immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Standortqualität

  • Rethinking linen

    Rethinking linen

    The Biäsche work area combines location qualities that are rare in this form. The motorway junction, a goods station and natural recreational areas are right on the doorstep. Between municipal boundaries, transport axes and the natural environment lies an area that is to be economically considered, intelligently planned and sustainably utilised. The plots are in public, private and cantonal ownership. A constellation that requires integrative development.

    From area to function
    There is currently a lack of maturity in terms of planning and building law. Without development and development planning, the potential remains unutilised. For this reason, a test planning procedure examined various utilisation scenarios and development strategies. The aim was to create a clearly positioned, marketable economic area that is ready for low-emission, high value-added businesses. Staging this development is key. The site can only be developed sustainably in the long term with flexible, compatible concepts.

    One location, many interests
    The municipality of Glarus Nord holds 3.8 hectares of undeveloped employment zone land in the Unterflechsen sub-area. The canton of Glarus owns a further 2.7 ha in the neighbouring Mittelflechsen area. There are specific interests for this area. A salmon farm and a new penal centre are under discussion. The area is supplemented by private land and existing uses. This diversity makes spatial coordination a key planning task.

    Infrastructure as a driver of development
    Biäsche is ideally positioned in terms of transport links. The area is served by national transport routes operated by SBB and FEDRO. However, future-proof development requires that motorised traffic, public transport, pedestrian and bicycle traffic as well as supply and disposal infrastructures are coordinated and planned with foresight. This is the only way to create a location that is economically attractive and ecologically responsible.

    Indicative project as the key to progress
    After the test planning for the Biäsche site development was completed in June 2023, the concepts of Ernst Niklaus Fausch Partner AG and Studio Vulkan Landschaftsarchitektur AG will be further developed into an indicative project by August 2025 as part of a synthesis phase. As a synthesis, the indicative project summarises the parameters of the site development that the signatories consider to be correct and shows the main features of how the site should develop in the short, medium and long term. This serves as the basis for the subsequent development plan and perimeter procedure.

  • Zurich convinces as a business location

    Zurich convinces as a business location

    According to a survey of over 400 companies in the canton of Zurich conducted by the Office of Economic Affairs, 82% rate the location positively, with 22% rating it as “very satisfied” and 60% as “fairly satisfied”. This high level of approval is primarily based on three factors: the excellent transport infrastructure, the high quality of life and the availability of well-trained specialists. Economic stability and political reliability were also cited as locational advantages.

    Infrastructure impresses
    Of the 24 location factors assessed, infrastructure (71%) and quality of life (55%) were mentioned most frequently as plus points. The labor market followed with 43%. On the other hand, 90% of companies consider the cost environment, in particular rents, wages and regulations, to be a clear disadvantage. Similarly, 64% criticize the tax environment. Zurich ranks last in Switzerland in terms of corporate tax burden.

    One in four companies planning to relocate
    A quarter of the companies surveyed have thought about moving out of the canton of Zurich in the last five years or have concrete plans to do so. The main driver is the high tax burden. According to statistics, over one percent of Zurich companies relocate to other cantons every year. This trend is in line with the assessment of many companies.

    Well positioned in European comparison
    The results are also reflected in a comparative European study by the Office of Economic Affairs. In comparison with other European economic regions, Zurich is particularly impressive due to its educational landscape, economic performance and quality of life. The study sees a need for action in areas such as labor market dynamics, innovation promotion and regulatory density.

    Location with strengths – but under pressure
    The canton of Zurich remains a leading business location with excellent infrastructure, a high quality of life and a competent labor market. At the same time, feedback from companies clearly indicates that the cost and tax environment needs to be adjusted in order to stop migration trends and ensure long-term competitiveness. For decision-makers, this means actively developing location policy before the strengths are overshadowed by structural weaknesses.

  • Life sciences and ICT will continue to dominate relocations in 2023

    Life sciences and ICT will continue to dominate relocations in 2023

    The location promotion programme of the federal government, regions and cantons can record the relocation of a total of 206 companies to Switzerland in 2023, the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Economic Affairs(VDK) announced in a press release. Once a year, it compiles statistics on the number of foreign companies relocating to Switzerland. As in previous years, companies from the life sciences and ICT sectors dominated the new settlements in the reporting year. Four out of ten new relocations came from the USA, Germany or France.

    The 206 companies that relocated last year helped to strengthen cantonal and regional value creation. They have already created 640 jobs throughout Switzerland in their first year of operation. Over the next three years, the number of new jobs is expected to rise to a total of over 2500.

    The national location promotion, which is a joint task of the federal government and the cantons, has commissioned the official Swiss organisation for export promotion and location promotion Switzerland Global Enterprise(S-GE) with the national promotion activities. The service agreement for 2024 to 2027 between the Confederation, the cantons and S-GE reinforces the focus on innovative and sustainable industries and technologies. Quality takes precedence over quantity. For example, the companies located here “should also contribute to strengthening the entire regional and local value creation as well as the SME landscape with their innovative expertise in their network”, according to the press release.

