115 people took part in the Swiss Infosec Heartbeat survey on data protection. Most of them (40%) work in the IT department of their company. However, numerous responses also came from the Legal and HR departments and from the Board of Directors/Executive Management area. The fact that data privacy is perceived as an important topic and taken seriously at board and management level gives the authors of this data privacy survey confidence and speaks in favor of a higher priority for data privacy. 

Good report card in terms of internal data protection requirements

83% of the organizations that participated in the data privacy survey have an internal document with data privacy requirements. 12% do not have such a document and the remaining 5% do not know whether there are internal data protection guidelines. The existence of internal data privacy guidelines shows that the organizations are concerned with the topic of data privacy/data protection law and that the handling of data privacy is not arbitrary, but is clearly defined in relation to the company. This creates security and continuity. 66% of the organizations also employ data owners who are responsible for a specific part of the data within the organization.

Only a few companies do not yet have a privacy policy

104 of the 115 respondents, or 90%, confirm that their organization has a privacy statement (DSE). This high figure is encouraging. However, the data protection experts at Swiss Infosec AG ask themselves the question - which was not explicitly asked in the survey - whether these DSEs also cover data processing beyond the website. Experience shows that this is probably not the case everywhere. In view of the new data protection law, however, these data processing activities should be covered by the data protection declarations.

Data protection survey shows room for improvement in regular, cross-divisional data deletion

Not entirely unexpectedly, the greatest potential for optimization is in data deletion. It is true that 39% of the survey participants state that data is deleted regularly and across departments in their organization. However, in 43% of the companies, such data deletion does not take place and the remaining 8% of the respondents have no knowledge of it. Eugen Roesle, Head of Legal and Data Privacy at Swiss Infosec AG, refers in this context to the "last mile of data protection" that many companies still have to go through, even if the NDSG does not change anything in purely legal terms with regard to data deletion. Personal data that is no longer needed because it has fulfilled its purpose must already be deleted under the current law.

Consider data protection governance

A core requirement of data privacy governance is the implementation of a process that checks data privacy compliance for new projects involving personal data. 57% of the participating organizations meet this requirement, 43% do not or rather not. There is a need for action in the area of data privacy governance, especially since timely and, at best, automatic data privacy compliance checks for new projects save time and eliminate uncertainties and unpleasant surprises.

Support through specific tools/software solutions?

Organizations that rely on specific tools/software solutions in the area of data protection are underrepresented according to the survey. After all, 40% of the companies make use of such support, 60% do not (yet). Whether the size of the company or its complexity influence the decision to use tools or whether the corresponding offerings and their tailored solutions are not sufficiently known remains open.

Source: Swiss Infosec

Before you rely on analytics for all or part of your strategic decision-making, you must first implement appropriate processes. This ensures that data flows smoothly through all business departments and that its quality, accessibility, usability and security are maintained.

Here are nine tips for building an effective data governance strategy.

1. check data stocks in the company

To get the most value from data, stakeholders need to know how to select, collect, store, and use it effectively. Take stock of all the data that exists in the organization and identify its various sources, such as management systems, websites, social networks, and marketing and advertising campaigns. Then define the friction points where there is a loss of value due to poor data quality.

Pay particular attention to the following:

• Volume: The amount of data has exploded in recent years. Determine the amount of information stored in your databases to determine your data management method.
• Diversity: Data can be complex and diverse, as well as structured or unstructured, and can come from a wide range of information systems. Capture it in multiple places, centralize it, and reconcile it to comprehensively map all information.
• Speed: Rely on powerful, flexible software that incorporates machine learning. Review your infrastructure to select the most efficient tools that meet your needs and build a solid technical foundation.
• Truthfulness: Explanation errors in forms, diversity of collection points, bot actions, malicious actions, human errors, and more compromise the data foundation. There may also be biases in the analysis. Therefore, perform a diagnosis of the quality and accuracy of your data.
• Value: The data you use must be perfectly aligned with your company's business and marketing goals and add value to both the brand and your customers. Unify the data and react quickly to be on the winning side.

2. introduce a uniform data governance strategy

All departments in the organization need to be involved in data use - from senior management to team leaders to operations and field teams. The entire workforce should understand the challenges and benefits of shared, high-quality data. Consider the following to engage the entire operation in this transition:

• One-on-one or group meetings with the various departments to better understand the current data situation, identify organizational requirements, and address any data governance expectations.
• Workshops with the aim of jointly developing a holistic methodological framework for data governance implementation.
• Real-world use cases in which, with the support of a number of employees, a business problem is analyzed in connection with a specific data area. In the e-commerce sector, for example, it could be errors in product packaging dimensions that lead to logistical difficulties and purchase abandonment because the customer finds delivery costs too high.

Next, set strategic goals that apply to the entire company or individual business units. Then define all the organization's performance indicators so that everyone understands their role in the governance model.

3. select a suitable data governance model

When you start a data governance project, don't fall into the trap of trying to answer all the technical, organizational, and regulatory questions at once. You need time to get the first tangible results. Create an accurate, stakeholder-validated roadmap with intermediate goals to evaluate efforts and progress to date.

Also, keep in mind that there are different data governance models. Choose the one that best fits your environment, needs, human and financial resources, and data maturity.

4. identification and selection of all data stakeholders

First, appoint a chief data officer (CDO) who is responsible for data governance across the enterprise. He or she approves and prioritizes projects, manages budgets, recruits personnel for the program, and ensures complete documentation. Ideally, the CDO should report directly to the CEO. If your company is smaller, you can assign this role to another executive at a comparable level.

Then expand the project team by assembling a multidisciplinary group with the following profiles:

• Data owner: You oversee the data in a given area and monitor the processes to ensure the collection, security, and quality of the data. They determine how data is used to solve a particular problem. For example, the marketing manager may be the data owner of customer data, or the HR manager may be the data owner of internal employee information.
• Data controller: They are the data coordinators and administrators of the central data store. They are responsible for organizing and managing all data or a specific data unit and monitor compliance with policies and regulations. They record and correct data elements, prevent duplicates and check the quality of the databases.
• Data manager: This ensures the proper lifecycle of the data by authorizing and controlling access to the data, defining technical processes to ensure data integrity, and implementing controls to secure and archive the data and the changes made to it.

