SWIZA NOWUS
Subtle blend of modern and tradition

Today, SWIZA SA and SWITZ International SA are thrilled to launch an exciting and ambitious collection of Swiss-made watches. The new SWIZA watch range comprises over 50 models in 5 lines and includes the instantly iconic, SWIZA NOWUS.

This feather-light watch is the quintessential balance between classic and modern design. The round face reflects the heritage of watch design in the canton of Jura, the cushion casing and fluid lines add a fresh style inspired by SWIZA’s DNA in the color palette of the dynamic Switzerland of today.

Swiza Watches

The SWIZA NOWUS line is the crown prince of the inaugural SWIZA watch assortment featuring over 50 models being unveiled today by SWITZ International SA. All five models of the SWIZA NOWUS assortment share the perfect balance of solidity and elegance.

This merging of the Jura’s world renowned values: craftsmanship, precision and reliability with the fresh style and colors of today’s Switzerland results in a strong and well-balanced design.

The aesthetically pleasing and ergonomically engineered casing echoes the carefree style of Switzerland’s genuine flair for innovation.

The crown is a tribute to our Swissness and the thoughtfully designed scratch-resistant rounded sapphire glass provides superior protection. The gentle curved shape of the crystal is a benchmark of SWIZA brand design language common to SWIZA watches and products in other categories.

The SWIZA NOWUS watch: the Swiss watch to accompany you on your everyday adventures. Because every day can be an adventure.

Source of  Swiza watches

Sustainable design firm Izmade releases lamp with an eco-friendly production process and modern design

Izmade, a sustainable design collective from Turin, Italy, released their Margherita lamp this December for international production. The Margherita lamp is one of many products from Izmade’s line of sustainable furniture and home accessories.

“The Margherita lamp embodies our entire self-made, sustainable philosophy here at Izmade”, said Izmade’s founders. “Every day Turin alone over 15,000 tomato cans are used by restaurants and thrown away. Instead of leaving this problem untouched in our community, we saw it as an opportunity to create something innovative and beautiful, while simultaneously helping the environment.”

The Izmade design philosophy aims to bridge the gap between environmentally friendly materials and passionate design. They aim to showcase and enhance the original features of the recycled materials while creating something aesthetically pleasing and functional for the home. This unique design process allows even the most commonplace materials to become something remarkable.

To kick off Margherita’s debut, Izmade is hosting a crowdfunding campaign through the website Indiegogo. All contributions will help Izmade meet minimum order quantities for the local Italian beech tree plywood and soybean adhesive necessary to make the lamp. Using these materials will allow Izmade to continue its commitment to truly environmentally conscious design, even as they expand production of the lamp to a larger audience.

Currently, the Margherita lamp is available exclusively on Izmade’s crowdfunding page. The campaign allows interested customers to donate an amount of their choosing in return for a product or other gift from Izmade. The Margherita lamp is available at a special early-bird price of 47€ through the Indiegogo site, but contributors also have the chance to receive other items from the Izmade line.

For more information about Margherita, visit the Indiegogo crowdfunding page at: http://igg.me/at/margherita-lamp/x/7973917
About Izmade
Born in 2012, Izmade is a sustainable design collective from Turin, Italy that specializes in the field of self-made eco-design furniture and home accessories. Izmade’s products are the result of a marriage between a traditional approach to conceptual design and an artisanal, self-made approach to production. Our design process is centered around environmental sustainability and the enhancement of a material’s original features to create something new and beautiful.

This mission is defined by our three areas of focus: use of recycled materials; industrial waste and byproducts; and innovative, certificated materials.

L’entreprise propose à ses clients des presses hydrauliques de haute précision et des systèmes d’automation dans le but d’augmenter la productivité
et la facilité d’utilisation des installations industrielles.

Le design innovant des Servo’Presses hydrauliques CNC HUMARD ® allie productivité élevée et ergonomie

HUMARD Automation SA, Delémont, a été créée en 1995 par les frères Georges et Raphaël Humard, tous deux directeurs généraux. Georges est responsable de la partie commerciale alors que Raphaël dirige la R&D et la production. L’entreprise a débuté en développant des solutions de robotisation pour les presses hydrauliques et, aujourd’hui, HUMARD Automation SA est spécialisée dans la conception, le développement et la fabrication de machines hautement automatisées ou robotisées. Son assortiment compte six lignes de produits, à savoir les presses hydrauliques de grande précision, les systèmes d’automatisation de la production, les robots de manutention, les automates de palettisation, les décolleteuses de haute précision ainsi que les accessoires et dispositifs divers. Tous les produits sont conçus pour accroître la productivité des installations industrielles, véritable défi pour les entreprises en Suisse qui se doivent de produire à très haute valeur ajoutée pour rester concurrentielles.

Si HUMARD Automation SA a su se forger une belle réputation, c’est grâce à des valeurs sur lesquelles aucune concession n’est envisagée. En 1er lieu, la qualité et la fiabilité des machines livrées chez le client et, ensuite, une solide capacité d’innovation, à travers un bureau de R&D d’une quinzaine de personnes (près de 30% de l’effectif  total), animées d’une véritable capacité d’observation et d’anticipation du marché.

Des systèmes sur mesure et modulables

A l’aide de modules standardisés, HUMARD Automation SA combine les éléments pour réaliser des solutions sur mesure, adaptées aux besoins spécifiques du client. L’interchangeabilité des modules offre en outre une grande flexibilité ; une chaîne de montage peut ainsi être modifiée en tout temps, et avec une interruption de travail minimale.

Trois entreprises complémentaires

Georges et Raphaël Humard font preuve d’un véritable esprit d’entrepreneurs, ne refusent aucun défi, mais sont attentifs à une évolution maîtrisée de leur société. Pour  soutenir le développement, deux entreprises ont été acquises, offrant synergies et complémentarité.

En 2002, New Ingenia SA, distributeur exclusif « Bosch Rexroth » pour la Suisse romande, a été rachetée et transférée à Delémont. Elle conçoit, monte et vend des installations complètes intégrant des profilés en aluminium telles que postes de travail, systèmes de convoyage et châssis d’installations diverses.

Seuret SA, spécialisée dans la révision de machines, notamment à cames, a, quant à elle, été reprise en 2011. Le mariage entre la force industrielle de HUMARD Automation SA et les compétences microtechniques de Seuret SA a permis la commercialisation d’un tour automatique de haute précision
combinant savoir-faire ancestral et technologies de pointe.

Gros plan sur la zone de travail spacieuse de la Servo’ Presse hydraulique

Les clients d’HUMARD Automation SA sont issus de l’horlogerie, la joaillerie, l’électronique, le médical, l’alimentaire ainsi que l’automobile. HUMARD Automation SA est très bien implantée en Suisse et une expansion vers certains marchés étrangers ciblés est en cours. Pour abriter ses activités, l’entreprise a bâti quatre usines dans la zone industrielle La Communance à Delémont. Une 5e halle, destinée à Seuret SA, est opérationnelle dès cet automne. Côté personnel, une septantaine de collaborateurs travaillent pour l’ensemble du groupe, y compris des apprentis dessinateurs sur machines et automaticiens.

HUMARD Automation SA, qui avait obtenu le soutien de la Promotion économique lors de son démarrage est aujourd’hui un fleuron de l’économie jurassienne.

Humard Innovation and Design team

Source: EnPlus

Swiss Made is a registered trademark that denotes products that are made in Switzerland. It is such a value for the manufacturer and the consumer that its designation is regulated, protected and controlled by Swiss law.

The Swiss Made designation has earned a reputation as a warranty of good sustainable products that is built with great precision through centuries of manufacturing quality products in Switzerland. It gives consumers a sort of guarantee about the quality of the goods they are purchasing and manufacturers can further profit in greater sales gained by the high consumer confidence from such a prestigious reputation.

The Swiss Made designation is an asset for Swiss companies to leverage in a competitive marketplace. In today’s global economy, a manufacturer must compete with goods made across the world. In order not only to survive but to be chosen by the customer as the best, the Swiss manufacturer must be competitive in the national and international market as well. This is why it is very important that Swiss Made goods deservingly earned a stellar reputation that is widely recognized and respected worldwide.

