are the basis for companies to continuously improve their quality management by using intelligent systems such as Computer-Aided Quality (CAQ) or Predictive Quality.

Usability as a success factor for quality assurance

Companies are increasingly relying on mobile devices and virtual or augmented reality technologies to optimize workflows in quality management. Deviations can be recorded directly on the store floor using a mobile device or VR/AR device and provided with additional information. An AI assistant in the 8D problem-solving method helps, for example, to take appropriate immediate and preventive measures or to put together the optimal team for troubleshooting. The necessary measures are automatically assigned and implemented via digital workflows in the DMS.

Optimize quality processes with low-code

Low-code and no-code functions enable specialist departments to adapt and optimize business processes and input masks independently. A graphical BPMN 2.0 editor (Business Process Modeling Notation) and a form designer enable employees to react independently to new requirements without programming knowledge and solve them without delay.

"Many companies already have several highly specialized software products in use for different areas of quality management. However, these isolated solutions can rarely be linked. This sometimes results in media disruptions and blind spots in the view of quality," explains Andreas Dangl, Managing Director of Fabasoft Approve. "With our fully-fledged data and document management system, we design quality management end-to-end along the entire value chain. Thanks to our native cloud technology, existing IT infrastructure can be easily connected via standard interfaces. The use of AI creates a 360-degree view of quality."

Source and further information: Fabasoft Approve

The Eraneos Group is an international management and technology consulting group that offers services in the field of digitalization and transformation, from strategy development to implementation. It emerged from the merger of Ginkgo Management Consulting, Quint Group and AWK Group announced in 2021. DCP was added in 2022 and SMP and Convalid have also been part of the group since 2023. The group serves clients on three continents and has 1075 employees.

Supporting growth

Stefan Tijsinger will now be the Group's new CFO. He has many years of experience in the areas of finance, IT and digitalization and brings extensive expertise in controlling, accounting, risk & compliance, treasury and M&A. Oliver Vaterlaus, CEO of the Eraneos Group, says of the new addition: "Eraneos is continuing to grow and collaboration between the various national companies is constantly increasing. Stefan Tijsinger's profile is an excellent fit for Eraneos and our strategic direction. Not only does he have extensive experience as CFO, he also has in-depth knowledge of how to manage an international consulting group in such a way as to maximize client benefit. I am convinced that he will be a valuable addition to our team."

Many years of experience in the consulting industry

Stefan Tijsinger succeeds Uwe Schiller, who joined Eraneos in January 2022 and has since built up an international finance organization for the company. Schiller will support Stefan Tijsinger during a transition phase and will leave Eraneos at his own request on September 30, 2024.

Stefan Tijsinger - who has always worked in the consulting industry - most recently worked at Xebia, where he held the role of Group CFO. He joined the company in 2016 as CFO of Xebia Consultancy Services. Among other things, he was responsible for setting up a global finance organization, strategic financial plans, M&A activities, investor relations as well as legal and risk & compliance.

Source and further information

The return on innovation in research and development (R&D) of the world's 20 largest pharmaceutical companies rose to 4.1 percent in 2023. Following the record low of 1.2 percent in 2022, this is a pleasing development, according to the latest pharmaceutical study by auditing and consulting firm Deloitte. It also points to a recovery in yields, which have been largely declining for more than ten years. The only major increase in productivity (6.8%) was recorded in 2021 as a result of the rapid approval and emergency authorization of drugs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The current positive development is driven by new research areas such as sustainable weight management, Alzheimer's disease and mRNA vaccines to protect against other infectious diseases," explains Alexander Mirow, Head of Life Sciences Consulting at Deloitte Switzerland.

Pharmaceutical industry invests more in R&D again

Absolute financial investment in research and development has also risen. In the 2023 financial year, the 20 leading global pharmaceutical companies with the highest research expenditure - including the two Swiss pharmaceutical groups Novartis and Roche - invested USD 145 billion in their research and development, which corresponds to an increase of 4.5% compared to the previous year. The average R&D costs for the development of a drug - from drug identification to market launch - remained constant at USD 2.3 billion. The forecast peak sales of a drug fell from USD 389 million in 2022 to USD 362 million in 2023.

According to the latest pharmaceutical study by Deloitte, the overall increase in R&D costs is due to several factors, including more complex study requirements, regulatory changes such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the US and the effects of inflation. According to the study, it is not and will not be easy to improve productivity in pharmaceutical research and development: efficiency (costs) and value creation (sales) must be balanced, but each depends on numerous factors.

Productivity remains under pressure

Despite increased returns, the pharmaceutical industry's current business model remains under considerable pressure, Deloitte continues. "Various ongoing regulatory changes, the impending and unprecedented loss of exclusivity for high-quality drugs and increased supply costs are keeping the pressure on pharmaceutical companies high. Other challenges include rapid scientific progress, the increasing complexity of clinical trials and the rising cost of diagnoses," says Alexander Mirow. The last ten years have shown that technology-driven change in pharmaceutical research and therapy development is necessary if leading pharmaceutical companies want to reverse the decades-long trend of declining returns and at the same time be able to continue to deliver innovations for patients.