  • Zurich economic region records 89 new companies

    Zurich economic region records 89 new companies

    The Greater Zurich Area AG and its partners attracted a total of 89 companies to the Zurich economic region last year. Compared to the previous year, the number of companies relocating to the region was 20 lower, Greater Zurich Area AG reported in a press release. “Last year was dominated by geopolitical uncertainties, inflation and a general mood of crisis, which had a direct impact on investment activity,” said Sonja Wollkopf Walt, Managing Director of the location marketing organization. “Despite a decline in the number of companies moving here, we are cautiously optimistic about the future.”

    The jobs created by the new companies in the first year also fell short of the previous year’s figure due to the lower number of new companies settling here. However, 1463 new jobs are to be created over the next five years, an increase of 13% compared to the plans of the companies settling in 2022. In addition, 62 percent of the companies relocating in 2023 are active in the focus industries defined by Greater Zurich Area AG. Almost three in ten of the new companies planning to relocate to the Greater Zurich Area.

    The location marketing organization highlights the establishment of the Boston Dynamics AI Institute in Zurich as one of the highlights of 2023. According to the press release, this flagship project is primarily due to the activities of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in the field of artificial intelligence. It describes the reporting year as a “year of breakthroughs in the field of artificial intelligence technology”.

  • Mellingen hires Hofer Kommunalmanagement for location promotion

    Mellingen hires Hofer Kommunalmanagement for location promotion

    The municipality of Mellingen wants to reorganise its location promotion and take a proactive approach. To this end, it has engaged Hofer Kommunalmanagement AG for location promotion, the municipal administration announced in a press release. The consultancy firm from Rinken will provide services for the establishment of new companies, economic and residential location promotion and location communication.

    Statistics show that Mellingen needs more jobs, writes the municipal administration. It wants to meet this need by attracting new, sustainable companies. In addition to the old town, the upstream neighbourhoods on both sides of the Reuss are also included in the corresponding reorganisation of location promotion.

    Hofer Kommunalmanagement AG uses its self-developed Systemic Municipal Management method for its services. The service contract now signed with the municipality of Mellingen was preceded by a seminar for the entire municipal council and meetings of a prepared working group.

  • FE Agentur AG takes over management of Work Life Aargau

    FE Agentur AG takes over management of Work Life Aargau

    According to a press release, the canton of Aargau wants to give Work Life Aargau(WLA) a new impetus with a service agreement between the canton and the WLA association and the handover of management to an external company. On 1 July, the cantonal location promotion agency will hand over management to FE Agentur AG in Baden.

    The canton of Aargau launched Work Life Aargau in 2019 to support companies in attracting skilled labour and to position Aargau as an attractive place to work beyond the canton’s borders, according to the press release. Around 60 Aargau companies are members of the association. WLA is also supported by the Aargau Chamber of Industry and Commerce(AIHK) and the Aargau Trade Association(AGV). During the development and establishment of WLA, the cantonal location promotion organisation was in charge and managed the office.

    “Work Life Aargau is an important measure by the canton to support companies in attracting skilled labour,” says Dieter Egli, State Governor and Head of the Department of Economic Affairs and Home Affairs. The commitment of the business community and of the AIHK and AGV confirms the need for and benefits of WLA for the business location, Egli continued. The canton will continue to co-operate with the association within the framework of a service agreement. Over a period of 4.5 years, WLA will be supported by the canton with almost CHF 1 million. The aim is for Work Life Aargau to be privately financed from 2029.

    WLA’s offering has developed steadily since 2019. In addition to the online platform, the offering has been supplemented with workshops to support member companies at various levels in the marketing of skilled labour.

  • Limmatstadt AG prepares for the next stage

    Limmatstadt AG prepares for the next stage

    As announced, Balz Halter has resigned as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Limmatstadt AG. Erika Fries, Peter Rauch and Franziska Schopp also stepped down at the Annual General Meeting on 12 March at JED Schlieren. “We want to make room for new forces,” says Halter. The shareholders of the regional location promoter unanimously elected Lara Albanesi (Administrative Director of the Kurtheater Baden), the Mayor of Weiningen and Weytec co-owner Mario Okle and Jasmina Ritz to the Board of Directors. They will join Josef Bütler and Jörg Krummenacher, who are currently on the Board. Jasmina Ritz announced her resignation as Managing Director of Limmatstadt at the end of 2024.

    The new Board of Directors will primarily have to deal with financing. According to Balz Halter, expenditure amounts to around CHF 600,000, a third of which is for staff. The municipalities and the two cantons pay 200,000 francs, the economy 150,000 francs. Halter AG will pay the remainder, most recently CHF 250,000. His company will do this one last time in 2024, said the initiator of Limmatstadt AG.

    Both politicians and the business community are called upon to provide future funding. “We need regional location promotion,” said Urdorf mayor Sandra Rottensteiner. “We need to divide the funding so that we can maintain the structures of Limmatstadt AG.” Urdorf is prepared to double its contribution.

    The Limmat Valley SME and Trade Association, the Spreitenbach Industry, Services and Trade Association(IDH), the Schlieren Chamber of Commerce and the Dietikon Industry and Trade Association support the further development of the regional location promoter. A joint vision, a performance mandate and a financial commitment from the new organisation are needed, they write in a parallel statement. The organisation should operate economic and location promotion, network the region internally and represent it externally.