Today, Switzerland is regarded as having one of the world’s most powerful and stable economy. This is due to its strong manufacturing base as well unprecedented and continuous high quality that can be dated for hundreds of years. The solid and traditional quality of Swiss Made also contains latest know-how, industrial and scientific. In this way, the Swiss Made goods attract and reach a broad range of interested customers, even those who are ready to pay the ultimate price for such a remarkable product. It’s a win-win business for the Swiss Made goods producers and their customers.

Under the Swiss Made label, Swiss manufacturers have earned a worldwide fame for quality goods with durable reputation. These companies are recognized and accepted in many well-known areas of international industry. In addition to this, they can also surprise us in their visionary way by thinking in creating their own successful business in the market niches or supply professionals with unique products.

One of such company is Duvoisin Guitars SA. It is a Swiss manufacturer located in Neuchatel, Switzerland.  This company may not be known to many but for connoisseurs of electric guitars and basses this brand has world-class prestige. Like the traditional Swiss watchmakers, Duvoisin produces their musical instruments with great precision. They created internal six steps technology’s guide-line in order to achieve the highest quality product. It begins with the wood selection, its cutting and careful aging in the company workshops. Further it continues through the various stages including sound transmission, the geometry of the neck and precision in the positioning of the frets. Finally it finishes with the truss rod and touch markers.  To achieve this outstanding quality, in addition to the internal six steps rule, the company employs high qualified professionals, makes the guitars from exquisite woods as well uses special machine locally developed.  And it is not a surprise that they are testing the suitability of various Swiss’ woods for making instruments. Also since 2007 the company has been manufacturing basses from the Swiss wood. Duvoisin’s electric guitars and basses are produced in full compliance with the principles of Swiss Made goods.

Another example of Swiss Made are products of FELCO, a company which was created in 1945 by Mr. Félix Flisch a legendary, self-taught visionary. To start production of his first pruning shears he bought an old watchmaking factory. If it was just a coincidence, or destiny indicating that his products are so finely crafted as Swiss watches? The truth is that today, FELCO manufactures not only pruning shears unlike any others but offers tremendous assortment of pruning and cutting products to his clients in over 120 countries. The company is based in Les Geneveyes-sur-Coffrane, Switzerland. In the FELCO catalogue customer can find three general products classifications: “Green,” “Industrial” and “Power-assisted” for professional and leisure use. It sounds very simply but behind these three categories are wide range of goods offer to the client. It starts with the “universal cutter” and finish with “pneumatic and electric tools.” FELCO tools are used in various domains. They are widely used in agriculture, automotive industry, civil engineering and aeronautics, telecommunications, fishing and harbour activities as well many others.  The manufacture not only produces excellent tools but also offers accessories and service to maintenance the highest quality and longtime use of their products. When a new product is created the entire design team attention is focused on the smallest detail. The unique quality, perfection in accuracy and execution as well customer pleasure in using the tools are the base of Swiss Made brand.

A New chapter in Swiss Made knives is a cooperation between FELCO and VICTORINOX.
The two Swiss companies using label Swiss Made, proudly marked in a co-branding agreement a “Grafting and Pruning Knife.” The knife is produced by the manufacturer of Swiss knifes Victorinox.

Victorinox has been in business since 1884 and it is probably not always synonymous with cutlery, but it manufactures one of the world’s best-selling pocket knives, the Swiss Army Knife. Since 1891 Victorinox has been supplying officially the Swiss military with these pocket knives that would eventually become the Swiss Army Knife. As Victorinox knives got renowned, Mr.Karl Elsener, the company founder decided in 1909 to distinguish his knives from copies by using the white cross and red shield as company brand. Slowly but strong, the company was recognized for excellent quality production of original knifes and became one of the leaders in manufacturing cutlery.  1978 was a big moment and a huge recognition for the unique Swiss Made quality of Swiss Army Knives when the first time 50 Master Craftsman knives, model # 5044 were purchased by NASA. Nowadays the Swiss Army Knife is part of the standard equipment for the crew on space missions. Company reputation for durability and reliability is second to none extending a lifetime warranty for those who purchase their products. In addition to the well know production of world-class professional and household knifes Victorinox offers pocket tools, timepieces, travel gear and fashion. All these goods represent Swiss Made quality at every stage of their production. They are masterpieces of quality and latest technology with the roots in a revolutionary idea from 1884 of Mr. Karl Elsener.

In such a distinguish company it could not be missed the Girod Instruments, a Swiss manufacturer measuring instruments of superior precision. The company products are noticed for their Swiss Made solid quality and neat appearance. In 2014 the company is celebrating its 50th anniversary of the successful business. The business is located in Court, in the middle of the Swiss Jura, a region which is well-known as a historical base for manufacturing the famous Swiss watches. Be a part of the living watch industry tradition influenced the products of Girod Instruments.

The company develops measuring instruments as well customized products on request. The main area of the business activity of the company is micro-mechanic. A company’s own product the Girod-Tast is a lever indicator. A part of the Swiss Made quality is an outstanding service. That is very much in line with the Girod Instruments philosophy, because the company manages the repairs of the products directly within its own locations.

Swiss Made is a legacy and philosophy for companies, which are located in Switzerland and desired for the highest quality and standard of their products. The companies pay attention to the smallest detail of their product and respect customer’s well-being.
The Swiss Made trademark is most known for the reliability and precision and is always proudly displays on product which meet the requirements.

By Ella Salzmann

Actually the machine has already been sold a few time in the US and results seems promising. The first machines were sold to Petron Automation, a Connecticut shop proud owner of the first two SwissNanos in the US.

19 new machines

Last November, Petron Automation, Inc. held a ribbon cutting ceremony marking its facility expansion. Tornos CEO, Michael Hauser, was there to witness the event. The company, established 34 years ago, added 9,000 square feet to make room for 19 new machines – more than doubling the company’s capacity in 17,000 square feet total.

SwissNano to reach new markets

“These new machines will help us expand our operations and sales further into electronics, connectors…and micro parts, which we see as having huge growth potential,” says Luis Santolamazza, VP Sales & Marketing. He continues: “Getting the first two SwissNanos in the country, shows our President’s commitment for the latest technology. That has always been part of the strategy here and having these new machines supports the point that we invest very regularly in the newest technology (we turn over our machines every 5 years). It’s important to mention that these first two SwissNanos in the country were proven reliable making precision parts for the watch industry in Switzerland…and the purchase of these machines shows that we are trying to step ahead of technology.”

By Pierre-Yves Kohler

Source: EuroTec

Le treizième Salon EPHJ-EPMT-SMT s’est tenu à Palexpo Genève en juin dernier. Plus important salon professionnel annuel de Suisse dans le domaine de la haute précision, de la sous-traitance en horlogerie-joaillerie, des microtechnologies et des technologies médicales, il s’impose comme une référence internationale.

La nouvelle presse hydraulique de haute précision HUMARD HU6, de la société HUMARD Automation conçu par Sardi Innovation.

Maintenant bien installé à Genève depuis trois ans après dix éditions organisées à Lausanne, le Salon EPHJ-EPMT-SMT n’a cessé de se développer tant en nombre d’exposants que de visiteurs. Les fournisseurs de l’industrie horlogère, qui représentent à eux seuls près de 60% des exposants avec près de 500 entreprises disposant d’un stand sur les 825 du Salon, ont tous conscience que les salons professionnels représentent la troisième source d’information des entreprises après la presse et internet. L’importance pour la Suisse de bénéficier de tels événements est donc capitale pour lui assurer un impact national et international tant sur le plan économique qu’industriel.

Les créateurs du Salon, André Colard et Olivier Saenger, l’ont bien compris et proposent depuis douze ans ce rendez-vous devenu incontournable, organisé désormais par Palexpo, sous la conduite de Barthélémy Martin, chef de projet. Au fil des ans, de nombreuses innovations ontainsi été présentées dans de plusieurs domaines. Cette édition n’a pas dérogé à la règle avec différentes nouveautés.