Regulation inhibits innovation

According to the Swiss association for research-based pharmaceutical companies Interpharma, to which Roche and Novartis also belong, the industry invests around 15 percent of its turnover directly back into the research and development of new products. On average, it takes up to twelve years before all the data required for approval is available to the authorities and they can then make a decision.

Despite rising R&D costs, it is the ever more rapidly changing regulations and new regulatory requirements that are of even greater concern to the executives surveyed in this study. As the pharmaceutical study by Deloitte shows, half of the clinical development programs in 2023 involved complex therapies such as cell and gene therapies. These novel therapies pose new challenges for regulators and pharmaceutical companies as they increase the complexity of clinical trials, drug manufacturing and supply chains.

Companies lack a long-term AI strategy

The pharmaceutical executives surveyed are convinced that artificial intelligence could accelerate the development of these therapies. The widespread introduction of generative AI for processing large volumes of structured and unstructured data is seen by many as a potential turning point in the area of research and development. This is because patient recruitment and data management are among the biggest cost drivers in clinical trials and are currently the areas in which the use of AI appears to be the most promising.

Respondents from the pharmaceutical industry also see great potential for the use of AI in the recruitment and retention of test subjects for clinical trials. According to the study, technology can improve the patient experience, speed up the market launch of drugs and reduce production costs. However, these efforts to improve efficiency are still in their infancy: "Despite heavy investment in artificial intelligence, many pharmaceutical companies have not yet fully thought through and scaled the potential of this technology. The reason for this is that most companies do not yet have a coherent and clear strategy for their investments in AI and digitalization and often focus on initial pilot tests for short-term operational goals. The environment and the possibilities of AI are also changing rapidly and it is difficult to stay ahead," summarizes Alexander Mirow.

Source: Deloitte

The SAQ - Swiss Association for Quality hosted the Swiss Quality Day for the 17th time - a now established event with cross-industry appeal, which, in addition to plenty of networking opportunities, always offers a varied program of presentations. As in the previous year, the event was organized in collaboration with Shift Switzerland organized.

An excursion into robotics

The fact that Switzerland is the world champion in innovation is something that is often pointed out - and was also emphasized on Swiss Quality Day. Switzerland's innovative strength in robotics is at the forefront. The first speaker to talk about this was Prof. Dr. Roland Siegwart, Director Autonomous Systems Lab ETH Zurich and Founding Co-Director of Wyss Zurich. In his presentation, Prof. Siegwart outlined a number of applications where robots capable of walking or flying can provide massive support to humans, for example in material testing in hazardous environments such as wind turbines or high-rise chimneys. The solutions shown were developed by ETH spin-offs. They are examples of how the combination of research and science with innovative companies and high-quality manufacturing works.

Innovation "bottom-up" instead of industry promotion by the state

But what about the innovative capacity of companies? And where or how do you get funding pots such as those from Innosuisse? Presenter Andrea Vetsch discussed this with Andreas Preller (Alternative Bank Switzerland), Tom Russi (Innosuisse), Nina Schaller (Luya Foods AG), Cuno Singer (Fill Me) and Roger Siegenthaler (mb-microtec AG). Nina Schaller and Cuno Singer represented the perspective of the start-ups. Driven by a vision - and having one is the basis for innovation - they have each developed their own innovative products. Nina Schaller's company Luya Foods develops plant-based meat alternatives. In contrast to other high-tech meat imitations, these are traditionally fermented. Cuno Singer wants to make drinking tap water more popular with a reusable bottle system and avoid the expensive transportation of mineral water in pet bottles. Innovation in established companies is driven less by visions and more by market pressure, as Roger Siegenthaler knows: "People tend to become sluggish," especially in the position of market leader. Innovation then often arises out of necessity, says Siegenthaler. One antidote to this is an open corporate culture that also allows outside perspectives without "stable smell".

It is well known that innovation requires money - sometimes a lot of it. Innosuisse does not act as an investor, but as an organization that promotes innovative projects. Many start-ups, but also established companies, find it a "jungle" to obtain such funding. "Support start-ups, but don't forget SMEs," was Tom Russi's motto. In contrast to countries such as Germany or France, which operate a state-controlled industrial promotion system, innovation in Switzerland is very much "bottom-up", said Russi. Although this approach is tougher, it is ultimately more promising because companies learn how to deal with economic challenges at an early stage.