    Patrick Stäuble, IDH President and Managing Director of Shoppi Tivoli, emphasised the importance of a cross-cantonal offering. “We need an institution that looks beyond borders. Then the economy will be prepared to give money,” he said on the podium.

    The members of the Board of Directors are confident. “I don’t have a recipe yet, but I have confidence that things will continue,” said the newly elected Mario Okle. Josef Bütler, one of the two incumbents and former mayor of Spreitenbach: “I am convinced that we will still be around in 2025.”

  • be-advanced looks back on a successful year

    be-advanced looks back on a successful year

    Be-advanced AG supports SMEs, start-ups and people before they set up a company in the canton of Bern. Last year, be-advanced supported more entrepreneurs on their path to success than ever before, writes the funding institution in its review of the 2023 financial year. 421 companies were specifically supported.

    Among the figures that make innovation coaching for Bernese SMEs and start-ups “particularly pleasing”, the review mentions 90 organised or supported events and 23 inspirational or knowledge stories written. At 87 points, customer satisfaction (Net Promoter Score) is 20 points above the benchmark for consulting companies. The recommendation rate reached 99 per cent.

    All three support programmes can point to successes. In the SME programme, be-advanced highlights the repositioning of established SMEs to initiate the next growth phase and the successful support of start-ups in their development into established companies. In addition, sustainable development, digital transformation and strategic foreign trade were set as new focus areas for the programme.

    In the start-up programme, the proportion of science and technology-based start-ups increased to the majority of programme participants. New partners were welcomed to the start-up programme. In addition, the programme has “become increasingly well established in all regions”, writes be-advanced.

  • Bernapark and Winterthur present themselves to location promoters

    Bernapark and Winterthur present themselves to location promoters

    The Swiss Association for Site Management(SVSM) is holding its traditional Dialogue Site Management conference on 12 March. According to a press release, this time the network for experts from location and business development and the property industry will focus on urban and site development.

    Bettina Furrer will provide insights into Winterthur’s integral site development. The head of the city’s Urban Development Office is responsible for economic and site development, housing policy and Winterthur’s Smart City programme. The former industrial city has developed into a location at the interface of industry, services, health and culture. With Smart Machines, Smart Energy and Smart Health, three clusters for the intelligent further development of the economy have been established on the basis of the location’s existing strengths.

    Caroline Forte presents the development of the site of the former cardboard factory in the Bernese suburb of Stettlen into the Bernapark area. The neighbourhood combines living and working, education and leisure, culture and innovation in historic buildings and new constructions. As a member of the management and board of directors of Bernapark AG, Caroline Forte is responsible for communication and project management.

    The symposium will take place in the Gleisarena Zurich, starts at 4 pm and is open to the public. It will be preceded by the SVSM Annual General Meeting. A decision will also be taken on the renaming of the organisation to Network Location Switzerland. The new name is intended to reflect the intended expansion of the association’s activities to the whole of Switzerland.

  • Swiss business locations are among the most attractive in Europe

    Swiss business locations are among the most attractive in Europe

    This year, Switzerland is once again represented by several cities and cantons in the various top 10 rankings of the European Cities and Regions of the Future 2024. These rankings are used by fDi Intelligence – a British investment portal belonging to the Financial Times – to assess the most attractive locations in Europe for direct investment. The data was collected for a total of 330 cities and 141 regions in five sub-categories: economic potential, human capital and quality of life, economic efficiency, transport links and business friendliness.

    As in the previous year, Zug won the micro-cities category, just ahead of the Irish cities of Limerick and Galway. In the human capital and quality of life sub-category, Lugano is in 5th place.

    In the group of medium-sized cities, Zurich now takes second place after last year’s first place, behind Wroclaw in Poland and ahead of Vilnius in Lithuania. The report particularly emphasises Zurich’s well-educated workforce and its concentration of medtech companies. Zurich has the greatest economic potential in its group and has recorded an average of 33 new relocation projects over the past five years.

    Among the small cities, Geneva retains its importance as one of the world’s most important diplomatic and financial hubs and is ranked third, according to the report, while Basel is now ranked fifth, up from first place last year.

    Among the medium-sized European regions, the canton of Zurich is ranked 7th, while the canton of Geneva is ranked 8th and the canton of Zug 9th among the small regions.

    In addition, the Greater Zurich Area(GZA) and the Basel Area were also successful with 3rd and 10th place respectively. They were recognised for their fDi strategy, which they use to attract internationally expanding companies to the Swiss region.

  • Samuel Roth leaves House of Winterthur

    Samuel Roth leaves House of Winterthur

    House of Winterthur is looking for a new boss. Samuel Roth, who has put the location marketing organisation on a new path to success since August 2020, will step down from his position on 1 August 2024. According to a press release, he is taking this step at his own request “to take on a new challenge”.

    “In Samuel Roth, House of Winterthur is losing a committed and proactive managing director who has significantly shaped the further development of House of Winterthur into a modern location marketing organisation,” said President Beat Schwab. Roth has “established the House of Winterthur as an inspiring regional networking platform”, according to the statement.