Les visiteurs ont pu découvrir une nouvelle matière inédite présentée par une jeune entreprise de Sion, CristalTech. Grâce à une technologie de cristallisation développée par cette société, l’osmium, le métal le plus dense sur Terre, pourra être travaillé par les horlogers-joailliers sous forme de plaques de différentes tailles et épaisseurs ou de tubes de diamètres variables. Encore plus rare que le platine, l’osmium pourrait bien être, dans le futur, le métal précieux utilisé pour la réalisation de modèles haut de gamme.

Dans un tout autre domaine, la société Giroud, basée au Locle, a dévoilé un nouveau système de chassage électropneumatique reproduisant à l’identique le mouvement d’une presse d’horloger manuelle. Ce nouveau concept permet non seulement de maintenir une qualité constante, mais également d’augmenter sensiblement la productivité.

L’entreprise Humard, établie à Delémont, présentait quant à elle sa dernière presse hydraulique de haute précision. D’une capacité de six tonnes, cet outil offre une précision encore jamais atteinte pour une telle rapidité d’exécution.

L’ébavurage, le polissage, le rayonnage ou encore le lissage de surface sont autant d’opérations délicates et particulièrement complexes, voire impossible en raison de la petite taille des pièces. ABC SwissTech, à La Chaux de Fonds, a conçu de nouveaux équipements capables de répondre aux plus grandes exigences. Les médias qui correspondent aux outils nécessaires aux opérations de tribofinition mis au point par ABC SwissTech, de très haute densité, de l’ordre de 20 kg/dm3 permettent d’obtenir d’excellents résultats.

Chaque année, de nombreuses conférences et tables rondes permettent également au public de s’informer de l’évolution de la branche, donnant à ce rendez-vous un intérêt toujours croissant.

De Frédéric Finot

Source: Journal Swiss de l’horologerie

So lassen sich Hydraulikpressen sicher einrichten und überwachen

Mit einer Sicherheits-Steuerung und deren Motion-Control-Modul hat das Schweizer Unter-nehmen HUMARD Automation SA einen sicheren Einrichtbetrieb für hydraulische Pressen realisiert. Das Absicherungskonzept minimiert die Rüstzeiten der Pressen, verbessert deren Verfügbarkeit und gewährleistet maximalen Bedienerschutz auch in den automatischen Betriebsarten.
Eine der Besonderheiten der Lösung dieser Pressenabsicherung bei der HUMARD ist die Möglichkeit, im Einrichtbetrieb dynamisch zwischen verschiedenen Geschwindigkeiten umzuschalten und so ein zeitoptimiertes Umrüsten zu gewährleisten. “Für unsere Kunden resultiert daraus mehr Effizienz und Produktivität beim Einsatz der Pressen”, unterstreicht Frédéric EGGENSPIELER, Software Engineer von HUMARD den Vorteil des Sicherheitskonzepts von Sick für seine Kunden. Die Bediener sind dabei bestmöglich gegen gefahrbringende Pressenhübe geschützt, denn die sicherheitsgerichtete Überwachung mit Flexi Soft und Drive Monitor erfüllt die Sicherheitsniveaus PL e nach EN ISO 13849, SIL3 nach IEC 61508 und SIL3CL nach EN 62061. Auch in den beiden Betriebsarten “Automatik mit Roboterbeschickung” und “Automatik mit Handbe-schickung” gewährleistet das Sicherheitskonzept einen jederzeit sicheren Betrieb der Pressen.

 
Konzept gemeinsam erarbeitet

Frédéric Eggenspieler: “Der Drive Monitor ermöglicht unseren Kunden den sicher überwachten Einrichtbetrieb.”

Die grundsätzliche Aufgabenstellung bei HUMARD war es somit, durch ein umfassendes Konzept die Presse für diese unterschiedlichen Betriebsmodi abzusichern. “Die besondere Problemstellung der sicheren Überwachung des Einrichtbetriebs ergibt sich aus der Tatsache, dass die Presse zwar Geschwindigkeiten von 60 mm/s beim Abwärtshub und 450 mm/s bei Aufwärtshub durchführen darf, beide Bewegungen aber sofort sicher auf 10 mm/s reduziert werden müssen, wenn der Bediener beim Einrichten durch Sicherheits-Lichtgitter hindurch in die Maschine, d. h. an die Gefahrenstelle des Presswerkzeugs eingreift”, erklärt Frédéric EGGENSPIELER. Basierend auf diesen Anforderungen haben HUMARD und Sick gemeinsam ein Absicherungskonzept erarbeitet, das in allen Betriebsarten das höchstmögliche Schutzniveau erreicht. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei die Sicherheits-Steuerung Flexi Soft aus dem sens:Control-Portfolio von SICK, dessen steuerungstechnische Lösungen speziell auf die sicherheitsgerichtete Automation von kleinen und mittelgroßen Maschinen ausgelegt sind. In beiden Automatik-Betriebsarten sorgen Sicherheits-Lichtvorhänge, Sicherheits-Türschalter und -Verriegelungen an Schutzklappen und anderen mechanisch trennenden Schutzeinrichtungen sowie Not-Halt-Taster für eine lückenlose sicherheitsgerichtete Überwachung der Hydraulikpressen. Sie stellen sicher, dass die Schutzklappen bei laufender Maschine geschlossen sind, ein Eingreifen in den Sicherheits-Lichtvorhang bei Handbeschickung zum sofortigen Stopp der Maschine führt und die Presse im Ernstfall auch per Not-Halt gestoppt werden kann. “Eine Besonderheit ist die sichere Antriebsüberwachung im Einrichtbetrieb”, bestätigt Frédéric EGGENSPIELER. “Zum einen haben nur wenige Hersteller von Sicherheitssteuerungen eine solche Funktionalität, wie sie der Drive Monitor bietet, überhaupt im Programm; zum anderen erlaubt sie uns, unseren Kunden den sicher überwachten Einrichtbetrieb überhaupt anbieten zu können.” Die produkttechnisch optimale Lösung sowie die Unterstützung von HUMARD bei der Erstellung und Implementierung des Absicherungskonzepts waren schließlich ausschlaggebend dafür, dass der Maschinenbauer der Applikations-, System- und Lösungskompetenz von SICK vertraute.

 
Sichere und vielseitig: Antriebsüberwachung

In Hydraulikpressen ermöglicht der Drive Monitor die dynamische Űberwachung und Umschlatung der Pressen-geschwindigkeit.

Der Drive-Monitor ist ein Erweiterungsmodul für die modulare Sicherheits-Steuerung Flexi Soft, mit dem viele Funktionen der sicheren Antriebsüberwachung ausgeführt werden können, z. B. SSM (für: Safe Speed Monitor, sichere Geschwindigkeitsüberwachung) oder SOS (für: Safe Operating Stop, sicherer Betriebshalt). Die Drehzahlüberwachungsfunktion SLS (für: Safety Limited Speed, sicher reduzierte Geschwindigkeit) minimiert im Einricht-, aber auch im Wartungsbetrieb der Pressen, das Risiko von Verletzungen. Hierzu wird die Maschinengeschwindigkeit, die beim Einrichten der Hydraulikpressen gefahren wird, sicher überwacht – und dadurch das manuelle Eingreifen in den Gefahrenbereich ermöglicht. Der große Vorteil der sicher reduzierten Geschwindigkeit SLS liegt darin, dass Rüst- bzw. Einrichtprozesse nicht notwendigerweise gestoppt werden müssen. Die erforderlichen Arbeiten können schneller durchgeführt werden, da die Maschine mit reduzierter Geschwindigkeit gefahren werden kann. Auf diese Weise verbessert der Drive Monitor auch die Produktivität der HUMARD-Hydraulikpressen.