An innovator with heart and soul

Thomas Binggeli, or Thömu for short, CEO and owner of Thömus AG, a manufacturer of high-quality bicycles, is someone who has gone from being a young bike enthusiast to a pioneer of new mobility. Bicycles have always been Thomas Binggeli's passion: with the Swiss Bike Park, he has realized a social project to make cycling more popular. The 2000 m2 park serves as a test center for professionals, a training facility and a practice facility for anyone who wants to improve their riding and road safety. Thömus is also involved in the CircuBat project for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries, which are also used in e-bikes. And even if the (bicycle) wheel has long been invented, there is still room for innovation, as Binggeli explained. He showed off his latest developments in e-mountain bikes, which can keep up with classic mountain bikes in terms of weight thanks to smaller electric motors. However, his biggest innovation project at the moment is the "Twinner": a high-end bike with a carbon frame, sophisticated sensor technology and safety features, including its own software for so-called "Smart Power Management". You still have to ride the bike yourself, but it has all the amenities that can be compared with a luxury class car.

"Everyone can be creative"

Innovation requires ideas - and ideal conditions are needed to come up with them. Because: "Everyone can be creative," explained Barbara Studer, a neuroscientist specializing in mental fitness and health, in her presentation. Creativity is present throughout the brain and can also be trained thanks to the so-called neuroplasticity of the brain. Barbara Studer demonstrated some practical exercises that are suitable for keeping our brains fit for creativity. She also explained how strongly emotions play a role in generating ideas: Those who have a higher so-called emodiversity, i.e. who experience more emotions, are demonstrably more successful and also healthier. In short: creativity is driven by emotions - something that is completely unknown to artificial intelligence. Barbara Studer gave the audience practical tips on how to stimulate creativity: fresh air and daylight - combined with exercise - promotes creativity, but also the cultivation of curiosity. She also recommended seeing the world through a child's eyes again and allowing the brain the time it needs to "incubate" ideas. This means not making decisions immediately after a brainstorming session, but only after an incubation period to allow ideas to mature.  

Putting innovation into practice

Another part of the Swiss Quality Day was taken up by four parallel open sessions with a workshop character. These dealt with "Radical Innovation", for example: innovative business models and product strategies from "young savages" were juxtaposed with those from "old hands". The focus was on what we can learn from each other in order to innovate even faster. Another workshop delved further into the topic of creativity - also with practical exercises. A third workshop showed how generic artificial intelligence can also support management systems and where it can already be used to good effect. The fourth open session focused on EFQM: How can this model act as a booster for innovation? And what is the practical experience with it? A panel led by Russell Longmuir, CEO of the EFQM European Foundation for Quality, discussed these questions. 

Sustainability as a new driver of innovation

"Creating haptic fascination from ideas" - this is the claim of industrial designer Björn Ischi, owner of Designform. With "Upcycling by Design", he focuses on the use of existing resources and takes their recyclability into account right from the design stage. This results in unconventional yet economical product designs. Björn Ischi's presentation was entitled "Quality through design". He made the connection to the topic of sustainability, which will be inextricably linked to the world of quality in the future.

The conclusion of the event: innovation is not a new topic, but it remains highly topical. And innovation will continue to drive the Swiss economy - as long as the quality of the innovations is right. The next Swiss Quality Day will take place on May 13, 2025.

Further information and impressions: https://saq.ch/de/veranstaltungen/tag_der_schweizer_qualitaet/tsq-2024/

Innovation is the focus of this year's 'Swiss Quality Day', which will take place on April 23, 2024 in Bern's Kursaal under the moderation of Andrea Vetsch. The event attracts over 350 participants from more than 180 companies every year and offers broad industry representation. Valuable networking opportunities provide space to maintain existing customer relationships and make new contacts. The Swiss Quality Day was founded in 2008 by the SAQ Swiss Association for Qualitythe association for Swiss quality. The aim of the event is to promote a cross-industry exchange on the topic of quality as one of the cornerstones of the Swiss economy. The annual congress is organized by the SAQ Swiss Association for Quality in collaboration with Shift Switzerland.

Inspiration from practice and science

Under the motto "Innovation - driving the Swiss economy", the 2024 event offers an insight into the diverse world of the Swiss innovation landscape. Companies that continuously invest in research, development and creative services are the focus of this high-caliber congress. The presented Programme is just as versatile and inspiring as the renowned Speakers from business and research: From current robotics trends (Prof. Dr. Roland Siegwart, Director Autonomous Systems Lab ETH Zurich), the courage to change and the tireless perseverance to overcome obstacles (Thomas Binggeli, CEO and owner of Thömus AG), on the development and promotion of creative ideas (Barbara Studer, neuroscientist specializing in mental fitness and health) to the topic of 'radical innovation', where 'young guns' and 'old hands' explore innovative business models and product strategies together. These are just some of this year's program highlights.

Update to follow...

Do you start your ChatGPT prompts with a friendly greeting? Have you asked for the output in a specific format? Or do you even promise a tip for a particularly good response? Users interact with large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT in a variety of ways, including to label their data for machine learning tasks. There are few answers to how small changes to a prompt can affect the accuracy of these labelings.

How do variants of prompts change the output quality?