    Numerous new programme items can be traced back to Roth’s commitment: these include tech lunches, the Smart Health series and House cultural evenings. He has also done a lot in the area of social media, which has greatly increased the relevance and reach of the various newsletters and channels. According to the press release, Roth’s strengths include countless other Winterthur success stories, which have sparked enthusiasm for the Winterthur region in many people.

    The search for a successor will be conducted by a specially formed nomination committee.

  • Canton of Zurich organises first location day

    Canton of Zurich organises first location day

    The Zurich Department of Economic Affairs has organised the first Location Day. According to a press release, the aim of the meeting between the government of the canton of Zurich and stakeholders from business and science was to discuss ideas and measures on how the location can develop in the best possible way. The event took place on Wednesday, 31 January, from 12 noon to 7 p.m. at the Gleisarena in Zurich. Due to the high level of interest, the location day will be organised again next year.

    The event kicked off with a panel discussion on the Canton of Zurich as a business location. Director of Economic Affairs Carmen Walker Späh and Director of Finance Ernst Stocker discussed with Marc von Waldkirch, CEO of Sensirion, and Thomas Dübendorfer, President of the Swiss ICT Investor Club(SICTIC), the question of how Zurich can further improve its appeal as a centre of business and innovation.

    The second panel with Health Director Natalie Rickli, Professor Mazda Farshad, Medical Director of Balgrist University Hospital, Monika Jänicke, CEO of Zurich University Hospital, and Felix Huber, Head Physician at mediX Praxis Zollikerberg, focussed on Zurich as a medical location.

    Workshops were then held on the topics of technology location, with a focus on artificial intelligence; skilled labour location, with a view to expanding the talent pool; business location, to increase the attractiveness of the location; and mobility and sustainability, with the aim of identifying opportunities for mobility from digitalisation.

    The Location Day was preceded by a study on the attractiveness of the Canton of Zurich as a business location conducted by the Department of Economic Affairs.

  • Birsstadt honoured with the Wakker Prize

    Birsstadt honoured with the Wakker Prize

    The Swiss Heritage Society is awarding this year’s Wakker Prize to the Birsstadt association. It honours the cooperation between nine municipalities in the canton of Basel-Landschaft and the Solothurn municipality of Dornach in solving the challenges in the agglomeration. This cooperation lays the foundation for repairing the uncoordinated growth of the area at the gates of the Basel metropolis.

    In its press release, Heimatschutz praises in particular the upgrading of the natural and living space along the Birs, the careful further development of important industrial sites and the safeguarding and strengthening of the architectural heritage. However, Birsstadt also addresses overarching strategies in the areas of landscape, settlement, mobility and adaptation to climate change.

    The Birsstadt association was founded in 2018. In addition to Dornach, it includes the municipalities of Aesch, Arlesheim, Birsfelden, Duggingen, Grellingen, Muttenz, Münchenstein, Pfeffingen and Reinach. Together, the ten municipalities have a population of around 94,000. The association sees great opportunities in being honoured by the Heritage Society. It wants to use this opportunity to make the Birsstadt better known throughout Switzerland, it writes in its own press release. It also intends to launch a project this year on dealing with building culture in the region.

    The award will be presented on 22 June as part of a Wakker Prize celebration on the Domplatz in Arlesheim.

  • Schlieren achieves new company record

    Schlieren achieves new company record

    Schlieren’s location promotion organisation can look back on a successful year. On 30 November, 1319 legal entities were established in the city, a new record. According to a statement from the location promotion organisation, the majority of new companies are still attracted by the existing clusters. These primarily include the Bio-Technopark with its national and international reputation, but also the Healthtechpark and the start-up cluster.

    In future, the city also wants to increase its attractiveness in the SME and commercial environment. To this end, the Schlieren North-East Site Committee was founded in September. It is made up of 25 property owners of the area along Rütistrasse. More than 80 companies with around 900 jobs are already active there today. In future, Schlieren North-East is to be developed into a brand in the SME and commercial sectors.

    This is already having an effect. “Even at the numerous business and trade events at Schlierefäscht, I noticed new companies that were directly involved in networking in Schlieren,” location promoter Albert Schweizer is quoted as saying in the press release. As a member of the Schlierefäscht organising committee, Schweizer was responsible for sponsorship.

  • Business forum discusses areas of tension for companies

    Business forum discusses areas of tension for companies

    The 23rd Economic Forum of the FRZ Zurich Airport Region – Business Network & Location Promotion(FRZ) on 28 November attracted more than 700 guests to the Salto tent in Kloten. The event focused on the tension between visions, reality and corporate purpose, explained the FRZ in a press release. Particular attention was paid to the topic of artificial intelligence.

    The FRZ invited Thomas H. Zurbuchen, Head of ETH Zurich Space and former Director of Science at NASA, among others, to speak at the event. He reported on how visions can be turned into reality using NASA’s experience as an example. Lukas Eiselin, CEO of Meta-Design Switzerland, highlighted the importance and limits of a company’s purpose. The presentation by Pascal Kaufmann, founder of the Mindfire Group, was dedicated to the recruitment of talent for artificial intelligence.

    The forum kicked off with the opening by FRZ President André Ingold and FRZ Managing Director Rahel Kindermann. Ernst Stocker, Member of the Government of the Canton of Zurich, answered questions from moderator Jennifer Bosshard. The programme was rounded off with an aperitif riche, a show and plenty of opportunity for networking.