5. eliminate data silos

Once you have assembled your data governance project team, you can bring it together into a body that makes strategic decisions about implementation across the business. This body approves data policies and addresses all issues around data governance, security and quality. Also, hold regular meetings with the opportunity to provide feedback.

Ideally, you should opt for horizontal governance by putting data at the center of your operations and business affairs. Based on this principle, you can, for example, accelerate the breakdown of silos between direct marketing, advertising, and customer service, and unite CRM and media expertise and technologies within companies, brands, and their agencies. Educate your employees about the benefits of collaboration and daily data sharing.

Next, ensure that all data useful for project execution is consolidated on a data management platform that ensures data reliability and linkage. It is important to make all teams aware of the existence of a centralized data repository. This creates a shared vision.

6. document project and resources

To successfully implement a data governance project, you need to establish standard processes and find a common language within the organization. To do this, provide your teams with a "data folder": it allows you to identify the data assets, their flows, their storage and their processing methods. In this way, you make the data accessible and understandable to all employees.

The data folder consists of a business glossary with precise definitions of all terminologies related to the data in circulation. In addition, there is a model that shows the structure of the company's data and provides information about its storage. A data flow diagram should not be missing either. The data folder also contains a section on the format of the various types of data and provides information on their access and usage conditions.

7. ensure quality of data

Data drives most of your decisions, such as the type and timing of advertising or communication campaigns, segmenting audiences, fixing or adding features to a website or mobile app. You must be able to rely on the quality of the data. Because low-quality data can have serious consequences for your company, such as lower revenue, traffic blocked by adblockers, or overestimated conversions due to poor source attribution.

To reduce these risks, you should be vigilant at all stages of the data lifecycle - starting at the critical moment of data capture. Any change or update to the site or tracking poses a risk to the quality of the capture. Implement effective methods and tools to manage and document this process.

First, make sure that the tags in your tagging plans are implemented correctly. Check them regularly and completely, ideally with automated acceptance tests, as manual execution not only costs a lot of time but also increases the risk of errors.

8. ensure conformity of data

At the latest since the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies know how important it is to observe the protection of users' personal data on their various digital platforms. Violations not only threaten sanctions, it can also damage the brand image and lead to a loss of trust among customers.

Therefore, on your websites and mobile apps, you should ensure that your visitors' consent is obtained properly, freely, and in an informed manner. To this end, you need to choose a provider that has strict data management and fully complies with the law.

9. democratize internal data use

The democratization of data within a company is one of the elementary components of a data governance approach. This involves making available to employees all the information and resources they need to perform their tasks and create value. Some measures can help, such as defining the use cases for this data, as well as details of where the data is located and how it can be accessed. Appointing data officers to help users on a day-to-day basis also proves to be a good idea in practice.

Next, you should set up a specific support program. For example, you can organize training sessions and internal workshops to guide users in the operational use of the tools and in the use of the data on specific topics. To encourage staff to use the data, the data team can also design dashboards to manage each activity.

Author:
Adrien Guenther is Director of Analytics at Piano at the Munich location, where he has been strategically advising companies in the DACH region on the planning and implementation of digital analytics for a decade. Prior to joining AT Internet (acquired by Piano in 2021), Guenther was head of business intelligence at an advertising agency. He also has experience in search engine optimization, search engine development, as well as digital asset development, websites and online apps.

Vision 2022, the world's leading trade fair for machine vision, will be held at Messe Stuttgart from October 4 to 6, 2022. Every two years, the trade fair covers the complete spectrum of machine vision technology. The trade fair organizers are optimistic for this year: "The machine vision industry is developing dynamically and is becoming increasingly important. The prospects for Vision 2022 are therefore promising and expectations are high," says Roland Bleinroth, Managing Director of Messe Stuttgart. Anne Wendel from the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) underlines the development of the machine vision industry: "The robotics and automation industry, and especially the machine vision industry, is recording full order books. In 2021, a 17 percent increase in sales was recorded in the European machine vision industry according to the VDMA market survey. The forecasts for 2022 are positive despite lower expectations due to disrupted supply chains. Our forecasts predict a 5 percent increase and sales of 3.2 billion euros for the German machine vision industry. For robotics and automation as a whole, growth of 6 percent to 14.4 billion euros is anticipated. This gives us a positive outlook for the upcoming Vision 2022."

Growing number of exhibitors

Over the course of three days, visitors from all over the world will come together with start-ups and key players at the trade fair. The main focus is on exchange and knowledge transfer. Currently, more than 300 companies - and thus already more than last year - have registered for Vision 2022. "The current registration status and the reservations show the great popularity of the industry. Overall, we are expecting growth of around 25 percent in exhibitor numbers by October compared to the previous year," says Florian Niethammer, Head of Trade Fairs & Events at Messe Stuttgart.

In addition to national and international key players, Messe Stuttgart is welcoming many new players this year. Around 17 percent of the registered companies are participating in the trade fair for the first time. The increasing number of exhibitors is also reflected in the space occupied. VISION will once again be held in the Paul Horn Hall (Hall 10) and the Alfred Kärcher Hall (Hall 8), but the two halls will be around a quarter more occupied than in 2021: On 25,000 square meters, everything will revolve around the topic of machine vision.

High internationality of exhibitors

The high international importance of Vision 2022 is already reflected in the international share of exhibitors: After the ratio of national and international exhibitors was almost balanced in 2021, the foreign share for 2022 is currently 56 percent. The world's leading trade fair is thus once again developing in the direction of familiar structures. This year, exhibiting companies from the USA are particularly well represented, followed by Japan, China, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The positive mood of the exhibitors can be clearly heard. This is also the case for camera supplier Vieworks from South Korea. Janice Lee, Sales Manager at Vieworks: "We have been exhibiting at Vision for several years. Due to COVID-19, we were unable to attend the show in 2021. We are even more excited to be back in 2022 and meet our customers here in person, showcase our products and technologies, and learn about the latest market trends. The machine vision trade fair in Stuttgart has an unmatched international significance."