Abel Salinas, a researcher at the University of Southern California (USC), says: "We rely on these models for so many things and require outputs in certain formats, and we wonder in the back of our minds what the actual effects of variations in prompts or output formats are. That's what we wanted to find out." Salinas and Fred Morstatter, research assistant professor of computer science at USC's Viterbi School of Engineering and leader of the research team at the USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI), asked themselves the question: how reliable are LLMs' responses to variations in prompts? Their results, published on the preprint server arXiv, show that subtle variations in prompts can have a significant impact on LLMs' predictions.

"Hello, give me a list and I'll tip you a thousand dollars"

The researchers examined four categories of prompt variations. First, they examined the effects of prompting responses in specific output formats commonly used in data processing (lists, CSV, etc.). Second, they examined minor changes to the prompt itself, such as adding extra spaces at the beginning or end of the prompt or inserting polite phrases such as "Thank you" or "Hello!". Third, they explored the use of "jailbreaks", i.e. techniques to bypass content filters on sensitive topics such as hate speech detection, for example by asking the LLM to respond as if it were evil. Finally, inspired by the popular notion that an LLM will respond better if given the prospect of a reward, they offered different sizes of 'tips' for a 'perfect answer'.

The researchers then tested the prompt variations against 11 benchmark text classification tasks - standardized data sets or problems used in natural language processing (NLP) research to evaluate model performance. These tasks typically involve categorizing or labeling text data based on its content or meaning.

The researchers examined tasks such as toxicity classification, grammar evaluation, humor and sarcasm recognition, math skills and more. For each variation of the prompt, they measured how often the LLM changed its response and what effect this had on the accuracy of the LLM.

Does saying "Hello!" influence the answers? Yes!

The results of the study brought to light a remarkable phenomenon: slight changes in the structure and presentation of the prompt can significantly affect the predictions of the LLM. Whether it is the addition or omission of spaces, punctuation, or specific data output formats, each variation plays a crucial role in shaping model performance. In addition, certain prompt strategies, such as incentives or specific greetings, showed marginal improvements in accuracy, highlighting the nuanced relationship between prompt design and model behavior.

The following results were remarkable:

• Just by adding a specific output format, the researchers found that at least 10 % of the predictions changed.
• Minor disturbances to the prompt have a smaller impact than the output format, but still result in a significant number of altered predictions. For example, inserting a space at the beginning or end of a prompt resulted in more than 500 (out of 11,000) prediction changes. Similar effects were observed when common greetings were added or ended with "thank you".
• The use of jailbreaks in the tasks resulted in a much larger proportion of changes, but was highly dependent on which jailbreak was used.

Tips for ChatGPT? Hardly any influence on performance...

For 11 tasks, the researchers found different levels of accuracy for each prompting variant. They found that no single formatting or perturbation method was suitable for all tasks. Remarkably, the "no specified format" variant achieved the highest overall accuracy, outperforming the other variants by a full percentage point.

Salinas: "We have found that there are some formats or variations that lead to poorer accuracy. For certain applications, very high accuracy is crucial, so this could be helpful. For example, if you format in an older format called XML, that leads to a few percentage points lower accuracy."

As for tipping, only minimal changes in performance were observed. The researchers found that adding "I don't tip, by the way" or "I tip 1,000 dollars for a perfect answer!" (or anything in between) had no significant effect on the accuracy of responses. However, experimentation with jailbreaks showed that even seemingly harmless jailbreaks can lead to a significant loss of accuracy.

Possible explanations for the behavior of LLMs

Why LLMs behave differently is unclear, but the researchers have some ideas. They hypothesize that the instances that change the most are the things that are most "confusing" to the LLM. To measure confusion, they looked at a particular subset of tasks on which the human annotators disagreed (i.e., the human annotators may have found the task confusing, so perhaps the model did too). The researchers found a correlation suggesting that instance confusion has some explanatory power for why the prediction changes, but it is not strong enough on its own. There may be other factors at play, the researchers hypothesized.

Salinas suspects that one factor could be the relationship between the inputs used to train the LLM and the subsequent behavior. "In some online forums, it makes sense for someone to add a greeting, such as on Quora, an American knowledge-sharing platform. There it is common to start with 'hello' or add a 'thank you'." These conversational elements could influence the learning process of the models. If greetings are frequently associated with information on platforms such as Quora, a model might learn to favor such sources and potentially bias its responses based on Quora's information about that particular task. This observation points to the complexity with which the model ingests and interprets information from different online sources.

Practical tip: Keep it simple for best accuracy

An important next step for the research community as a whole would be to create LLMs that can withstand these changes and provide consistent responses in the face of formatting changes, glitches and jailbreaks. To achieve this goal, a better understanding of why responses change is needed in the future.

Salinas gives the following tip for prompting in Chat GPT: "Our simplest observation is that the simplest possible prompts seem to deliver the best results overall."