  • New platform recruits labour for Lucerne

    New platform recruits labour for Lucerne

    Many companies in Lucerne are suffering from a shortage of labour and skilled workers. The Lucerne Economic Development Agency expects competition between locations to further fuel this shortage due to demographic change. It has therefore launched the platform workinlucerne.com, according to a press release. Its aim is to recruit labour and skilled workers for companies in the economic area both in Switzerland and abroad.

    The platform lists reasons that speak in favour of the canton of Lucerne as a place to work and live. These include the high quality of life, security and stability, but also the dynamism of the economic area. Unemployment is low and job prospects are high. The platform also provides practical information on what interested parties need to work in the region, from diploma recognition to access to the labour market, from the cost of living to social security.

    Workinlucerne.com can be used as a complementary tool by all Lucerne companies. “In addition to marketing Lucerne as a business location, we believe it is important to specifically emphasise Lucerne as an attractive place to live and work,” Ivan Buck, Director of Lucerne Economic Development, is quoted as saying in the press release. “We are happy about every position that can be filled.”

    The tourism and catering industries are particularly aware of the labour shortage. “Work in Lucerne will bring new employees to the Lucerne region,” Raymond Hunziker is quoted as saying. “This will enable us to continue to welcome and inspire many guests in the future,” says the Head of Catering at SGV subsidiary Tavolago and co-initiator of the project.

  • Urma AG builds second company site in Mägenwil

    Urma AG builds second company site in Mägenwil

    Urma AG has submitted a planning application for a second company site. Like the Rupperswil headquarters, it is located in the canton of Aargau. According to a press release from the company, which specialises in machine tools and additive manufacturing (3D printing), a new Experience Centre is to be built in Mägenwil by summer 2025. The second Swiss headquarters has been developed for 30 employees, who will be relocated from Rupperswil to Mägenwil or newly created, the press release continues. The family business has been operating globally for over 60 years with around 130 employees.

    The new Experience Centre, with offices and a spacious exhibition area for CNC machines, 3D printers, post-processing machines and all other machining products, is to be built on the 3,600 square metre site in the “Büntli” industrial and commercial zone in Mägenwil by summer 2025. In the exhibition area, customers will have the opportunity to view a variety of machines and gain a comprehensive insight into additive manufacturing along the entire production chain, according to the company press release.

    “The canton of Aargau lies in the heart of Switzerland’s strongest economic region and is located on the main transport axes between the economic centres of Basel, Bern and Zurich. In addition to the good accessibility, it is important to us that the two company headquarters are close to each other – Mägenwil is therefore perfectly suited for URMA,” Urs W. Berner, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Urma AG, is quoted as saying.

    The aim is to create the largest competence centre for industrial 3D printing in Switzerland. The new building will give customers a “unique insight into industrial innovations”, Berner continued.

  • Five location projects compete for award

    Five location projects compete for award

    The Swiss Association for Location Management(SVSM) has announced the five nominees for its SVSM Awards 2023. From Basel to Uri to Bad Ragaz, a total of twelve applications were received, according to a media release from the umbrella organisation.

    The awards are intended to make the innovative strength of projects from all over the country visible. According to the organisers, since 2007 these awards have been “not only a reward but also an incentive for actors in location management and economic promotion”. Small initiatives are considered just as much as large ones. They can be local or national in scope.

    This year’s nominees are the Innovation Sandbox for Artificial Intelligence of the Standortförderung Kanton Zürich, the new HSG Learning Center SQUARE of the HSG Foundation and Light Ragaz AG’s Light and Water World. Other contenders for the prize are the Echt regional platform of Standortförderung Zürioberland and the intercantonal daycare subsidies project of WirtschaftsPortalOst.

    In mid-September, these five organisations will present their projects to a jury. The award ceremony will take place on 16 November as part of the hybrid SVSM Dialog Wirtschaftsförderung conference in Olten ZH. One person will also be honoured there as location manager of the year.

  • WIPO Limmattal takes place on 9 November in the Umwelt Arena

    WIPO Limmattal takes place on 9 November in the Umwelt Arena

    The Limmattal Business Panel(WIPO) will take place again on 9 November in the Umwelt Arena in Spreitenbach, according to the sponsoring association Wirtschaft Limmattal. According to a media release on LinkedIn, the motto of the business meeting is: “The future is moving – be part of it! By way of background, it is said that the future means everything that follows the present. And the past? This question is the basis for the journey into the future. Ticket orders and the programme have been online since Monday, 28 August.

    According to the media release, around 1000 participants from business, politics and trade take part in WIPO every year. The event was launched in 1999 by three patron associations: Industrie- und Handelsverein Dietikon(IHV), Wirtschaftskammer Schlieren(WKS) and the Vereinigung für Industrie, Dienstleistungen und Handel Spreitenbach(IDH). The first WIPO Limmattal took place in Dietikon in 2000.