Zeiteffizient und sicher

Der lösungstechnische Erfolg des Drive Monitor in dieser Applikation ist wesentlich durch die dynamische Überwachung und Umschaltung der Pressengeschwindigkeit begründet. In der Betriebsart “Einrichtbetrieb” kann die Presse – solange sich keine Person an der Gefahrstelle befindet – das Werkzeug mit höheren Geschwindigkeiten nach unten und nach oben verfahren. Sobald eine Person über die angebrachten Sicherheits-Lichtvorhänge an der Gefahrstelle detektiert wird, leitet die Flexi Soft über die Pressensteuerung eine Reduzierung der Geschwindigkeit auf sicherheitstechnisch geforderte 10 mm/s ein. Der Drive Monitor überwacht in diesem Fall die Geschwindigkeit und die Einhaltung der Rampen bei einer Anforderung einer Ge-schwindigkeitsreduktion. “Bei anderen Lösungen hätten wir die Geschwindigkeit eventuell unter 10 mm/s absenken müssen”, vergleicht Frédéric EGGENSPIELER die Funktionalität des Drive Monitor mit anderen Lösungsansätzen, “Zudem wäre es u. U. auch nicht möglich gewesen, die Geschwindigkeiten dynamisch umzuschalten. Dank des Drive Monitor können unsere Kunden die Pressen im Einrichtbetrieb schneller auf ein neues Produkt umstellen, was die Presse selbst effizienter und produktiver macht.”

Hydraulikabschaltung in allen Betriebsarten

Der Drive Monitor und die Flexi Soft sind nahtlos in das gesamte Automatisierungskonzept der Pressen integriert. Daher ist der Drive Monitor in der Lage, über den Einrichtbetrieb hinaus auch in den beiden automatischen Betriebsarten das Verhalten der Presse zu überwachen und bei einer Fehlfunktion eine wichtige Sicherheitsaufgabe zu übernehmen: Das kontrollierte Stillsetzen durch Abschalten des Antriebs über die Hydraulikventile. “Über sie werden die Geschwindigkeit, die Richtung und die Kraft der Presse geregelt”, erklärt Frédéric EGGENSPIELER. “In den hydraulischen Kreisen befinden sich Ventile, welche der Drive Monitor im Fehlerfall abschalten kann, um somit jede weitere Bewegung zu verhindern. Dazu werden noch per EDM-Funktion bei jeder Bewegung die Rückmeldung der Ventile überwacht“.

Kernkompetenz für sichere Antriebsüberwachung

Mit dem Drive Monitor setzt HUMARD in seinen Pressen eine
innovative Lösung zur sicheren Antriebsüberwachung ein. Das Erweiterungsmodul der Sicherheits-Steuerung Flexi Soft ist besonders für die Aufgabenstellungen und Randbedingungen geeignet, wie sie für hydraulische Antriebe typisch sind. Antriebs-Know how und Kompetenz auf dem Gebiet der sicheren Steuerungstechnik bilden die Basis, auf der SICK im Bereich Motion Control für hydraulische Applikationen kontinuierlich neue Lösungsmöglichkeiten entwickeln und neue Anwendungsgebiete erschließen wird.

Have you ever wanted to attach a file in an email and you can’t find or access it from your phone? The team behind the new email app Gusto has shared that frustration.

“After years of using mobile email and being constantly frustrated with finding emails, files, and photos on the go, we came up with a sleek dashboard that breaks your digital life down into convenient tabs for easy use,” said Gusto CEO Shawn Schwegman.

Gusto works with any IMAP email provider (Google, Yahoo, AOL, etc.) and automatically saves all the files that have been sent or received. This allows a user to easily access a document and send it from their phone.

This same principle applies to photos. Not only does Gusto show photos you’ve buried in your email, but you can link to Facebook and Instagram to access those photos as well.

“We designed Gusto to combine mobile email with built-in cloud storage so all of your photos, files, and documents are right where you need them when you need them,” said Schwegman. “Just as Google organizes and helps you find the world’s content, you use Gusto to organize and find your content.”

Gusto at its best eliminates a step or two for people using email. Easy access to information all in one place saves time and hassle. Apps don’t have to be complicated to be successful. They just need to identify a pain point for consumers and address it.

“My own personal frustration with email inspired us to produce something better. The more I talked to other people, I realized that they also had this pain. I am constantly on the go and having my life so spread out across other platforms made me think about why an app had to do one single function,” said Schwegman. “Email on the go has never been more important than it is today. Being disappointed in current email capabilities inspired us to build something that simplifies basic functions.”

Gusto is adding features and will eventually use the freemium model to generate revenue. Right now, they are identifying the updates and additions that matter most for users.

There are other email apps like Mailbox, Acompli, or Boxer. Each focuses on something different like cloud services or organizing files into sections. Gusto’s aim is to create one unified view of your life in the palm of your hand.

 
By Jeff Barrett

Source: Allbusiness.com

Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s chief designer Jony Ive, who Steve Jobs called his “spiritual partner,” is gaining more authority over the look of the company’s products.

Ive is taking full control of the team that designs Apple’s iOS software that powers iPhones and iPads. The move coincides with the retirement of Greg Christie, who led software design.

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has turned to Ive to set the overall design aesthetic for products, from the shape of the iPhone’s hardware to the look of screen icons. Ive’s first major influence on Apple’s software was last year’s introduction of iOS 7, which featured brighter colors and eliminated many of the realistic designs for applications such as wooden bookshelves and leather-bound contact books.

Christie’s software-design team, which had previously reported to software chief Craig Federighi, will now work directly with Ive, the company said. Christie “has been planning to retire later this year after nearly 20 years at Apple,” the Cupertino, California-based company said in a statement yesterday.

“He has made vital contributions to Apple products across the board, and built a world-class Human Interface team which has worked closely with Jony for many years,” the company said.

Christie, whose name is on several iPhone patents, testified last week in the company’s current trial against Samsung Electronics Co. His departure was first reported by 9to5Mac.com.

Ive, who worked closely with Jobs on products stretching back to the iMac, gained greater control over the look and feel of Apple’s hardware and software after the departure of former software chief Scott Forstall in 2012.

By Adam Satariano

Source: Bloomberg

The golden age of automatic lathes manufacturers probably lies in the middle of last century when three Swiss companies shared the market and were selling cam autos by tens of thousands. In the 1960s, small structures specialized in overhauling those machines have appeared. 50 years later, that trade is flourishing and offers interesting prospects. Meeting with Mr. Carlos Cancer, CEO of Seuret SA, overhaul specialist since 1964.

Seuret SA is part of the Humard Automation SA Group since 2011. For the fiftieth anniversary of the company in 2014, it will be offered a new location in Delémont in an ultra-modern plant (under construction) and can rely on a new CEO with a broad experience in the areas of sales and management in industrial companies references in the field.

A visit to Seuret SA awakes the love of beautiful mechanical wonders.

A complete complementary offer
Dec’Humard, the NC automatic lathe presented in our September 2013 issue (available for download, see at the end of the article) counts on the key competences of Seuret SA in relation to all machining and high precision assembly operations. Mr. Cancer says: “The Dec’Humard relies on three essential points, the basic concept developed in collaboration with Elwin SA, a watchmaking subcontractor looking for perfection, the force and the industrial rigor of Humard SA and microtechnological skills of Seuret SA”. This machine is intended primarily for companies at the forefront of the watch market. They are also looking for cam autos for the production of parts in larger series. They find the answers within our group”.

Cam operated machines in 2014? A solution for the future!
If some high precision turners have chosen to work only with NC machines and put old cam machines out of their workshops, others have an exact opposite approach and wish to add overhauled cam machines to their NC production areas. A priori three assets as stated here below are contradicting three elements commonly heard on the market and we will see with Mr. Cancer that cam machines are highly needed in 2014.

1 – There are qualified operators
“The job of high precision turner has changed and we see that several institutions and companies train cam-controlled machines specialists. Their skills are highly valuated and that also means that in term of remuneration, the job is very interesting” says Mr. Cancer. Moreover, looking at Seuret SA’s staff, we can discover many young enthusiasts who continue the tradition.

2 – Cam machines are accurate
“The requirements both in terms of geometric and dimensional accuracies and surface finishes have largely increased, notably in the watchmaking field, and a machine overhauled by Seuret SA perfectly meets all these requirements” explains the director. Active in overhaul for 50 years the company has accumulated and documented know-how that is probably unique in the world. This allows the company to offer machines of exemplary quality and precision.

3 – Overhauls brings good return
“Complete overhaul costs are not negligible, but they remain largely lower than the acquisition of new machines. And once overhauled, these machines offer the opportunity to produce at very high speed for decades” adds Mr. Cancer.