Source: Techexplore.com

Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence, but the next technology of the future is already in the starting blocks. "While all eyes are currently on artificial intelligence, the next technology revolution is already in the pipeline with quantum computing," explains Harald A. Summa, Chairman of the Quantum Leap initiative of the Diplomatic Council, a think tank with advisory status at the United Nations. "It is high time for operators of data centers, cloud services and messaging services in particular to integrate quantum technology," adds quantum technology expert Matthias Reidans from Rosenberger-OSI (Optical Solutions & Infrastructure), which is involved in the initiative. 

AI plus quantum technology will provide a performance boost

Harald A. Summa explains: "Quantum technology is rapidly emerging from research and development laboratories and penetrating the economy. As with AI, all sectors will be affected by this sooner or later. The combination of AI and quantum computing will result in performance boosts that are still difficult to imagine today, some of whose effects can only be guessed at."

Quantum technology works with charge patterns of ions or photons that can simultaneously "process" changes of state in the sense of programming. Microwaves or lasers are used to encode so-called "qubits" as the smallest units of information. This functional principle enables quantum computers to perform a large number of calculations simultaneously, which leads to an exponential acceleration of computing power far beyond the performance level of conventional computers.

Quantum-resistant data encryption urgently needed

According to the initiative, the area most affected by quantum technology in the short term is data encryption across all sectors. The reason: quantum computers are capable of cracking conventional encryption within a very short time. This would open up the databases of companies and government organizations to cyber criminals and intelligence services in one fell swoop. "Cyber gangs are already capturing huge amounts of encrypted data online in the expectation of being able to decrypt it in a few years or even months," says quantum technology expert Matthias Reidans. 

"Every data center is well advised to offer its customers quantum-resistant encryption as quickly as possible," explains Harald A. Summa. According to him, this also affects data transmission for messaging services, for example. He points out that Apple has already developed so-called post-quantum encryption for its iMessage service. The Quantum Leap boss points to the possibility of photon-based key distribution via satellite: "It is conceivable that billions of keys could be distributed via satellites in the future to ensure the security of the quantum world." In the next few years, hundreds of satellites equipped with photon transmission modules will reach orbit. 

Quantum as a Service

The operators of data centers and cloud services should also react quickly to the new challenge, warns Harald A. Summa. He explains: "Data centers will be the home of quantum computing. In the first step, quantum computers will not be installed everywhere, but the majority of quantum power will be obtained from the cloud, i.e. data centers." Matthias Reidans adds: "It's about upgrading high-performance data centers with quantum computer modules."

Harald A. Summa outlines the future: "Quantum computers will act as a kind of turbocharger for existing high-performance computer-specific applications and unleash further innovative power, particularly in generative AI. As quantum as a service, they will be available in the cloud to a wide range of users."

The new Quantum Leap initiative in the Diplomatic Council therefore offers data center operators the opportunity to exchange ideas in a pre-competitive circle about which steps make sense in order to prepare for quantum technology, says Chairman Harald A. Summa, explaining the think tank's advance.

Quantum computers are useful from 1,000 qubits upwards

According to Quantum Leap, it is currently difficult to predict how quickly this innovation cycle will gain relevance. According to Matthias Reidans, this point in time is imminent. He points to developments at European manufacturers such as IQM, AQT and eleqtron, some of which are already able to supply stable, high-performance quantum computers at affordable prices, and to further technological breakthroughs in the USA, China and Canada. "Quantum computers reach their decisive performance level from around 1,000 functional, i.e. logical and controllable, qubits," says the Rosenberger OSI expert. He adds: "The first devices of this kind can be expected this year or next."

The expert vehemently disagrees with the preconception that quantum computers require extremely cold environments to operate. He says: "You can already buy quantum computers that work at room temperature. They can be operated in ordinary data centers in the 19-inch format that is common there." Matthias Reidans points to the companies Alpine Quantum Technologies (AQT) from Innsbruck and the German-Austrian start-up Quantum Brillance as examples, both of which are pursuing the approach of enabling integration-uncomplicated implementations. The quantum technology expert is also aware that standardization efforts in this area are underway worldwide.

Quantum sensor technology in medicine

It is important to Harald A. Summa to emphasize that quantum technology means much more than "just" dealing with quantum computers. This technology also enables a quantum leap in sensor technology in the truest sense of the word. For example, the computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods commonly used today to look inside the human body could be replaced in future by quantum sensory methods, which would enable much better and therefore more meaningful imaging.

Source and wFurther information: www.diplomatic-council.org/quantumleap

Sustainability is an integral part of the corporate culture at the Hochweid retirement center. A visible indication of this is the garden around the center: a colorful variety of flowers and shrubs bloom throughout the season. The investment in a solar power system is also evidence of this. "We have been committed to ecological and social responsibility for years in order to shape a sustainable future. We have consciously anchored this in our mission statement. I would like to thank the whole team for this special achievement. We are delighted with the certification," explains Managing Director Sara Tomaschett. Foundation Board President Prof. Dr. med. Michele Genoni adds: "Serious, sustainable certification and the adaptation of many processes does not happen overnight. This certification for sustainability is therefore a milestone for our retirement home." Ruth Stamm, Head of Hospitality, uses an example from the purchasing policy to explain how the new findings are incorporated into everyday life. For example, when making new purchases, contact is always sought with regional producers and suppliers, always on the basis that "We are here for the wishes of the people who live here!".