    The WIPO is preceded by four input sessions. They are dedicated to the topics: Mobiliar – Cyber Risk Management for Companies. Then: Cybersecurity: the human factor as a cornerstone in digitalisation – How does Swisscom establish cybersecurity awareness among employees? Afterwards: Future Skills – How IKEA is making its employees fit for the future. And finally: Planzer & Stadt Dietikon – Gute Fahrt: Beweglichkeit im Denken und Handeln für eine urbane Gütermobilität der Zukunft.

    After the welcome by WIPO President Fredi Pahr at 4 p.m., there will be a talk by futurologist Georges T. Roos, founder of the privately financed future institute Roos Trends&Futures and the European Futurists Conference Lucerne. After a panel discussion and networking over an aperitif, the event will continue until 9 pm.

  • Dietikon expands information offer on its city app

    Dietikon expands information offer on its city app

    The range of information and services in the Dietikon city app has been expanded, according to a press release from the city of Dietikon. The population now has access to numerous local real-time data in the areas of traffic, temperature, air quality or noise. Interested parties can also set up personalised notifications in the app, it continues.

    As part of the Smart City Dietikon, data in the areas of traffic, temperature or air quality are collected via sensors at various locations in the city. Until now, this data has primarily been collected internally, according to the statement. Now this data is also available to the general population and the economy in the app.

    The modified city app is a newly developed module that was created in close cooperation with the app provider Anthrazit and the Electricity Works of the City of Zurich(EKZ). Dietikon is the first city to use the module, according to the statement.

    “I see the presentation of this data as a great benefit for the population,” Jörg Haller, the head of Smart City and Public Lighting at EKZ, who drove the project together with the city of Dietikon, is quoted as saying.

    “The city council has set itself the goal of actively driving forward the digital transformation. An internal process is currently underway to further develop the smart city strategy, and other projects are being implemented in parallel,” city president Roger Bachmann is quoted as saying. As an example, he mentions street cleaning with the support of artificial intelligence. The Smart City Dietikon won the main prize at the Smart City Innovation Challenge of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy(SFOE) 2020.

  • Switzerland Innovation Park East offers jobs for travellers

    Switzerland Innovation Park East offers jobs for travellers

    In a pilot project, SBB and the Switzerland Innovation Park Ost are providing commuters with specially equipped workstations at St.Gallen station, according to a media release. Eight tables were built for this purpose by Agosti Meier AG from Waldkirch SG and equipped with electrical systems and wireless internet. Since 14 August, they have offered travellers the opportunity to creatively bridge waiting times.

    They meet “a great customer need” for work at the station as well, Michael Disch of SBB’s real estate management is quoted as saying. “With this initiative, we are turning St.Gallen station into a productive workplace.” In addition to the existing co-working spaces on the Innovation Park Ost campus in the west of the city, the spaces set up in the St.Gallen station concourse now also represent an opportunity for exchange and networking.

    The project is initially planned for three months. It is intended to provide food for thought for other similar projects. “Because with work and new ideas, it’s like travelling – if you never start, you can’t get anywhere,” Peter Frischknecht, Head of Campus at Switzerland Innovation Park East, is quoted as saying.

  • Canton of Zurich initiates further promotion of mountain regions and wine-growing areas

    Canton of Zurich initiates further promotion of mountain regions and wine-growing areas

    The Canton of Zurich wants to further promote the Zurich mountain region and the wine country within the framework of the federal government’s New Regional Policy, informs the Cantonal Office for Landscape and Nature in a statement. A corresponding implementation programme focuses on sustainable tourism, the marketing of regional products and the promotion of innovation by SMEs. A total of 6.2 million Swiss francs are to be spent on this between 2024 and 2027.

    The Zurich cantonal government has already approved an amount of around 3.3 million Swiss francs. Further funding of CHF 2.4 million is being requested from the federal government. The remaining funds will be provided by the cantons of Thurgau and St.Gallen and the municipalities in the two regions. For the implementation of the projects, the Canton of Zurich is working together with the Zürioberland location promotion agency and ProWeinland. Corresponding service agreements are to be concluded “as soon as the federal government has approved the programme”, according to the statement.

    To promote sustainable tourism, the canton wants to position the mountain region and the wine country even more strongly as an excursion and local recreation area. In the marketing of regional products, it is also planned to explore “in the sense of the circular economy” “how material cycles can be closed in the regions”.

    SMEs in the Zurich mountain region already have access to innovation promotion, coaching and networking through a supracantonal programme. SMEs in Weinland should also be able to take advantage of these funding opportunities from 2028. The Office for Landscape and Nature explains that the Weinland is working on the corresponding basics.

  • Limmatstadt welcomes three new members

    Limmatstadt welcomes three new members

    Location Promotion Limmatstadt AG welcomes new members and has thus cracked the 50-member mark, according to a statement. Three companies and individuals have joined the more than 200 shareholders and members. Alvoso Pensionskasse, headquartered in Schlieren ZH, is now represented in the Limmat city by its managing director Thomas Schmidiger. The real estate company Alfred Müller AG, headquartered in Baar ZG, is a new member of the Limmat City Business Promotion Agency. It is represented by the head of the portfolio management department, Beat Furrer. And the total contractor and real estate developer Losinger Marazzi AG, headquartered in Bern, is a new member with Stefano Dazio, Head of Industry German-speaking Switzerland.