Vision 2022: Trend Topics Image Processing

Image processing is on the rise. New trend topics are taking over the field and artificial intelligence has become indispensable. This is also the case in Stuttgart. In view of the technical developments, Florian Niethammer is convinced that Vision will offer the right solutions for countless user industries: "At Vision 2022, it will be exciting to see what new possibilities the topic of hyperspectral imaging offers, where the trend topics of AI and deep learning are headed, and what new developments will be seen in the field of embedded vision and 3D."

The exhibiting companies will show the opportunities that machine vision offers for different industries - including the medical and pharmaceutical industries, the food and beverage industry, traffic engineering and infrastructure, retail and the retail trade, the automotive and supplier industry, mechanical and plant engineering, and logistics. In addition to components, high-performance image processing systems will be presented. Among the system suppliers 2022 is also the Swiss company Compar from Pfäffikon SZ will be represented. For Stefan Basig, Marketing & Sales Manager at Compar, the world's leading trade fair has a special significance: "For our industry, the machine vision trade fair stands for a clear vision. For three days, everything revolves around technology trends, product highlights and knowledge transfer. We have been using the platform for several years to deepen our knowledge in the field of machine vision. As a system integrator, it is particularly important for us to present refined and cost-effective systems to potential customers and to support them in selecting efficient solutions from a wide range of products. In doing so, it is not words that should convince, but the systems themselves."

For more information on Vision in Stuttgart, Oct. 4-6, 2022, visit: www.vision-messe.de

The Equal Salary Foundation has awarded watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen the Equal Salary certificate, a symbol of excellence in the field of equal pay, according to reports. The certification process took place in two phases: First, IWC Schaffhausen had to have its salaries statistically analyzed. The decisive factor is that the gender pay gap is less than five percent. The company was able to meet this requirement. This was followed by an internal audit conducted by PwC to prove the conformity of the processes, i.e. to confirm that equal pay between women and men is actually applied. The audit examines both the company's overall commitment to equal pay and its implementation in HR processes. Equal Salary certification is valid for three years, during which the company undergoes two surveillance audits. After three years, the company must renew the certification process with a new salary analysis and a full on-site audit.

"Such a commitment to equal pay and equal opportunities is a promise of gender equality in the workplace. With Equal Salary certification, IWC is setting a good example and bringing even more trust and transparency to Swiss fine watchmaking," commented Lisa Rubli, Co-CEO of the Equal Salary Foundation. "At IWC, we stand for an inclusive work environment that offers equal opportunities to all our employees. Equal work deserves equal pay. Achieving Equal Salary certification as one of our strategic business goals shows us that our efforts have been successful. It underscores our honest and open communication flow. We listen to and value feedback from our employees. We are proud that, thanks to the contribution of all our colleagues, we have taken another step towards a fair and transparent workplace culture," adds Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.

Equal Salary Certification is a now well-established tool for companies to demonstrate and communicate that they pay women and men fairly. It is a practical and scientific solution to create transparency while maintaining confidentiality. Also recently newly certified are SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA (Geneva), Hyposwiss Private Bank (Geneva) and Rehab Basel.

Source: Equal Salary Foundation

Fuel cell stacks are the heart of fuel cell vehicles. These fuel cell stacks consist of two end plates with several bipolar plates sandwiched between them. These are each separated by membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). The electrically conducting bipolar plates have the task of connecting the anode of one cell to the cathode of the other cell. Each bipolar plate contains two cavities for the process gases hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen, and usually an internal cooling loop. Starting from the process gas flow cavities, the process gases hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen are fed over a large area to the membrane of the membrane electrode unit via the so-called flow field. The corresponding high-temperature cooling circuit has the function of maintaining an optimum process temperature for the entire fuel cell system. Essentially, this results in four failure modes for a fuel cell:

1. Hydrogen loss in general.
2. Crossover leaks between anode and cathode or overboard leaks at seals - with an uncontrolled reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.
3. Loss of coolant, which reduces the efficiency of the fuel cell stack and leads to damage.
4. Hydrogen leakage into the cooling circuit has a corrosive effect, impairs the efficiency of liquid cooling because of the gas bubbles and can even damage the pump.

Fuel cell stacks and the tightness of the individual cells

The failure scenarios result in specific requirements for the leakage rate. Against hydrogen leakage - both to the outside and into the cooling channel - the overall system must be protected against leakage rates in the range of 10^-3 Until 10^-5 mbar∙l/s to be tested. Hydrogen is known to be highly flammable and ignitable in the wide concentration range between 4 and 73 percent hydrogen in air. Some fuel cell manufacturers refer to the DIN EN IEC 62282-2 standard, the latest version of which was published in April 2021. The standard deals with the safety of fuel cell modules, but it does not deal with fuel cell applications in road vehicles. EN IEC 62282-2 specifies a hydrogen limiting leakage rate of 5 cm³/min for an entire fuel cell stack and requires the user to ensure good ventilation of the fuel cell. However, since this cannot always be guaranteed when installed in a road vehicle - think of a vehicle parked in a single-car garage - automotive applications often have more stringent leakage requirements. But regardless of which leakage rate is applied to the entire stack, the following applies: Because a complete stack consists of several hundred individual cells whose leakage rates must be considered in total, these individual components must be tested against limit leakage rates that are two decades smaller again. If, for example, the fuel cell stack consists of 350 cells and the individual cells are to be tested for leak tightness using helium test gas, a helium limit leak rate of approx. 10^-4 mbar∙l/s. For more stringent specifications in automotive applications, individual bipolar plates can also have limiting leakage rates up to the range of 10^-6 mbar∙l/s may be necessary. However, in the context of development projects and in scientific research, it is already being discussed whether in the future even smaller limiting leakage rates down to 10^-7 mbar∙l/s would be more reasonable.