Many services offered
The core business of Seuret SA is the overhaul of mechanical machines, mainly cam controlled single spindle automatic lathes, but also other types as gear cutting machines for example. Mr. Cancer says: “We have great known-how in this field and we have already overhauled hundreds of machines. Today, we consider diversifying into other types of machines that require the same skills”. And if the director does not say more about it, it is quite easy to imagine other kind of mechanical machines, for example multispindle lathes. In addition to overhauls, the company offers breakdown services for cam machines and also proposes an efficient spare parts department.

Humard Automation SA uses the skills in microtechnology of Seuret SA to
build the Dec’Humard. With this machine that completes its overhaul service,
the group offers complementary products; cam-controlled and NC to cover all
needs in very high precision machining in small diameter.

To offer a new life to machines
A machine that leaves the Seuret workshops is like new, painting is new, beds and slides are scrapped and assembled within a few microns tolerances… they are as in day one. Mr. Cancer tells us: “Machines are upgraded to match the precision and quality standards demanded by today’s most demanding markets, for example watchmaking. Our customers tell us that we offer the best overhauled machines on the market”. In conclusion the Director adds: “In addition to their numerical control lathes, today many companies are inclined to use this means of production, which offers very high speed and very competitive prices. We’re here to help them in Switzerland and in Europe”.

Seuret SA in Delémont!
We wanted to know what are the reasons and the consequences for customers of the future move. Mr. Cancer says: “At the level of quality of our products and services, nothing will change. We are recognized to provide a first class delivery and we will continue. But this will be done in much more suitable premises and better conditions for our employees. Due to the closeness with Humard Automation SA, we will be able to better benefit from synergies between the various activities of the group”. A priori it is not intended to significantly increase the delivery capacity in the short term, the CEO is very clear: “We’ve analyzed the market and of course have clear ideas for the future, there is great potential, but we do not want to grow at any price”.

Source: Eurotec No 393 (02/2014)

French version

German version

Creativity has rebooted business. Discover how through this ongoing series featuring unique products, services and technologies, as well as the personalities who have turned their dreams into our realities.

When you think car and you think America, what comes to mind?

If it was Ford’s F-150 pickup truck, than you’re on the money. (I mean, check it out: pretty darn American looking). In addition to being the country’s top selling vehicle last year, the pickup truck also landed in the top spot on Cars.com’s American-Made index, which measures how “American” a car is based on factors like where the car’s parts come from, whether the car is assembled in the U.S. and if it is bought in large numbers by American consumers.

But according to a recent report by Morgan Stanley, Ford F-150 better watch its tail lights. Why? Tesla is fast approaching. The report predicts that once the Elon Musk-led company opens its $6 billion battery factory, Tesla vehicles will zoom into the top spot.
Does this mean the future of Made in America, as Quartz reports, lies in Musk’s hands?

It all depends on how you define “Made in America.” If the motivation behind the Made in America movement is job creation — that American manufacturers need to keep and create more jobs here — then the answer is no, probably not. At least not for a while.

That’s because, despite the amount of press Tesla and Elon Musk get, it’s still a fringe player in the automotive industry.

Sales of Tesla’s battery-powered vehicles, priced from about $70,000, totaled around 22,450 last year. “With 6,900 deliveries in the [fourth] quarter [Tesla’s Model S sedan] is still a niche vehicle,” Kevin Tynan, an auto analyst for Bloomberg Industries told Bloomberg. According to the company’s annual report, as of December 31, 2013, it had 2,964 full-time employees world-wide. (The percentage of those employees who work in the U.S. was not released in the report. An inquiry to Tesla was not immediately returned).

Meanwhile, Ford sold a total of 6.3 million vehicles last year, with 3.1 million in North America alone. The company employed 181,000 people globally, with 84,000 of those employees working in North America (while the report did not specifically list the number of American employees, a 2011 estimate put the automotive maker at employing 65,000 Americans, a number that has surely grown as the auto industry has continued to recover since the recession).

Once Tesla sets up its so-called “gigafactory,” the company predicts that it will employ an additional 6,500 Americans. But that’s not slated to happen until 2020, by the company’s own estimate (Tesla has yet to narrow down the factory’s location to a single state).

All of this is to say that even if Tesla eventually does manage to nab the top spot on Cars.com’s “American-Made index,” let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Larger, if admittedly less flashy, auto makers are still embodying the term “made in America” to the fullest. Which, in our estimation, rests less on the concept that their car parts are assembled in the U.S. and more on the fact that they continue to employ a whole ton of Americans.
By Laura Entis

Source: entrepreneur.com

Das goldene Zeitalter der Decolletage-Drehmaschinen ist wahrscheinlich in der Mitte des vergangenen Jahrhunderts anzusiedeln, als sich drei Schweizer Unternehmen den Markt teilten und zehntausende Kurvendrehautomaten verkauften. In den sechziger Jahren tauchten kleine, auf Überholungsarbeiten spezialisierte Unternehmen auf. 50 Jahre später erfreut sich dieser Bereich blühender Geschäfte und bietet interessante Perspektiven. Wir führten ein Gespräch mit Herrn Carlos Cancer, dem CEO der Seuret SA, die seit 1964 auf Überholungsarbeiten spezialisiert ist.

Das Unternehmen Seuret SA gehört seit 2011 der Gruppe Humard Automation SA an. Das Unternehmen wird 2014 fünfzig Jahre alt; zu diesem Anlass wird ein ultramodernes Werk in Delémont gebaut, das den Mitarbeitern der Seuret SA einen völlig neuen Rahmen bieten wird; darüber hinaus wird sich das Unternehmen auf einen neuen CEO stützen können, der viel Erfahrung in den Bereichen Verkauf und Management von Referenz-Industrieunternehmen des Bereiches mitbringt.

Sobald die alten kurvengesteuerten Maschinen geschabt, frisch lackiert und
neu zusammengebaut sind, erleben sie eine neue Jugend, und die Kunden
können davon ausgehen, sie mehrere Jahrzehnte hindurch einzusetzen.

Ein umfassendes Zusatzangebot
Der Drehautomat mit numerischer Steuerung Dec‘ Humard, den wir in unserer September-Ausgabe des Vorjahres vorgestellt hatten (der Artikel ist als Download verfügbar, siehe Ende des Artikels), fördert die Schlüsselkompetenzen der Seuret SA in Bezug auf alle hochpräzisen Bearbeitungs- und Zusammenbauvorgänge. Herr Cancer führte näher aus: „Die Dec’ Humard beruht auf drei wesentlichen Punkten: auf dem Grundkonzept, das in Zusammenarbeit mit der Elwin SA – einer perfektionsorientierten Zulieferfirma der Uhrenindustrie – entwickelt wurde, auf der Stärke und industriellen Zuverlässigkeit der Humard Automation SA sowie auf den Mikrotechnik-Kompetenzen der Seuret SA. Diese Maschine ist hauptsächlich für Unternehmen bestimmt, die für den Luxusuhrenmarkt arbeiten. Diese Unternehmen sind ihrerseits an kurvengesteuerten Drehautomaten interessiert, um die Teile in zunehmend größeren Serien herstellen zu können. Somit finden sie in unserer Gruppe alles was sie benötigen.“

Kurvengesteuerte Maschinen im Jahre 2014? Eine zukunftsträchtige Lösung!
Manche Decolletage-Unternehmen haben beschlossen, alles auf numerische Steuerung zu setzen und die alten kurvengesteuerten Maschinen aus ihren Werkstätten zu verbannen, andere machen es genau umgekehrt und möchten überholte kurvengesteuerte Maschinen in ihren Werkstätten einführen. Die drei nachstehend angeführten Argumente widersprechen dem, was man auf dem Markt ständig hört; das mit Herrn Cancer geführte Gespräch zeigt, dass kurvengesteuerte Maschinen 2014 sehr gefragt sind.

1 – Es gibt qualifizierte Bediener
„Der Decolletage-Bereich hat sich im Laufe der Zeit weiterentwickelt, und verschiedene Unternehmen bilden Decolletage-Arbeiter auf kurvengesteuerten Maschinen aus. Ihre Kompetenzen sind anerkannt und sehr gefragt, daher werden solche Facharbeiter auch gut bezahlt“, antwortete Herr Cancer. Wenn man sich darüber hinaus das Personal der Seuret SA etwas genauer ansieht, stellt man fest, dass junge, von Leidenschaft beseelte Leute dabei sind, die am Fortbestand der Tradition festhalten.