The Hochweid Retirement Home sees itself as a provider of suitable forms of housing and needs-based services for older people. It is committed to providing professionally qualified care and nursing for the elderly, in particular palliative care and dementia care. The retirement center offers space for 48 people in need of care, as well as 52 apartments in the retirement home. 

Sensitization over several years

Ruth Stamm played a key role in putting sustainability into practice: she was responsible for the hotel and infrastructure division for 27 years until her retirement at the end of March 2024. "When I set myself the goal of actively promoting the conscious use of resources a good seven years ago, I didn't yet meet with an open ear," says Stamm. She wasn't just thinking about saving water, electricity and heat, but also about people as a resource. After all, it is the residents, staff and management, right up to the Board of Trustees, who can exert influence through their daily actions. By setting a consistent example and regularly questioning established habits, Stamm has managed to sensitize a large part of the team and motivate them to actively participate and think outside the box. "At the beginning, I didn't see any added value in the efforts. But now I too have become an ambassador for sustainability in practice," says Sara Tomaschett, Managing Director of AZ Hochweid. 

How ibexFairstay works

The ibexFairstay team of auditors is made up of independent experts who are at home in the accommodation industry. The accredited auditor checked the data submitted on paper and on site at the Hochweid retirement center according to the six-eyes principle "operation - auditor - certification committee" by conducting various interviews, taking tours of the building and then drawing up a final report. He handed this over to the certification committee with the award result. This is made up of experts from the fields of science, business and tourism. The committee examines the auditor's application and decides on the award and the award result. After three years, the information is reviewed with a recertification. Ibex fairstay is a label to which 60 hotels in Switzerland are currently affiliated. The Swiss certificate audits according to the so-called ISO environmental label type 1 and places great value on the aspects of regionality, authenticity and the preservation of an intact natural environment.

From additional costs to savings

Such certification represents a major challenge for a company. It requires additional time, money and personnel. "The bottom line is that the results of the certifications prove that sustainable cost and resource savings can actually be achieved by examining and optimizing processes. In addition, the marketing measures with the ibex fairstay brand make a major contribution to differentiating the individual establishment in the market. The retirement home has proved to be a real gem where the concept of sustainability is alive and well," explains Anita Gschwind, Managing Director of "ibex fairstay".

Source: Hochweid retirement center

Over the last 12 months, the cyber landscape has changed significantly, particularly as a result of artificial intelligence (AI). It is now being used in both cyberattacks and protection solutions. As a result, companies need to adapt their security strategies and architectures. The Cisco Cybersecurity Readiness Index 2024 has determined the extent to which companies are up to these new challenges. Based on more than 8,000 expert surveys worldwide, companies were divided into four maturity levels: Beginner (Beginner), Formative (Formative), Advanced (Progressive) and Mature (Mature). 205 respondents also came from Switzerland. The respondents are responsible for business and cyber security in their companies and gave self-assessments on the status of their company's defense capabilities and the technology used. The survey was conducted in January and February 2024 using online interviews.

Swiss companies overestimate their defensive capabilities

The new study suggests that Swiss companies overestimate their own ability to protect themselves against current threats or underestimate the cyber threat situation. The results show that only 1.95% of Swiss companies have a sufficiently mature security structure to be optimally prepared for current threats. A year ago, the figure was 9 percent. If you cluster the two highest maturity levels "Mature" and "Progressive", Swiss companies rank third in Europe behind the UK and Germany with 24%. Nevertheless, 81% of companies in Switzerland are moderately to very confident that they can fend off a cyberattack with their current infrastructure.

Unsurprisingly, readiness also correlates with the size of an organization, as more budget and personnel can be allocated to cybersecurity. Companies with more than 1,000 employees have a higher level of maturity, while medium-sized companies (250-1,000 employees) are slightly behind. This applies worldwide and across all industries. The study found that the best-prepared sectors are financial services, technology and manufacturing - all with 30 % or more in the upper "Mature" and "Progressive" categories. The education sector, for example, still has some catching up to do.

The importance of securing IT systems is also shown by the figures from the Federal Office for Cyber Security (BACS). Reports of cyber incidents are trending upwards. "There is an urgent need for companies to rethink their security strategies and adapt to the reality of today's cyber threats," says Roman Stefanov, Head of Cyber Security Sales at Cisco Switzerland. According to the study, 45 percent of Swiss companies surveyed have experienced a cyberattack in the last 12 months.