The vacuum method for line production

To avoid short circuits, the cooling medium in the high-temperature cooling circuit of the bipolar plates must have a low conductivity. As a rule, deionized water with an antifreeze additive is therefore used as the cooling liquid. To prevent this liquid from leaking out of the cooling channel, a leakage test against leakage rates in the range of 10^-3 Until 10^-4 mbar∙l/s is reasonable. This is the usual order of magnitude for liquid tightness, because water itself seals leaks of this size. For this and other leak testing tasks in manufacturing, the test gas-based vacuum method is recommended. It combines high reliability with short cycle times and is therefore particularly suitable for testing tasks in the production line. The test part is placed in a vacuum chamber, first evacuated and then pressurized with helium. The leak rate of the test part is determined on the basis of the test gas that escapes from any leaks into the vacuum of the chamber. In addition to the high-temperature cooling circuit that flows through the bipolar plates, FCEV vehicles also have one or more low-temperature cooling circuits that keep electrical components such as the powertrain, converters, and power electronics within temperature ranges of less than 60°C. They are operated with a conventional water-glycol mixture and must also be tested against liquid tightness.

Testing the bipolar plate for hydrogen leaks

The vacuum method is also used to test the bipolar plates themselves for hydrogen leakage. In this process, the hydrogen cavity of the bipolar plate is sealed, evacuated and filled with helium. In an evacuated vacuum chamber, a leak detector can then be tested against limiting leak rates of 10^-4 Until 10^-5 mbar∙l/s test. If no helium can be detected in the vacuum of the chamber, no leaks exist - neither from the hydrogen cavity to the outside nor into the cooling channel. However, if the instrument detects a leak, further investigation of the cause is possible. This is done by taking advantage of the fact that the hydrogen cavity of the bipolar plate is still filled with helium and sealed after the test in the vacuum chamber. However, only the cooling channel itself is now connected to a vacuum pump. In this way, it can be verified whether helium penetrates the vacuum of the cooling channel. Otherwise, it is certain that the originally identified leak leads to the outside.

Tests of assembled fuel cell stacks

After the bipolar plates have been assembled into complete fuel cell stacks, end-of-line tests are required - although tests can also be useful after preceding intermediate steps. For all these tests on assembled fuel cell stacks, helium is also used as the test gas. If hydrogen were used instead, there would be a risk that the fuel cell would already be producing electricity unintentionally. Hydrogen is also prohibited as a test gas for safety reasons, because major leaks in the hydrogen circuit could quickly lead to ignitable hydrogen concentrations of more than 4 percent in air. Typical helium boundary leak rates for leak testing of assembled fuel cell stacks in practice are in the range of about 10^-3 Until 10^-5 mbar∙l/s. The tolerable leakage rate for the complete fuel cell stack also depends decisively on the specific installation situation in the vehicle. The leakage rate at which an ignitable hydrogen concentration of 4 percent can occur in air is not only a question of the leak tightness of the fuel cell stack, but also of the volume surrounding it in the vehicle and the air exchange in this environment. These factors must also be taken into account when determining a sensible leakage rate.

Tightness of the hydrogen recirculation

Further leak tests are required on components such as the media distribution plate of a fuel cell (which conducts hydrogen, air and coolant), its various valves, pumps and its hydrogen recirculation. Fuel cells supply hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen superstoichiometrically to the membrane electrode units of their bipolar plates. This means that residues of each of the two gases remain when they react to form water. For this reason, fuel cells require hydrogen recirculation. The process gases first pass through a water separator, and the hydrogen fraction is then recirculated and used again. It is also advisable to test the hydrogen-carrying components of the hydrogen recirculation system against leakage rates in the range of 10^-4 Until 10^-6 mbar∙l/s.

Permeation limits for hydrogen tanks

The hydrogen tanks installed in FCEVs are mostly so-called Type IV tanks, made of composite materials. Such tanks for passenger cars are usually designed to withstand operating pressures of up to 700 bar. The much larger hydrogen tanks for buses are expected to withstand operating pressures of 350 bar. The leak tightness requirements for hydrogen tanks arise from a set of international standards that define maximum permissible permeation rates. For a passenger car hydrogen tank with a capacity of 30 l and a pressure of 700 bar, for example, the permeation limits of ISO 15869 B.16 translate into a helium boundary leakage rate of 2.3 ∙ 10^-2 mbar∙l/s. In practice, however, hydrogen tanks are often not merely tested according to the standards, but against leakage rates in the range 10^-3 mbar∙l/s. This is because any measured leakage rate that exceeds the unavoidable permeation of the material itself is necessarily indicative of a real leak.

Accumulation test on the hydrogen tank

When the necessary fittings and valves are attached to a hydrogen tank, the original tank body becomes the so-called tank module. Both the vacuum method with helium and the accumulation method with forming gas are suitable for preliminary testing of the tank body. In the latter, the test part is exposed to a non-flammable mixture of 5 percent hydrogen and 95 percent nitrogen, the commercially available forming gas. The leakage rate is calculated from the quantity of test gas that then escapes from the test part in a simple test chamber and accumulates there over a defined period of time. Because production figures are not yet high enough to make vacuum testing worthwhile because of its shorter cycle times, this accumulation method is often still used. The large hydrogen tanks of buses in particular, which have volumes of up to 1,700 l, are tested in accumulation chambers with up to 4,000 l chamber volume. Because of the lower test gas costs, the test specimen is filled with the less expensive forming gas. However, at a pressure of 700 bar, because the otherwise much smaller leak rates would not be detectable in the very large accumulation chamber. Because of the high test pressure, there is also an emergency outlet in the accumulation chamber in this special case, which opens in the event of overpressure.

Sniffer leak detection on complete tanks with all fittings

Leak tests are still required even after the tank body has been assembled with all fittings - filling and outlet valves as well as pressure sensors. However, the so-called sniffer leak test is usually used here. The finished tank is filled with either helium or forming gas as the test gas and sealed. A sniffer tip is then moved along the surface of the tank. The focus is on the neuralgic points, i.e. the connection points to the fittings. Automated, dynamic sniffer leak detection, in which a robotic arm guides the sniffer tip, avoids any errors made by a human inspector and guarantees maximum throughput. However, this requires leak detectors that have a particularly high gas flow. Otherwise, the robotic arm would not be able to move the sniffer tip across the test part fast enough or with the required safety distance. Typical limit leak rates for these end-of-line tests on finished hydrogen tanks are in the range 5∙10^-2 mbar∙l/s.