2 – Kurvengesteuerte Maschinen sind präzise
„Die Anforderungen, sowohl was die geometrische Präzision und Dimensionsgenauigkeit als auch den Oberflächenzustand anbelangt, sind wesentlich höher als früher, insbesondere im Bereich der Uhrenindustrie – eine von Seuret SA überholte Maschine wird allen diesen Anforderungen gerecht „ erklärte der Geschäftsführer. Das seit 50 Jahren auf Überholungen spezialisierte Unternehmen verfügt über ein auf der ganzen Welt wahrscheinlich einzigartiges Know-how, wodurch es in der Lage ist, Maschinen anzubieten, die hinsichtlich Qualität und Präzision beispielhaft sind.

3 – Eine Überholung ist wirtschaftlich rentabel
„Die Kosten einer kompletten Überholung sind nicht vernachlässigbar, nichtsdestoweniger liegen sie weit unter den Anschaffungskosten von neuen Maschinen. Sobald die Drehautomaten überholt sind, bieten sie sehr hohe Produktionsleistungen, und das mehrere Jahrzehnte lang“, fügte Herr Cancer hinzu.

Zahlreiche Dienstleistungen werden geboten
Die Überholung von mechanischen Maschinen, hauptsächlich von kurvengesteuerten Einspindeldrehmaschinen, ist das Kerngeschäft der Seuret SA, aber das Unternehmen überholt auch andere Maschinentypen wie zum Beispiel Verzahnmaschinen. Herr Cancer führte näher aus: „Wir haben sehr viel Erfahrung in diesem Bereich und bereits hunderte Maschinen überholt. Wir überlegen, unsere Tätigkeit auf andere Maschinen zu erweitern, die dieselben Kompetenzen erfordern.“ Der Geschäftsleiter äußerte sich nicht weiter zu diesem Thema, aber wir können uns gut vorstellen, dass beispielsweise von Mehrspindeldrehautomaten die Rede ist. Abgesehen von Überholungsarbeiten bietet das Unternehmen Seuret auch Störungsbehebungen von kurvengesteuerten Maschinen sowie einen leistungsstarken Ersatzteilservice.

Ein Tornos M4-Rahmen, der für den Zusammenbau bereit ist.

Den Maschinen neues Leben einhauchen
Eine Maschine, die die Werkstätten der Seuret SA verlässt, ist wirklich neuwertig: Sie ist frisch lackiert, die Rahmen und Schlitten wurden geschabt und gemäß Toleranzen von wenigen Mikron zusammengebaut… Sie sehen wie neu aus. Herr Cancer erklärte uns: „Die Maschinen werden auf den neuesten Stand gebracht, um den höchst anspruchsvollen Präzisions- und Qualitätsanforderungen der heutigen Märkte (zum Beispiel die Uhrenindustrie) gerecht zu werden. Unsere Kunden bestätigen uns, dass die von uns gebotenen Maschinen die besten auf dem Markt sind.“ Der Geschäftsleiter fügte abschließend hinzu: „Als Ergänzung zu den numerisch gesteuerten Drehmaschinen interessieren sich heute wieder viele Unternehmen für dieses Produktionsmittel, das sehr hohe Leistungen zu äußerst wettbewerbsfähigen Preisen bietet. Wir sind da, um ihnen dabei zu helfen in der Schweiz und Europa.“

Die Seuret SA in Delémont!
Wir wollten wissen, welche Folgen der Einzug in die neuen Geschäftsräume in Delémont (im zweiten Halbjahr 2014) für die Kunden haben wird. Herr Cancer erklärte uns: „Hinsichtlich Produktqualität und Leistungen ändert sich nichts. Wir sind dafür bekannt, einen erstklassigen Service zu bieten, und das werden wir auch weiterhin tun. Die erheblich besser geeigneten Räumlichkeiten und angenehmeren Arbeitsbedingungen unserer Mitarbeiter werden Produktqualität und Service zunutze kommen. Da wir den Geschäftsräumen der Humard Automation SA geografisch näher sein werden, können wir die Synergien der verschiedenen Tätigkeiten
der Gruppe in Zukunft besser nutzen.“ Zunächst ist nicht vorgesehen, die kurzfristigen Lieferkapazitäten erheblich zu erhöhen; der CEO nahm diesbezüglich ganz klar Stellung: „Wir haben Marktanalysen durchgeführt und haben selbstverständlich klare Vorstellungen was die Zukunft anbelangt; es ist ein großes Potential vorhanden, aber wir wollen kein Wachstum um jeden preis.“

Source: Eurotec No 393 (02/2014)

English version

French version

L’âge d’or des fabricants de tours de décolletage se situe probablement au milieu du siècle passé où trois entreprises suisses se partageaient le marché et vendaient des tours à cames par dizaines de milliers. Dans les années 60, de petites structures spécialisées dans la révision firent leur apparition. 50 ans plus tard, ce métier est florissant et offre des perspectives intéressantes. Rencontre avec M. Carlos Cancer, CEO de Seuret SA, spécialiste de la révision depuis 1964.

L’entreprise Seuret SA fait partie du Groupe Humard Automation SAdepuis 2011. Pour le cinquantième anniversaire de l’entreprise en 2014, elle se verra offrir un tout nouveau cadre à Delémont dans une usine ultra-moderne (en construction) et peut se reposer sur un nouveau CEO disposant d’une large expérience dans les domaines de la vente et du management au sein d’entreprises industrielles références du domaine.

Le coeur de la révision de qualité est l’opération de grattage. Chez Seuret SA,
deux personnes à plein temps en sont responsables.

Une offre complémentaire complète
Le tour automatique à commande numérique Dec’Humard présenté dans notre édition de septembre 2013 (disponible en téléchargement, voir en fin d’article) fait la part belle aux compétences clés de Seuret SA en ce qui concerne toutes les opérations d’usinage et d’assemblage de très haute précision. M. Cancer précise : «La Dec’Humard repose sur trois points essentiels, le concept de base développé en collaboration avec Elwin SA, un sous-traitant horloger à la recherche de la perfection, la force et la rigueur industrielle de Humard Automation SA et les compétences microtechniques de Seuret SA. Cette machine s’adresse principalement aux entreprises actives à la pointe du marché horloger. Ces dernières recherchent également des tours à cames pour la réalisation de pièces en plus grandes séries. Elles trouvent ainsi toutes les réponses au sein de notre groupe».

Des machines à cames en 2014? Une solution d’avenir!
Si certains décolleteurs ont fait la démarche de tout miser sur la CN et de sortir les anciennes machines à cames de leurs ateliers, d’autres ont une approche exactement inverse et souhaitent ajouter des machines à cames révisées dans leurs surfaces de production. A priori trois arguments ci-dessous viennent contredire des éléments couramment entendus sur le marché et nous verrons avec M. Cancer que la machine à cames est très demandée en 2014.

1 – Il y a des opérateurs qualifiés
«Le métier de décolleteur a évolué et nous constatons que différentes institutions et entreprises forment des décolleteurs à cames. Leurs compétences sont reconnues et recherchées ce qui fait qu’en terme de rémunération, le métier est très intéressant également» répond M. Cancer. En outre si l’on regarde le personnel de Seuret SA d’un peu plus près, on peut y découvrir de jeunes passionnés qui perpétuent la tradition.

2 – Les machines à cames sont précises
«Les exigences tant en terme de précision géométrique et dimensionnelle que d’états de surface ont largement augmenté, notamment dans le domaine horloger, et une machine révisée chez Seuret SA répond parfaitement à toutes ces exigences» explique le directeur. Active dans la révision depuis 50 ans, l’entreprise dispose d’un savoir-faire accumulé et documenté probablement unique au monde qui lui permet de proposer des machines d’une qualité et d’une précision exemplaires.