Switzerland on the right track with AI

"An encouraging sign for Switzerland is the high use of AI for cyber defense," explains Roman Stefanov. "Almost 40 percent already use systems based on it with the highest or second-highest level of maturity." The protection of networks and machines is satisfactory at 32% and 26% respectively. However, there is a lot of catching up to do in the areas of identity and cloud. Only 18% and 14% of Swiss companies respectively have an adequate level of protection in these areas.

Swiss companies also cite the protection of corporate identities as the biggest challenge (39%), ahead of network protection (30%). "More than a third of Swiss companies have noticed a cybersecurity incident involving stolen digital identities in the last year," explains Roman Stefanov. "In this threat situation, we should no longer ask whether a user can have access, but whether they should."

Two thirds believe in a cyberattack in the next 12 to 24 months

According to the study, 66 percent of companies surveyed believe that a cyberattack will affect their business in the next 12 to 24 months. Despite these concerns, 51 percent of companies say they have more than 10 open cyber security positions, indicating an acute skills shortage. The cost of incidents is notable, with 45 percent of respondents stating that past incidents have cost more than $500,000.

The good news is that companies have increased their security budgets and want to increase them even further. This is because they recognize an increase in risks due to digitalization, more diverse types of attacks and greater financial impact: 86 percent of respondents stated that they have increased their budget in the last 1-2 years, and almost 80 percent want to increase their budget by more than 10 percent in the future. 92 percent plan to upgrade or even restructure their IT infrastructure to counter the coming challenges in cyber security.

Source: Cisco

Even if demand is falling and cost pressure is increasing, manufacturers should not put planned projects on hold. After all, new technologies in particular can help during the crisis and the time afterwards. At least that's the belief at software and hardware manufacturer Oracle, which has outlined six ways in which companies can get through the crisis.  

1. digitization and data analytics 

The digitalization of production, procurement, supply chain and manufacturing processes is creating smart factories that are further accelerated by the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The basic idea: analyzing large amounts of data improves decision-making. According to a Survey by Deloitte in 2013, 60 percent of managers were already using analysis software, often with AI functions, to identify component bottlenecks in good time, optimize delivery routes, reduce fuel consumption and shorten delivery times. 

2. reduction of supply chain risks 

Geopolitical and trade tensions are prompting more and more companies to look for lower-risk suppliers. According to a Study by BCI Global more than 60 percent of European and US manufacturers are planning to relocate some of their activities to Asia in the coming years. Some EU companies also have their sights set on the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary - others on Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. 

Modern supply chain technologies can also help to reduce supply chain risks. Better insights into workflows, schedules and capacities, fleets and distribution warehouses, as well as real-time status updates, enable companies to quickly identify and resolve bottlenecks. ML capabilities highlight anomalies and potential impacts. In a Study by KPMG  67 percent of CEOs stated that they want to invest more in data-driven technologies. 

3. smart manufacturing 

Manufacturers are using Industry 4.0 technologies to optimize production processes, improve product quality and automate maintenance. Typical examples include drones that detect structural damage to factory equipment, robots and cobots as well as cloud applications for automated demand planning. Digital twins simulate the effects of fluctuations in supply and demand on assembly line production. Augmented reality (AR) speeds up repairs and 3D printing enables the production of missing spare parts. Driverless vehicles deliver components to the assembly lines via the 5G network. Intelligent warehouses monitor stock levels and independently request parts.  

According to ABI Research global spending on automation technologies will increase from 345 billion US dollars in 2021 to over 950 billion US dollars in 2030. Automotive manufacturers in particular are investing in solutions to reduce labor costs and increase safety and productivity. In 2022, the automotive industry will account for more than half of robot sales. Overall, the global market for industrial robots is expected to grow by Grand View Research will grow by an average of 10.5 percent per year until 2030. 

4. qualified tech specialists 

The manufacturing industry is also affected by the shortage of skilled workers. There is a shortage of assembly line workers, welders, machine operators, industrial mechanics and production managers. Due to the increased use of new technologies, the industry also needs specialists in the fields of robotics, programming, integration of intelligent systems, prototyping and cyber security as well as data scientists.  

Real-time information is the prerequisite for the digital networking of all employees. So-called Connected Frontline Workforce (CFW) applications can alleviate the shortage of skilled workers. Training and further education is also important - for example, the European Commission's workshops, which are aimed specifically at the manufacturing industry. And recruiting applications in the cloud make it easier to fill technical positions in highly competitive markets. 

5. anything-as-a-service 

More and more companies are offering their products or their ongoing maintenance, monitoring or installation as a service. A manufacturer of welding robots, for example, takes on a certain number of welding jobs for a fee instead of selling its robots. This revenue is easier to plan than sales revenue. Anything/Everything-as-a-Service also offers additional cross-selling and upselling opportunities. Analyses from Accenture According to the company, this model can increase annual sales by 15 to 20 percent. According to Fortune Business Insights from USD 545.35 billion in 2022 to more than USD 2.3 trillion in 2029.  

More and more car manufacturers are also opting for the subscription model and offering registration, taxes, insurance, breakdown assistance and maintenance as services. According to Global Market Insights the global Vehicle-as-a-Service market is expected to grow to 30 billion US dollars by 2030.  