Tightness of electric and hydrogen components

Ultimately, it is electric motors that move a fuel cell vehicle. The lithium-ion batteries that feed the motors are also the same in principle as in electric vehicles - although the traction battery in the FCEV is far smaller and acts only as a buffer. Leakage testing tasks exist here as well. No electrolyte may leak from lithium-ion cells, for example, and no humidity may penetrate the cells. Otherwise, the electrolyte could react with the water to form hydrofluoric acid. The testing tasks for the batteries, control modules and electric motors of FCEVs are the same as for electric vehicles. But the specific components of fuel cell vehicles also require very reliable leak testing. Especially since the term hydrogen is quickly associated with the word danger in the public's mind. Consistent quality assurance is therefore indispensable. Test gas-based methods are the way to go.

Author:
Sandra Seitz is Market Manager Automotive Leak Detection Tools at Inficon. Further information can be found in the e-book "E-Mobility: Leak Testing for Alternative Drive Vehicles". It covers the wide range of testing tasks involved in the industrial production of components for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV). The e-book is available for free download here: https://www.inficon.com/de/maerkte/automobilindustrie/dichtheitspruefung-emobilitaet-elektroauto-brennstoffzelle

The Digitization accelerates: Insurers Helsana, TCS and Groupe Mutuel, which dominate the ranking, are making more progress on average than the other market players. This is because customer relationships are more developed and interactions are more frequent with more digital services (scanning and sending invoices, changing deductibles, applying for new additional products, asking about product coverage, etc.). This is the conclusion of Colombus Consulting's study on the digitalization of the Swiss insurance industry. Furthermore, the budgets allocated to digital media have increased significantly (+31%), especially among health insurers, who invest more than property and casualty insurers (10 points difference lies in the growth of digital media budgets between the two types of insurance).

Insurers develop their target groups and services

According to the study, the trend is moving in the following directions: The insurance industry is looking to embrace instant messaging, chatbots and better integration of social networks into customer service, as well as develop differentiated interaction services. "The goal for insurers today is to make customer relationships more fluid on digital channels, without forgetting that agencies and advisors remain the main point of contact for customers. We're talking about a digitally enhanced advisor," says Rémi Chadel, associate director of Colombus Consulting.

Mobile apps are at the heart of innovation in the industry

While mobile apps have in the past offered functions that covered basic needs (claims management, scanning of bills, contact with the insurance company), this offering is evolving: SWICA, CSS, Sanitas and Helsana now offer digital health coaching via more advanced mobile apps. The new Twint+ service, in partnership with Würth Financial Services, offers travel insurance or insurance for everyday items in the "app only" market, while Revolut travel insurance is only available in Europe and not in Switzerland.

Continued growth of InsurTech drives the insurance industry

Despite a slowdown in fundraising, InsurTech players are experiencing sustained growth in 2022. At the European level, the sector is divided into two families: on the one hand, companies positioning themselves as direct competitors of traditional insurers (e.g., the German company Wefox and the French companies Alan and +Simple), and on the other hand, providers of specialized services and solutions (e.g., the French company Shift Technology, specialized in fraud detection, and the English company Envelop Risk, specialized in reinsurance). Similar to AXA Switzerland, which bought the start-up Kinastic in 2022, the acquisitions or partnerships between insurers and InsurTech continue.

New ecosystems take shape

The dynamism of InsurTech players has pushed insurance companies to innovate, leading to the emergence of a new trend: Business ecosystems that allow players from the same sector to join forces to create new services. Thus, we note the arrival of Well, a merger of CSS Insurance, Visana, the telemedicine provider Medi24 and the online pharmacy Zur Rose, which offers new integrated services between companies. In the same dynamic, insurers Groupe Mutuel, Helsana and Swica are joining forces in Compensana, along with healthcare groups Medbase and Hirslanden. They are expected to launch services that will also be closely scrutinized by the market. "Customer expectations in the insurance sector are indeed high, as the digital customer experience often lags behind other sectors," says Rémi Chadel.

Should digitalization be achieved through "Open Insurance"?

Through the integration of new services, partnerships and the creation of ecosystems, the insurance market is becoming increasingly open. While in the past, collaboration between companies was aimed at expanding the range of services offered, today Open Insurance should provide the opportunity to offer new end-to-end services or even integrate players from outside the industry. "Excellent experiences for customers and employees remain a powerful driver for innovation in a market that is constantly looking for new ways to do things," concludes Rémi Chadel.

Source and further information: Colombus Consulting

Companies are wasting potential in software development: Less than half have a comprehensive DevOps culture. This is shown by the State of Developer Experience Survey 2022 from LeanIX. According to this study, most respondents apply the methods characteristic of DevOps only sporadically and complain more frequently that obstacles become a challenge in their daily work. Considering the importance of software development for achieving business goals, it is alarming that the majority of development teams have little insight into the immediate customer benefits of their work, the study concludes. Few metrics are available, and software development efficiency is also poorly measured. A quarter of the respondents do not identify one of the four recognized DORA metrics. The lack of such metrics on customer value and efficiency makes communication difficult: for example, only 42 percent of respondents say that IT and business speak the same language in their company. The LeanIX State of Developer Experience Survey, conducted for the first time in 2022, makes it clear: A little DevOps is not enough - and a stronger focus on it can decisively improve software development.

Potential of DevOps is not exploited in daily work

The study participants were asked about the use of five characteristic working methods for DevOps - with sobering results:

Nearly 60 percent of the respondents state that they can react flexibly to changing customer requirements and that they have CI/CD pipelines. However, flexibility with regard to the customer and the ability to execute and test changes to the code automatically via CI/CD pipelines is central to DevOps initiatives. It is therefore notable that for more than 40 percent of teams, this basic requirement is only partially met or not met at all. The picture is even worse when it comes to the "build-ship-own your code" principle typical of DevOps, team organization based on team topologies or the free choice of tech stack. In summary, DevOps initiatives can be expanded in international companies.