3 – Une révision est économiquement rentable
«Les coûts d’une révision complète ne sont pas négligeables mais ils n’en demeurent pas moins très largement inférieurs à l’acquisition de nouvelles machines. Et une fois révisés, ces tours offrent la possibilité de produire à très hautes cadences et ce durant des décennies » ajoute M. Cancer. Nombreux services offerts Le coeur du métier de Seuret SA est la révision de machines mécaniques, principalement des tours monobroches à cames, mais également d’autres types de machines comme des tailleuses par exemple. M. Cancer précise: «Nous disposons d’une très grande expérience dans ce domaine et nous avons déjà révisé des centaines de machines. Nous envisageons aujourd’hui de nous diversifier dans d’autres types de machines nécessitant les mêmes compétences . Et si le directeur n’en dit pas plus, il est assez facile d’imaginer d’autres types de machines mécaniques, par exemple les tours multibroches. En plus de la révision, l’entreprise Seuret offre une prestation de dépannage sur machines à cames et bien entendu un service de pièces de rechanges performant.

Pour renforcer l’efficacité des décolleteuses, Seuret SA développe, construit
et commercialise des appareils spécifiques comme l’appareil à polygoner et
fraiser Piranha.

Redonner vie aux machines
Une machine qui sort des ateliers de Seuret SA est vraiment comme neuve, la peinture est refaite, les bâtis et les coulisses sont grattés et assemblés dans des tolérances de quelques microns elles sont comme aux premiers jours. M. Cancer nous dit : « Les machines sont mises à niveau pour correspondre aux standards de précision et de qualité demandés par les marchés les plus exigeants d’aujourd’hui comme l’horlogerie. Nos clients nous disent que nous offrons ce qui se fait de mieux sur le marché ». En conclusion le directeur ajoute : «Aujourd’hui de nombreuses entreprises se tournent à nouveau vers ce moyen de production qui offre de très hautes cadences et des prix très compétitifs en complément de leurs tours à commandes numériques. Nous sommes là pour les y aider».

Seuret SA à Delémont!
Nous avons voulu savoir quelles sont les raisons et les conséquences pour les clients du futur emménagement (au deuxième semestre 2014) dans des tous nouveaux locaux à Delémont. M. Cancer nous dit : « Au niveau qualité de nos produits et prestations, rien ne change. Nous sommes reconnus pour offrir une prestation de toute première force et nous allons continuer. Mais ceci pourra être effectué dans des locaux bien mieux adaptés et dans de meilleures conditions pour nos collaborateurs. De par le rapprochement avec les locaux de Humard Automation SA, nous allons pouvoir mieux profiter des synergies entre les différentes activités du Groupe ». A priori, il n’est pas prévu d’augmenter notablement les capacités de livraison à court terme, le CEO est très clair : «Nous avons analysé le marché et avons bien entendu les idées claires pour le futur, il y a un grand potentiel, mais nous ne voulons pas la croissance à n’importe quel prix».

Source: Eurotec No 393 (02/2014)

English version

German version

You know what they say: It’s easier to keep a customer than it is to find a new one. It’s also far cheaper – 6 to 7 times less expensive, according to Flowtown. That’s why it’s essential for every business to have a strategy to boost loyalty and keep customers coming back for more.

One incredibly effective tactic – and relatively cheap solution – is to boost loyalty with the help of smartphones and tablet apps. With the help of an app, your business can secure new leads and increase interest from existing customers.

Ready to get started on your app? The following six tips will ensure your app campaign is a success and prevent it from falling flat among users.
#1: Your App Must be Simple and Easy to Use
Don’t just cram functionality into your app without thinking about the user experience. Your customers will only give your app a short amount of time. If you fail the test, they won’t think twice before deleting and forgetting about your product.

This is why you must absolutely make it child’s play to use your app. Think about it this way (disclaimer: slight exaggeration used here) … if your grandparents would find it impossible to use, try tweaking it until it becomes a little more user friendly.

Do plenty of testing before releasing your app to make sure that others find it intuitive. Get people on board that have used your service before, as well as completely new users. Gauge how they handle your app from the get-go, and if they have any issues, you need to iron them out. Extensive testing will save you from potential fallout and major headaches post-release.

#2: Your App Must Add Plenty of Value
Loads of companies add apps to the marketplace without really thinking it through and then are disappointed to find the project bombing and ending as a dismal failure. The main reason is because most of these apps are missing value.

You need to put yourself in your customers’ shoes. With the dizzying number of choices available, why would they choose to clog up their device memory with your app? Ask yourself whether your offer is worth downloading. Ensure that you offer something unique that will make you stand out from your competitors.

In addition, make your app stand out from yourself. What this means is to give customers an incentive to go for the app, rather than simply heading to your website. Your app should not be another version of content that can be found elsewhere. Add something different. Find an angle that will pique customer interest to get them hooked on your app.

#3: Your App Should Be Social
People love apps that have social capabilities built into them. Hook into the popularity of social by allowing customers to engage with others, such as by allowing users to easily share your special deals at the touch of a button.

#4: Your App Should Leverage Existing Loyalty Programs
When it comes to creating effective loyalty programs, you don’t have to develop every bit of functionality from the ground up. It’s expensive, time consuming, and there may already be something better out there ready for you to use straight off the bat.

Great examples of such services are Belly and Loyalty Blocks. These two services allow you to create fully functional loyalty programs for your company, making it an absolute cinch to get yours up and running in a matter of hours.

Combine the functionality of your own in-house company app with a loyalty program and you’ll have an effective one-two punch that will help you to retain customers and find new ones. Some services will allow you to work with their API to create seamless integration, so it’s well worth a look.

#5: Your App Should Be Compatibile
Ensure full-market coverage by making sure your app is compatible with all popular smartphone devices. Not only should your app be available on both the App Store and Google Play, but it should be compatible with BlackBerry and Windows devices.

#6: Final Tip–Don’t Stop Moving
Once you deliver your app, don’t just put your feet up and relax. The app release date is just the beginning. Depending on customer activity and feedback, update your app and respond to what users are telling you. Maximize the return on the connection you have made with your customers, and you’ll find your app’s success will skyrocket.
By Mary Ann Keeling
Source: allbusiness.com

A girl who does not feel physical pain has helped researchers identify a gene mutation that disrupts pain perception. The discovery may spur the development of new painkillers that will block pain signals in the same way.

People with congenital analgesia cannot feel physical pain and often injure themselves as a result – they might badly scald their skin, for example, through being unaware that they are touching something hot.

By comparing the gene sequence of a girl with the disorder against those of her parents, who do not, Ingo Kurth at Jena University Hospital in Germany and his colleagues identified a mutation in a gene called SCN11A.

This gene controls the development of channels on pain-sensing neurons. Sodium ions travel through these channels, creating electrical nerve impulses that are sent to the brain, which registers pain.

 
Blocked signals
Overactivity in the mutated version of SCN11A prevents the build-up of the charge that the neurons need to transmit an electrical impulse, numbing the body to pain. “The outcome is blocked transmission of pain signals,” says Kurth.

To confirm their findings, the team inserted a mutated version of SCN11A into mice and tested their ability to perceive pain. They found that 11 per cent of the mice with the modified gene developed injuries similar to those seen in people with congenital analgesia, such as bone fractures and skin wounds. They also tested a control group of mice with the normal SCN11A gene, none of which developed such injuries.

The altered mice also took 2.5 times longer on average than the control group to react to the “tail flick” pain test, which measures how long it takes for mice to flick their tails when exposed to a hot light beam. “What became clear from our experiments is that although there are similarities between mice and men with the mutation, the degree of pain insensitivity is more prominent in humans,” says Kurth.

The team has now begun the search for drugs that block the SCN11A channel. “It would require drugs that selectively block this but not other sodium channels, which is far from simple,” says Kurth.

 
Completely unexpected
“This is a cracking paper, and great science,” says Geoffrey Woods of the University of Cambridge, whose team discovered in 2006 that mutations in another, closely related ion channel gene can cause insensitivity to pain. “It’s completely unexpected and not what people had been looking for,” he says.

Woods says that there are three ion channels, called SCN9A, 10A and 11A, on pain-sensing neurons. People experience no pain when either of the first two don’t work, and agonising pain when they’re overactive. “With this new gene, it’s the opposite: when it’s overactive, they feel no pain. So maybe it’s some kind of gatekeeper that stops neurons from firing too often, but cancels pain signals completely when it’s overactive,” he says. “If you could get a drug that made SCN11A overactive, it should be a fantastic analgesic.”