6. sustainability 

A quarter to a third of the world's energy is used for manufacturing processes. Manufacturers' supply chains in particular have a negative impact on the environment - for example during the extraction, production, transportation and storage of raw materials. The industry is under massive pressure to become more environmentally friendly and sustainable. Most companies are aware of this, as a survey by Harris Poll shows. According to the survey, 56% are taking measures to operate more sustainably - the highest proportion of all industries surveyed. 

New tools are also being used. Blockchain, for example, makes it easier to trace materials and goods. Automation and monitoring solutions offer detailed insights into production processes, supply chains and energy consumption. This helps manufacturers to increase their productivity and identify potential savings. 

Conclusion: Do not forego investments in a weak economy

"Even a weakening economy shouldn't stop companies from investing in new technologies," explains Martin Cereceda, Senior Business Development Manager Manufacturing & Automotive at Oracle. "On the contrary: those who digitize, automate and adopt an environmentally friendly approach will gain a competitive advantage - in the form of efficient business processes, innovations and long-term cost reductions." 

Source: Oracle

Chat GPT's AI tools are becoming increasingly popular, not only among private individuals but also in companies. The practical benefits of AI-supported office work are becoming increasingly apparent. However, AI services for image processing and translation as well as chatbots are also an attractive target for cybercriminals, as an analysis by Kaspersky experts shows. According to a recent analysis, the number of compromised account information for the services of chatGPT developer OpenAI increased more than thirtyfold compared to 2022.

ChatGPT a popular target for data thieves

Specifically, stolen logins for the services of ChatGPT developer OpenAI jumped to around 664,000 in 2023 compared to the previous year, with a total of almost 688,000 in the study period from 2021 to 2023. After the launch of the fourth version of ChatGPT in March 2023, the demand for corresponding accounts was particularly high, since then it has matched that of other AI services. In addition, around 1.2 million Canva user credentials were stolen in the three years and distributed on darknet forums and Telegram channels. Grammarly recorded around 839,000 compromised credentials in the same period.

"The compromised credentials come from Infostealer activity, a specific type of malware that steals user credentials for cyberattacks, darknet sales or other malicious activities. Infostealers can infect corporate devices via phishing emails or websites and public websites with malicious content, among others," explains Yuliya Novikova, Head of Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence. "We expect the demand for ChatGPT accounts to continue. Effective enterprise security solutions that protect against Infostealer attacks and other malware are becoming increasingly important. For example, our software monitors compromised accounts on the darknet and notifies companies if users of their online services have been compromised."

Recommendations for risk minimization

Kaspersky's experts make various recommendations on how to minimize the risk in the event of data leaks:

• Continuously monitor the darknet for posts about data leaks. For this purpose, Kaspersky has developed a detailed guide created.
• The so-called. Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence to gain an attacker's view of corporate resources and identify potential attack vectors.
• Use a unique password for each service to minimize the impact of account theft.
• In the event of a data leak to dedicated incident response services such as Kaspersky Incident Response Service to be able to act quickly and effectively and minimize the consequences. Such services help to identify compromised accounts and protect the infrastructure from similar attacks in the future.

Source and further information: Kaspersky

Legartis, which operates in the DACH region, has developed an award-winning legal AI solution for the automation of contract reviews and the automated extraction of data from thousands of contracts. Legal departments, sales organizations and purchasing teams can use Legartis' artificial intelligence to seamlessly analyze incoming contracts. The construction and real estate service provider Implenia is now also relying on this solution: the two companies are working together in several areas. As part of a co-development project, a specialized AI module is being jointly developed to speed up the review time of comprehensive contracts in the construction industry. In future, this should enable an automated and AI-supported construction contract review tailored to the industry.

Legartis' technology is changing the way Implenia performs its contract review tasks, according to the statement. It supports the Group's leading position in the digital transformation of the construction industry. "The partnership with Legartis is a signal to the construction industry that AI and legal departments are a good match. For us, the use of AI in the legal sector is an important step in our digitalization strategy and in increasing efficiency," says Dr. German Grüniger, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer at Implenia. Dr. Michael Burkart, Global Head Legal Operations & Strategy at Implenia adds: "By using Legartis' Legal AI technology, we expect improved management of contractual risks, greater standardization and a significant reduction in the workload of our legal experts."

David A. Bloch, CEO of Legartis, sees major benefits for the construction industry in the collaboration. "We are very happy about the co-development and the partnership with Implenia. Implenia's industry-specific expertise will flow into the training of our AI. These are ideal conditions for developing a powerful industry solution for AI-assisted construction contract review." The collaboration between Legartis and Implenia underlines the commitment of both companies to exploit the possibilities of innovative digital technologies and to establish themselves as pioneers in the use of AI in the field of law in the construction industry, according to a press release.

Sources and further information: www.legartis.ai/de and implenia.com