DevOps maturity level influences perception of obstacles at work

If we look at the five working methods queried, we see that the majority of developer teams (53 percent) use only up to three of these methods. This low DevOps maturity level has an influence on the assessment of obstacles in daily work. Respondents from such teams consistently rate these as a greater challenge:

Reducing manual effort due to lack of automation - this is at the top of the list of obstacles described as a "major challenge" for all respondents. However, teams with a lower DevOps maturity level perceive this significantly more strongly, at 41 percent versus 25 percent. Whether breaking down silos or the difficulty of focusing on one's tasks due to frequent changes in context, whether uncovering bottlenecks, the challenge of prioritizing projects or allocating resources efficiently: in theory, agile ways of working lead to the elimination or significant reduction of these obstacles. The fact that the majority of respondents describe these issues as challenging is another indication that DevOps teams are still on a journey. This is where those responsible can start to further improve and accelerate software development in the company.

There is a lack of a common language between IT and business

Successful DevOps initiatives require collaboration with all stakeholders in the company - Gartner analysts point this out. They note that many initiatives also fail because the expectations associated with them are not clearly defined within the company. To manage these expectations, IT and business should agree on common goals and metrics - and thus on a common language, the experts demand.

However, it is precisely this common language that is lacking in companies: Only 42 percent of the respondents in this study state that IT and business understand each other. If you look at which metrics are recorded at all and examined more closely, the lack of a basis for understanding becomes obvious.

Little insight into customer value and software development efficiency

About 70 percent of developer teams look at two metrics in relation to the customer and their work: open support tickets and monthly active users - easily accessible metrics that hold the most potential for frustration and do not directly relate to the software delivered and its value to the customer:

Whether it's feature adoption, churn rate, return on investment, or Net Promoter Score as an expression of satisfaction, each of these metrics is looked at by less than half of software development teams. So most teams have little insight into the actual success and customer value of their specific work performance - and can't share it with the business.

The ability to measure software development performance using the four recognized DORA metrics (Deployment Frequency, Failure Rate, Lead Time for Changes, Mean Time to Recovery) is also not widely perceived. A quarter of the respondents do not even consider one of these metrics. Yet such a measurement of performance would also contribute to a common language that makes mutual appreciation possible in the first place.

Different data sources complicate the overview

The necessary information for relevant customer key figures or the DORA metrics is often spread across various sources. Their collection often involves a great deal of manual effort - and in almost 40 percent of cases even Excel spreadsheets.

Modern value stream management platforms could help. But only 20 percent of respondents are already using them to link data streams together in an automated way and to establish the direct link to business results.

Expand agile ways of working despite predominantly positive developer experience

No comprehensive DevOps implementation, hurdles in daily work, little insight into the direct customer benefit of the developed software - despite this situation in the developer teams, the slight majority of respondents generally rate the developer experience rather positively:

What sounds good at first, however, a closer look also shows that almost half of the respondents cannot decide on a positive assessment. Against the backdrop of a massive shortage of skilled IT staff and the increasing importance of software as a differentiator on the market, companies should do everything in their power to retain their software development teams.

Surfaces are usually the result of an often multi-stage manufacturing process. Therefore, only a carefully coordinated and quality-monitored manufacturing process can lead to the desired result. Optical measuring methods as a non-contact and non-destructive analysis and testing method (Fig. 1) open up interesting possibilities here, as they can be used for almost all materials and are also suitable for sensitive surfaces.

Proven measurement methods with limits

Traditionally, tactile measuring instruments are still mostly used in surface metrology. The so-called stylus method is particularly widespread. Here, a fine diamond stylus tip is guided over the surface and deflected vertically by the surface texture. Information about the surface is thus obtained two-dimensionally along a profile. The method is described in detail in relevant standards such as DIN EN ISO 3274 or DIN 4287, and has certainly proved its worth in practice. However, the extent to which the reduction of the surface to a profile section provides adequate results depends on the requirements, because the result for the roughness parameter is strongly influenced by the selected measuring position. Therefore, the description of the surface condition as a profile section is usually not sufficient for statements about the functionality of the entire surface or for an optimization of the manufacturing process. This is different with three-dimensional optical measurement, since it can detect over the entire surface. In addition, damage to the surface is ruled out with the non-contact method (Fig. 2).

The choice of the cutoff wavelength

In optical surface measurement, roughness, shape and waviness are not sharply defined features that exist separately next to each other. Instead, a surface can be described as a superposition of numerous wavelengths, with a smooth transition from the particularly long-wavelength shape components through the waviness components to the short-wavelength roughness components (Fig. 3). Frequency filters are responsible for the separation. By applying these low-pass or high-pass filters with Gaussian characteristics, a bandwidth-limited profile or a bandwidth-limited surface is then available for further evaluation. The choice of the respective cutoff wavelengths is of central importance, because depending on the setting, different measured values can result for the desired measurand.

The measuring chains for surface or profile evaluation, which can be applied to optical metrology today, are described in the ISO 25178 or ISO 4287 series of standards. In profile-based measurement, the cutoff wavelength, the single measuring distance and the evaluation length are determined as a function of the surface properties on the basis of a table. For this purpose, the expected texture parameters are first estimated and then test measurements are carried out. There is no comparable table for area-based measurement, but it is advisable to select the same or similar values as a basis for test measurements. The amplitude and height parameters frequently used in practice have largely been extended to areal evaluation in the newer standard. Here, the two-dimensional measurement and evaluation of the topography has the advantage that it does not depend on the choice of the measurement position and thus - especially in the case of inhomogeneous or defective surfaces - provides more reliable results (Fig. 4).