    The Alvoso pension fund is a collective foundation. According to the company’s website, its members are small and medium-sized companies for which it is not possible to run their own pension fund. It was founded over 35 years ago and its client base consists mainly of commercial enterprises in eastern and central Switzerland and the Zurich economic area. The collective foundation has been operating under the name Alvoso Pension Fund since 1 October 2020, instead of ALVOSO LLB Pension Fund before.

    Alfred Müller AG plans, builds, markets and manages residential and commercial real estate. The family business, now in its second generation, was founded by Alfred Müller in 1965. Headquartered in Baar and with branches in Fribourg and Camorino TI, the company says it employs over 200 people, has a real estate portfolio worth around 1.9 billion Swiss francs and generates sales of around 300 million Swiss francs per year.

    The real estate developer Losinger Marazzi AG was founded in 1917 by the two Bernese engineers Eugen and Oskar Losinger. It is a subsidiary of the international group Bouygues Construction. Losinger Marazzi was among the “Best Employers 2023” according to a survey commissioned for the “Handelszeitung” ranking.

  • GZA presents itself as part of Choose Europe in North America

    GZA presents itself as part of Choose Europe in North America

    The association of location organisations from 14 European cities and regions called Choose Europe is presenting itself for the first time at one of the most important technology conferences in the world, the Collision Conference. It will take place from 26 to 29 June in Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. As a location marketing agency representing nine cantons as well as the city of Zurich and the Winterthur region, the Greater Zurich Area is also a member of this new initiative. In addition, Amsterdam, Barcelona-Catalonia, Berlin, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Lyon, Oslo, Paris, Riga, Stockholm, Vienna and Warsaw are also members.

    According to a media release, the aim of “this unprecedented collaboration” is to “showcase the benefits of working, living and investing in Europe” to a global audience. This cooperation aims to facilitate access to the European market for potential investors and talent. It aims to expand Europe’s market potential and create an environment that promotes investment opportunities and facilitates growth.

    “Europe is the frontrunner in sustainability and green change,” Helsinki Partners Managing Director Clarisse Berggårdh is quoted as saying. “However, no one can solve the big global challenges alone. That’s why we, the European investment promotion agencies, are pooling our efforts.” Global competition for foreign direct investment is intense, says GZA Managing Director Sonja Wollkopf Walt “We are ready to tackle future challenges together with our Choose Europa partners. Our shared vision is to establish Europe as a hub for sustainable investment.”

  • Canton Aargau retains best rating

    Canton Aargau retains best rating

    Standard & Poor’s gave the Canton of Aargau its first AAA rating with a stable outlook last December. Now the international rating agency has confirmed the canton’s top rating, informs the Department of Finance and Resources of the Canton of Aargau in a statement. According to it, the cantonal administration is attested prudent financial management.

    “I am very pleased that the rating agency Standard & Poor’s has honoured the prudent financial policy and high budgetary discipline of recent years and has once again awarded the Canton of Aargau the highest possible rating,” Finance Director Markus Dieth is quoted as saying in the statement. “This in the knowledge of the high financial aid contribution to the Kantonsspital Aarau AG and the uncertain development of the distributions of the Swiss National Bank(SNB).”

    Standard & Poor’s bases its assessment on the canton’s low debt and high liquidity reserves. According to the rating agency, the canton’s broadly diversified economic structure will also lead to rising tax revenues in the coming years. The available liquidity reserves are sufficient to offset foreseeable deficits.

    A downgrade could occur if the canton weakens in its budget discipline and debt increases. “We want to confirm the AAA rating despite challenging framework conditions,” explains Dieth. For the finance director, this requires a continuation of the current financial policy. “This also means that the politically planned strategic projects and the necessary investments to strengthen Aargau as a residential and business location must be driven forward”.

  • Rahel Kindermann Leuthard is the new head of FRZ Zurich Airport Region

    Rahel Kindermann Leuthard is the new head of FRZ Zurich Airport Region

    The FRZ Zurich Airport Region has a new managing director: At the 11th general meeting, Rahel Kindermann Leuthard took over the operational management of the FRZ, which is both a location developer and a business network. She thus succeeds Christoph Lang, who will continue to work as brand ambassador for FRZ.

    As Kindermann Leuthard emphasised in her speech, according to a FRZ statement, the organisation with its approximately 1,000 decision-makers from around 800 companies and 14 cities and municipalities is “a great success story”. At its helm, she does not want to reinvent the wheel, but merely “adjust the compass”. She has named the Digital Hub, ecological and social sustainability, age and gender diversity, promotion of young talent and labour shortage, mobility and leadership as her main topics.

    Kindermann Leuthard most recently headed the Coaching and Education Department at the City of Zurich with 70 employees. Before that, she worked for Flughafen Zürich AG and the airline Swiss, among others.

    The 187 voters approved all agenda items of the FRZ. The budget was also approved. in 2022, the FRZ reported a 10 per cent growth in membership. Total income increased by 21 per cent in the year under review. Membership fees from cities and municipalities grew by 6.8 per cent, those from companies by 10.3 per cent. Income from sponsoring, annual partnerships and member events increased strongly by 46.6 per cent.