“It’s fascinating that SCN11A appears to work the other way, and that could really advance our knowledge of the role of sodium channels in pain perception, which is a very hot topic,” says Jeffrey Mogil at McGill University in Canada, who was not involved in the new study.

 
By Andy Coghlan

Soure: Newscientist

The constant changes in the world of advertising of late have been brought about largely due to social media. The public are now exposed to more adverts than ever, and whilst some may find this intrusion annoying, for businesses it is a golden opportunity which has to be played carefully.

It’s one of the odder facts about the internet, especially social media, that users often express disgust at their favourite medium, which is invariably free to access, carrying ads. It’s never made clear how these global companies, transferring gigabits of data in the blink of an eye, are supposed to pay for themselves or turn a profit. The lack of visible ads was one of Google’s strongest points when it first launched as a simple search engine. All of this has changed further since, and the advent of social media has brought about a constantly evolving advertising arena to keep up to date with. Here’s what has happened as we enter the tail end of 2013.

The nimble profile of Twitter has always posed something of a problem for the company when it comes to selling advertising space. In the early days, ads could have been carried on its .com site (although they resisted), but now Twitter is more likely to be visited on a smartphone app or browser plugin, that option is all but gone.

Twitter has experimented with sponsored ads that come up on searches and promoted tweets appearing in users’ timelines, but the day-to-day Twitter experience is largely ad-free. It does, however, take payments for suggesting users follow certain accounts, which is pretty unintrusive and gives the user a sense of choice in the transaction. Users are opting in to being marketed to by corporations, and they can unfollow whenever they like, so it’s difficult to be critical of this means. More controversial are celebrity endorsements (displayed with a Tweeted picture of a famous person with a product), which have enraged Twitter users.

YouTube is in a unique position as people use it solely to watch videos, which makes it the perfect medium for ads with motion that can also be targeted to individuals. Since many YouTube views take place off the main site, the ability to precede a video with an advert or superimpose a static ad over the video are technically simple.

Giving users the ability to skip the ad after a few seconds is a good touch, and encourages advertisers to be snappy in their messaging if they want results. However, some ads can’t be closed until 30 seconds and do test user patience.

With YouTube and Twitter methods it’s pretty obvious you’re being advertised to, and this is where users might accept the methods they employ. It’s when users feel they are being exploited (particularly in terms of their personal details) that a negative response is found. Facebook recently got stung with a $20 million settlement over the use of people’s personal information in targeted ads (an amount they won’t be losing much sleep over). For their troubles, around 600,000 users will apparently have $15 (about £10) each as compensation. No problem for Facebook, but smaller businesses would obviously want to steer clear of this.

Elsewhere amongst the internet giants, is is apparent Gmail “reads” our emails to target ads with, but we accept this is the way it is and trust Google to handle our data sensitively –- and in accordance with the law. Since we probably email much more personal information than we would dream of putting on Facebook, it shows it’s not so much the fact of personal information being exploited by advertisers, it’s the means, and the implied granting of permission.
Yahoo! once ruled the search engine world, even with stiff competition from the Excites, AltaVistas and Lycoses of the fledgling internet. Of course we all know what happened when the little upstart from Menlo Park came along, but one of the remarkable things about Yahoo! is it seems to be on the up again. Perhaps users are getting a little uncomfortable with Google’s ubiquity, or maybe there’s a real issue at the heart of search that needs addressing if people are frequently sent to the wrong sites through strongarm manipulation. The arrival of new CEO Marissa Mayer (ex-Google) could possibly have turned the company around in double-quick time, too.

Visiting the Yahoo! site, however, will fill many an old-timer with a feeling of nostalgia. It looks pretty much like you might remember it if you last visited in 2005 –- a little search box and tons of popular news articles and more banner ads. With the company more or less holding station, it’ll be interesting to see which way it goes and how well it has pitched its position.

Near-Field Communication is one of those technologies that’s been hanging on the fringes of critical mass for some years, but is yet to capture the public (or device manufacturers’) imagination. If and when it does, however, we can be sure our proximity to NFC sensors will be exploited to the max by advertisers and influencers. Should Apple include it with future handsets then a craze could well begin.

The Californian giant has, meanwhile, taken a bold step with its new advertising campaign featuring a likeable Apple “genius” who helps out people in need thanks to his tech expertise. It might sound like everyday marketing fodder, but compared to Apple’s previous attempts at marketing itself as the coolest tech behemoth on the block, it really does have an old-school charm to it. If you’ve not seen the ads, have a look on YouTube – they’ll appear right after that Samsung S4 promo.

 
By Alex Morris

Source: AllBusiness

This animal-shaped key ring-sized pocket toolbox is specially designed for a niche sports market and contains every tool necessary for snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing, as well as being appropriate for a wide range of other uses. The inspiration for this compact and multipurpose design was the intended user: a lover of the outdoors, of nature and of the wilderness. The environmental characteristics of this design were therefore critical to its success as a product. It would have been considered irresponsible to design multiple products for this user group using up to 10 times the amount of materials for 10 different tools, including the resultant consumption of energy that this would have required, when an all-in-one tool would suffice.

The result? Ten utilities contained within one captivating, playful, stylish design. The product uses a combination of injection molded nylon and polished steel to achieve a modish and tasteful finish with appealing practical and physical qualities. The multitool is composed of two parts, the body and the head. The horns, front feet and back feet are the three full polish open-end wrenches. The four different types of interchangeable screwdriver tips are contained in the body and plug into the mouth, while the stomach serves as the ice and wax spatula, and the throat deposits the wax comb. The ears serve as a bottle opener and the tail is the key ring clip, available in several different diameters.

Source: Print and production finishes for sustainable design, by Edward Denison

www.sardi-innovation.com

You can buy the book HERE

In the comics, Superman converts the energy from the sun’s rays into X-rays that give him the ability to see through solid objects. In a few years, a similar power may be available to anyone with a smartphone.

Ali Hajimiri, a professor of electrical engineering at the California Institute of Technology, has created a chip capable of producing terahertz waves—radiation that can penetrate materials such as plastic and wood without the side effects associated with X-rays. When connected with a computer or mobile device, the 0.1 inch-wide silicon chip could help doctors locate skin cancer noninvasively and speed up passenger scans at airport security lines.

So-called T-rays have been used mostly in experiments in medical and dental imaging. Typically, the rays are created with bulky, expensive machines, which “see” using a single large beam that can image only a narrow area. Hajimiri, working with postdoctoral researcher Kaushik Sengupta, got thousands of tiny transistors to operate in concert, producing terahertz waves from a smaller package.

“Imagine if you have an army of ants, where you can individually control what each ant does,” Hajimiri says. “It’s more versatile than an elephant. You can program them to do different things.” In his design, the transistors work in unison, increasing the chip’s range of view so it could, for example, image the contents of a cardboard box.

Hajimiri came up with the idea about four years ago, after observing that the transistors on chips were getting smaller and weaker but also extremely inexpensive to produce. “Everybody is complaining that you can’t do anything because the transistors are becoming so puny,” he says. “That’s true, but I have something that works to my advantage: I have practically an unlimited amount of transistors,” which allows the chip to produce a stronger signal that’s easier to control.

The technology has “potential opportunities in a wide range of applications,” says Jim McGregor, the founder of Tirias Research, which follows the chip industry. Installed in a smartphone, the chip could be used to quickly scan packages at a post office for security threats or to find art hidden behind the paint on the walls of historic buildings. Unlike X-rays, which have such high energy they can change the chemistry of objects they enter, T-rays are relatively harmless, Hajimiri says. The chip’s functionality comes with a price, however. If people can see through walls, McGregor warns, “there’s going to be a whole bunch of red flags thrown up by people around privacy issues.”

Hajimiri, who in 2002 also founded and subsequently sold a company that manufactures chip components, Axiom Microdevices, is in talks with several chip companies about commercializing his invention. His design is so simple that it won’t require new production facilities or techniques, he says. And if the device goes into mass production, he adds, it could cost as little as a dollar.

By:            Douglas MacMillan
Source:   www.businessweek.com