Parameters in surface metrology

For the large number of parameters from the profile standards ISO 4287 and ISO 13565, an equivalent can be found in the newer surface standard ISO 25178. Beyond this, however, the surface-based evaluation of the topography offers additional possibilities due to the added dimension, which allow a function-oriented evaluation of the surface. Material fraction curves based on area-based data make it possible, for example, to describe the functional behavior of a surface (Fig. 5a, b). Other evaluations based on material volume or topography parameters can be added to provide additional insights.

In summary, it can be said that the profiled 2D surface measurement technique will probably only continue to be useful in the medium term where its informative value is sufficient. The areal characterization of the surface with the aid of optical 3D measurement technology offers considerably more possibilities. Measuring equipment should therefore be supplemented or replaced at the latest when 2D parameters can no longer describe the characteristics or function of a surface with sufficient accuracy or only unreliably. Then, three-dimensional optical metrology not only provides a function- and structure-oriented evaluation, but also an image of the surface that is easier to understand for human perception.

Authors:
Dr.-Ing. Özgür Tan, Jan Zepp, Polytec GmbH, and Ellen-Christine Reiff, M.A., Editorial Office Stutensee (http://www.rbsonline.de)

About Polytec

As a laser technology pioneer, Polytec has been offering optical measurement technology solutions for research and industry since 1967. After the early years as a distributor, the high-tech company based in Waldbronn near Karlsruhe made a name for itself as early as the 1970s as a developer of its own laser-based measuring devices and is today the world market leader in the field of non-contact vibration measurement technology with laser vibrometers. Systems for length and speed measurement, surface characterization, analytics as well as process automation are also part of the wide range of in-house developments. Another core competence of Polytec is the distribution of image processing components and optical systems.

For more information on the topic, see: https://www.polytec.com/de/rauheitsmessung

Switzerland has several internationally leading research institutions in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) spread throughout the country. Independently of this, the importance and use of AI as an enabling technology is steadily increasing in more and more research fields and application areas. For the first time, the Swiss Artificial Intelligence Research Overview Platform SAIROP now presents a detailed overview of AI competencies in Switzerland's dispersed research landscape.

High level of detail

For this purpose, the ten partner organizations involved surveyed the various research institutions in Switzerland and compiled information on current research projects from various publicly accessible data sources. Data preparation and curation is time-consuming due to the great diversity. However, thanks to the new platform, the information is more accessible and the level of detail is probably unique in Europe.

SAIROP: Online since June 23, 2022

The Platform is online and was presented to an audience of industry representatives and researchers on June 23 at the Swiss Conference on Data Science (SDS2022) in the KKL Luzern. Data on research institutions, current projects with a start year of 2021 and experts conducting research on and with AI in Switzerland are currently presented. The data is continuously supplemented and updated. In addition, the platform will be enriched with further relevant information in the future to provide an even better overview of the research field and its impact on society.

Improve visibility of Swiss AI partners

In the longer term, SAIROP is intended to network the AI research community even more closely, improve the visibility of Swiss AI research partners, and offer local as well as international companies and research institutions new access for initiating innovation projects. Dedicated events and further communication measures are planned for this purpose.

Source: satw

We live in a VUCA world - characterized by volatilities, uncertainties, complexities and ambiguities. The influences on corporate risk management have increased and become even more multi-layered, more complex. The fact that the improbable can probably occur is part of it. Business disruptions, or prolonged interruptions, are no longer all that rare events. Recent events of high tragedy and scope, however, place entirely new demands on operational safety, emergency and crisis management as well as on organizational resilience.

Power supply insecurity increases risk of operational failures

The increasing networking and penetration of virtually all areas of life with information technology and the networking of logistics and supply chains opens up economic and social potential that a highly developed and industrialized country like Switzerland cannot do without. At the same time, however, increasing digitization and uncertainty about the future security of electricity supply are creating new risk situations that must be responded to quickly and consistently. The particular danger of targeted cyber attacks on ICT infrastructure affects government agencies as well as operators of critical infrastructures and other companies or organizations.

Approaches for successful crisis management

Those who have seriously identified the risks for their company and planned measures better protect themselves against events and the resulting potential disruptions, losses and business interruptions. Has the awareness of business interruptions and the potential vulnerabilities reached everywhere and is it sufficient? Is the necessary resilience of companies in place? The presentations on October 27 will deal with latent top business risks in Switzerland and provide approaches on how to manage them and with which measures to counteract them.

Information about the symposium

Although numerous experiences with robotics have been handed down before, the patent for a programmable manipulator registered by George Devol in 1954 is generally regarded as the birth of the development of industrial robots. Then, as now, robotics was concerned with trying to implement interactions of the physical world through the use of mechanical solutions in conjunction with information processing. This automates and optimizes processes such as the manufacture of products. Increasing global networking also plays a role: "Modern robots are equipped with sensors and actuators, and the information obtained from them can be processed immediately," explains Wilhelm Heckmann, Managing Director at CNT Management Consulting in Zurich, an international consulting firm focusing on digitalization. By applying artificial intelligence, industrial robots can build up an understanding of the environment, enabling them to identify future problems and associated failures at an early stage. Moreover, insights from this are not just reserved for robots in one plant, but are distributed globally - helping to further develop the customer experience.

Robotics promotes flexibility and customer experience

While robotics used to be used primarily to increase efficiency, robots now also support companies in the area of flexibility. "Robotics has been increasingly equipped with artificial intelligence in recent years. This also has an impact on the customer experience, as production runs more uninterrupted and, in the course of this, not only production itself but also delivery reliability is improved," Heckmann emphasizes. In addition, robotics allows real-time monitoring through connected IoT devices that link physical objects to the virtual world. As a result, information about the machine's condition is available at all times to the manufacturer, the service provider and the customer operating the machine. The resulting transparency also has a positive impact on the customer experience.