  • Lucerne Economic Development Agency assists 25 companies in settling in Lucerne

    Lucerne Economic Development Agency assists 25 companies in settling in Lucerne

    The Lucerne Economic Development Agency assisted 25 companies in settling in the canton last year, 17 of them from abroad. Four of the new companies each came from the USA and Germany. A total of 338 new jobs were created in the canton. In the future, the economic development agency will concentrate more on European countries, namely Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain and the Benelux countries, it writes in a statement.

    The economic development agency has also been able to complete 17 local business development projects. This created about 130 jobs. In addition, it was able to complete six financing projects and solve six challenging cases as an ombudsman.

    At the end of 2022, a total of 32,600 companies were registered in the canton’s commercial register, 3 per cent more than in the previous year and a new record. “The impressive growth of over 10,000 companies in ten years impressively demonstrates the attractiveness of the Canton of Lucerne as a business location,” Ivan Buck, Director of Lucerne Economic Development, is quoted as saying in the press release.

  • Aargau department receives award for mediation

    Aargau department receives award for mediation

    For the first time, the Mediation Award of the Swiss Mediation Association (SDM) goes to a canton. The Aargau Department of Construction, Transport and the Environment(BVU) is being honoured for its consensus-oriented procedures in infrastructure projects. The procedure of the BVU shows “that living democracy with mediation and mediation-like participatory interests offers various forms that go far beyond majority decisions”, according to the SDM’s statement of reasons. Where controversies and different interests emerged, the possibilities of mediation were used. BVU, under its Secretary General Markus Büsser, plays a pioneering role in mediation in the public sector.

    The BVU is delighted with the award. “In the BVU’s areas of responsibility, conflicting goals, differences and differing perspectives are part of daily business,” Büsser is quoted as saying in a statement from the canton. “The department management therefore regularly considers how it can promote a culture of communication and conflict that enables dialogue-oriented and sustainable cooperation.” The BVU refers, for example, to the round tables on the expansion of the Mellikon quarry, the floodplains in the Rietheimer Feld and the settlement of grid usage prices for electricity.

    The Swiss Mediation Prize will be awarded for the third time in 2023. The Haus Tabea retirement centre in Horgen ZH also received an award. The prize will be presented at the SDM Congress, which will take place in Lausanne on 16 and 17 June.

  • Start-up scene in Knonauer Amt receives support

    Start-up scene in Knonauer Amt receives support

    The Knonauer Amt location development agency supports prospective company founders from the region. Together with the Coachingplus coworking space in Affoltern and the Startzentrum Zurich cooperative, it developed the idea of offering corresponding workshops. The first one has already taken place, and follow-up events are planned.

    The first workshop met with great interest. A total of 40 participants, two-thirds of them women, dealt with the path from idea to business model under the guidance of speaker Nicolas Goetsch, the managing director of the Startzentrum Zurich. According to an article in the “Affolter Anzeiger”, Goetsch encouraged those present to use a visual planning model to deal concretely with their own business ideas, with customer profiles, customer benefits, offer sketches and revenue models. The speaker’s slides can be viewed online.

    For the follow-up date on 29 June, exchange talks are planned on the topic of challenges in setting up a business. Registrations are requested by 22 June. In addition, the location promoter offers personal advice via the Start Centre and Startbox Zurich, a digital start-up guide for setting up a business in the Canton of Zurich.

  • Zurich is once again ranked number 1 in the Smart City Index 2023

    Zurich is once again ranked number 1 in the Smart City Index 2023

    Three Swiss cities are among the nine smartest cities in the world. This is shown by the IMD Smart City Index 2023, for which a total of 141 cities around the globe were examined. With the exception of 2021, it has been compiled annually since 2019 by the World Competitiveness Center of the IMD Business School in Lausanne. It has its headquarters in Lausanne and Singapore.

    Zurich is in first place in this ranking, as it has been since the first edition of this index, ahead of Oslo, Canberra and Copenhagen. Lausanne follows in 5th place, after 4th place in 2020. At that time, Geneva held 6th place, this year it is 9th. Between Lausanne and Geneva, London, Singapore and Helsinki are ranked this year.

    In first place, Zurich naturally scores well above average on virtually all criteria. The city achieves top scores in terms of structures in the subject areas of health & safety, activities, work & school and governance – with two exceptions: air pollution and the availability of affordable rental housing. On the other hand, the city is in the middle of the pack for technology issues and only scores better for work & school.

    Lausanne, in 4th place, is mostly rated well above average on all structural topics. With regard to technologies, the city, like Zurich, is in the midfield almost everywhere. It achieves absolute top scores for green spaces, cultural activities and IT education in schools. In public transport, its online services are rated very highly.

    Geneva achieves the highest scores for urban green spaces, access to school education and feedback from citizens on decisions made by the city administration. Two negative outliers are found in agreement with the statement that businesses generate new jobs and that online access to job offers makes it easier to find work. For both, Geneva is at the bottom of the group index.

    In all three cities, affordable rents, traffic congestion and air pollution are cited as priorities by respondents. What is most striking about this year’s analysis, according to IMD, is that of the top 20 cities, 17 have been in the index since its inception. Among these 17 cities, six show either continuous improvement or stability from year to year. These “super champions” are Zurich, Oslo, Singapore, Beijing, Seoul and Hong Kong.