Customized mass production

Especially with regard to personalized customer requests, robotics offers significant advantages, for example in the areas of (on-time) delivery or costs. The use of robots even makes adjustments in assembly line production possible, opening up completely new opportunities for companies in terms of their customer experience. "With the use of robotics, companies can flexibly adapt their products to individual customer requirements at any time, which can become a differentiating factor, especially in the face of competing companies," says Heckmann. So-called production cells, which consist of several similar machining centers combined into a single unit, make mass production particularly flexible. "If people and robots work together effectively, companies can deliver exactly what their customers want," says Heckmann, explaining the concept of customized mass production. Ultimately, companies increase not only their sales but also their profitability - while the customer also benefits from short delivery times and good prices. The use of robotics also offers advantages in terms of sustainability, which is becoming increasingly important in production and purchasing: "For example, it can reduce energy costs and keep production waste and material costs low," Heckmann knows.

CNT & SAP Event in Zurich

Those who are interested in sustainability in the purchasing process will soon have the opportunity to deal with the topic in person. On June 29, 2022, CNT Management Consulting, together with Q_PERIOR and SAP, invites to the event "CNT Procurement Afterwork" at "The Circle" in Zurich. "Guests can look forward to, among other things, an exciting customer presentation by a well-known company and further valuable expertise from the procurement sector," Heckmann reveals in the run-up to the event. So anyone who wants to learn more about how the SAP Business Network can provide insight into the supply chain and thus make a positive contribution to the future themselves should find interesting information at this event.

Source and further information

It is only too understandable: one crisis follows the next and there is no end in sight. As if the health threat posed by the coronavirus and the massive disruption it has caused to previously well-established economic processes and supply chains were not challenge enough, rising inflation rates and energy shortages are looming as a result of the war in Ukraine. It is no wonder that the motivation of many executives to deal with ever new bad news is exhausted. The challenge of being forced from one crisis management to the next and only being able to keep up with developments despite all efforts often triggers feelings of insecurity, if not powerlessness. Consequently, it is difficult to give employees the security they would need in the face of crisis imponderables.  

Acceptance of one's own limits

So what to do in the face of continuously high uncertainty that requires constant changes to adapt to the situation? How to deal with the concerns and fears that one has oneself and that also haunt the employees? It is clear that working under exceptional conditions for a long time pushes people to their limits. They then act successively less deliberately and self-determinedly, but increasingly follow their involuntary patterns, which as a rule are not very useful from an entrepreneurial point of view, but bring with them a great potential for damage. These patterns include avoided decisions, hectic redirection, thin-skinned communication, fear-driven rigidity and others. Consequently, the insecurity that employees already personally feel is significantly increased. Insecure times need one thing above all else in order to remain manageable: The communication of security with simultaneous recognition of uncertainty and the limitations of one's own resources. At first glance, this seems paradoxical, but it is not. It is precisely the acceptance of one's own limits that can be the key to regaining one's own effectiveness. 

The encounter with one's own limits is an unpleasant experience for many people. We are shaped by "higher, faster, further", by success and growth, by "the Indian knows no pain". Boundaries are there to be overcome, not to capitulate to them, right? This attitude, which already drives up burnout rates in "normal" times, completely loses its validity in the face of external threats over which we have no control. It is permissible to feel powerless in a crisis situation, to have no suitable answers at hand, to admit to oneself that the usual solution patterns do not work and new ones have to be sought. How does that feel to you? Is this permissible or a no-go in a world that is supposed to be controlled with a firm hand? It is possible that inner voices will immediately speak up, dismissing the admission of uncertainty as not only gross, but also negligent mischief - and you are already back to involuntary patterns.

Self-observation helps

In order to escape this inner blockade, it is very useful to start with oneself, to observe oneself attentively and to listen within oneself:

• Feelings: What feelings does the current situation trigger in me?
  It would not be surprising if the feelings reflected a mixture of fear, surprise, aversion, powerlessness, and perhaps a little shame and guilt on top of this strange and unusual potpourri. It would also not be surprising if you had nothing to do with these feelings and wanted to suppress them. But with that they are still there and have an effect. Therefore: Accept that they are there. Maybe this will make it easier that it is not only you who feels this way.
• Values: What are the values behind my feelings and how do I behave as a result?
  Performance, success, self-determination and recognition are common values in the professional context. The striving for fulfillment of our values is, in the first approximation, indifferent to external influences - unfortunately. In crisis situations, this leads to a dogged and often hopeless struggle that is more hindering than helpful and leads to exhaustion. Therefore: Question the suitability of your values for critical situations and allow yourself deviations, even if this is difficult. Flexibility, short-term orientation, improvisation and the like can be useful.
• Purposefulness: What is useful for achieving my goals, i.e. gaining clarity and security in uncertain times?
  By accepting your feelings and reorienting your values, you lay the foundation for steering out of the mode of involuntary and fear-driven behavior and returning to your effectiveness and power. At the same time, this is the basis for directing your gaze undistortedly to the purposefulness of your behavior and your decisions for dealing with the crisis situation.
• Employees: Start approaching your employees with the above principles in mind.
  Anticipate, inquire about, and honor their feelings. Reveal how you feel and that you cannot offer a panacea. Invite them to look for possible solutions together. In this way, you show empathy for your employees as well as for yourself, cause mutual emotional docking and create a common spirit. This is the basis for confronting the crisis with united forces and conveying emotional security and trust.

Feelings decide

As much as we would like feelings to play no role in business and to decide and act on a purely rational basis, this is pure wishful thinking. Psychology and neurobiology teach us that the drive for our behavior and actions lies much more in our feelings than in our thinking. This goes so far that we rationally underpin decisions made intuitively after the fact. Conveying security and trust in uncertain times is therefore a highly emotional process that can succeed well with empathy and bring back the ability to act.

Book reference: "The Change Code - How people get excited about change and win companies with it".

For years, three quarters of all change programs in companies have gone wrong. They waste money, destroy motivation and diminish competitiveness. It's high time that the botched change process finally came to an end. Dieter Lederer knows how this works The Change Code. He invites people to focus consistently on what they need to be enthusiastic about change. Because only in this way will they develop confidence and powerfully implement a new entrepreneurial direction.

Dieter Lederer

The Change Code
How people get excited about change and win companies with it

272 pages, hardcover bound
ISBN: 978-3-527-51107-5
Wiley-VCH, Weinheim