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00:00:01
okay thank you remark fortieth introduction and the warm welcome also from my side
00:00:07
so um what i i might go about i would like to first telling the story of since you're on
00:00:14
you will see him it's not all straight you know we also had problems to work on
00:00:19
and then of course at the and some lessons learned for since you're um
00:00:25
so how they start twenty years ago as a spinoff so we have the technology what you
00:00:31
see here it's actually humility centre has never made at that time it's about that big
00:00:38
um you see degree parts electronics you sleep on top with
00:00:43
a white parts dissenting park capacitor which change there
00:00:47
you see some red dots there that's too little screws you which you could turn
00:00:53
to chart the calibration of each sensor so what we did actually took that
00:00:59
and me tries that on a chip which is in there it's the same product
00:01:04
actually a few major sensor also temperature in our case so we make it very
00:01:08
small so tonight technology it must've locked at the th and um actually
00:01:15
in their progress of all those who was a professor from this this this
00:01:20
group and he tried to transfer it to industry and if right
00:01:25
didn't work so he was lying around all of course also sensor didn't work yeah i have that meat
00:01:32
well and ensure was not able to take such email technology samples at the time
00:01:38
so um but you know it's diffusion of centre and and and see was um
00:01:44
and we decide we can do something ourselves and maybe the first thing is
00:01:49
sensor is and especially these field was not the very false market
00:01:55
pretty slow market so we decide okay we don't go for b. c.
00:02:00
because we seize or nervous you know we need very fast results we go for private investor in that case
00:02:06
it's also you know having is low market sometimes it's good you know because you have better
00:02:11
tend to moving but sometimes yeah it's also not depressing i come back on that later
00:02:18
we also decided we would like to have our technology uh internal you know to keep it
00:02:24
it's very tempting and very good to nowadays much more outsourced you can you know was
00:02:31
it's much leaner to do is start up is outsourced a methods but of course
00:02:35
you have less ownership later on besides our own technology don't keep eating for
00:02:41
so we did there take parking dismantle computation
00:02:45
uh which is down and uh we won first prize there is that okay now i it's
00:02:51
getting real it's not just writing business plans we we should do we now really
00:02:55
so actually it worked well the plan seem to work that's
00:02:59
our typical car awesome picture that was our office
00:03:02
um you know we have the see how how broad it is and
00:03:07
that's how we started to g. h. so the problem is
00:03:11
when in our field beside me go for or yeah i'm a for a so
00:03:16
means we do our senses we sell it to companies which building their products
00:03:23
and then we get high volumes we wanted to be you really to
00:03:26
number one in our field in centre of worldwide to distribution
00:03:31
so we need it is audience to build again but the problem is of course we have first to develop our sensor
00:03:37
and then our costumes start to develop their products which takes another three years
00:03:43
before you start to see some revenue so uh we said okay we have
00:03:47
a good idea how to do that you know we we at
00:03:50
the bridge that this engineering support so we go to cost and said
00:03:54
hey that's very cool sensor we helped to make your instrument your
00:03:58
device in the uh you know get some engineering fee for that we learn
00:04:01
about our sense we have no heart uh building the best thing
00:04:05
of course we take students would would work in charge as a full a professional at the top good students i have to say
00:04:12
and um so that that's different well so we had some uh you know income calming
00:04:17
but then came nine eleven and i don't know whether you remember that time and it was full crash
00:04:24
not to you know not just of of of the powers there but also economy really crashed down
00:04:29
um did you walk wins or collapse completely i would say this in five or six beach
00:04:36
roughly eighty percent of our turn or most gone you know fully blown
00:04:41
away and possums were gone actually of our tops read customers
00:04:46
uh one was back propped one was almost bankrupt and one survived
00:04:51
a room but that in bad shape and you say
00:04:53
well maybe we had the wrong customers you know the one who just managed to survive that was eight b. b.
00:04:59
was not not the bad company you know but it was in the
00:05:02
newspapers a baby's pastas over so that does these were times
00:05:08
okay so we had to decide okay refinance everything and we decided
00:05:11
to go far on products we don't lay off our people
00:05:15
which we're working for outside causes before so we go for our
00:05:18
own products and speed up there maybe that was also charles
00:05:24
so we had to say gets things moving you know we have a
00:05:27
new product which brought out and fortunately it was a success
00:05:31
and very important and that's of course for start up the big question is you know hanging
00:05:37
and we needed false turnover somehow we couldn't wait for slow markets
00:05:42
so we went to consumer gadgets and you know this
00:05:47
better stations which in order times you had this
00:05:49
of this play with some clout and some and and some uh you know you meet temperature
00:05:54
and they were building in hong kong in not top quality have that make
00:05:59
and and so we just went there could convince these guys to to take our sensors
00:06:04
uh because we needed somebody who believed in us and i to to do some production you know
00:06:11
the reward to manufacture cool uh a high volumes and the good thing is you know this
00:06:16
guy called us at the end of the year to okay about five percent of presents
00:06:20
were rubbish so send me another five percent of it but good you know and in ordering
00:06:25
says you can't do that but it was our chance to learn to to scale
00:06:32
good so here we see that's here roughly five of the company already
00:06:38
you know we had this first success after five years them
00:06:42
then we moved over to should ever be faulty spilling it without the courtesy of zurich
00:06:48
um you know we were fifty people at the part time when people that building
00:06:53
and so we had about two hundred fifty square meters per employee
00:06:58
okay it's eyes have but we knew we wanted to grow um and we knew we once we
00:07:05
move to such a place we build up our production we need space so we move there
00:07:11
and now you know being a year about seven of the company applications got broader
00:07:18
you know i'm more demanding market's moving from these
00:07:21
easy consumer market more to industrial applications
00:07:25
these higher amounts and and and and improving quality step by step uh there
00:07:33
and of course you know if your company at about fifty people all of a sudden substructure
00:07:39
is questions come all you know if you're trying to people that just the way somehow
00:07:43
it's all easy but it's fifty people and throwing beyond you have to build up structures and
00:07:49
and and just change the company of it at that for us this was about that that is begin eating pork do it
00:07:55
because otherwise later on you cannot continue to grow and we have to say just dropped which implemented
00:08:01
there actually uh it's still well it more or less up today but it was important them
00:08:08
okay so company back on track running nicely um
00:08:13
your eight nine and we expanded of course a lot in the in the sales network internationally
00:08:20
build our subsidiaries um we got now a partner
00:08:25
for uh for our customers this new technology projects that they
00:08:29
come to us and say we started to like you
00:08:32
we would like to do something you can you help us this that and that's a big change
00:08:36
because at the beginning they don't want to ryan start up here to start to
00:08:40
say okay you're not the startup anymore we can use it to strategic or
00:08:46
so we became a hearing our applications and i'll
00:08:51
you know after nine years the first automotive costs so moving form these catches market
00:08:58
to automotive too 'cause years just improving quality getting better
00:09:03
better and it's it's quality of the product
00:09:06
but it's also quality of the organisation being able to do projects in time
00:09:11
being able to react you know if if there's a quality deviation how
00:09:15
to react help them solve the problems that fits all to that
00:09:18
so i'm coming back to this question about automotive later but it too 'cause men years to get in there
00:09:26
and then the next one you know two thousand nine and can the next crisis uh this this financial crisis
00:09:34
and uh actually uh it was a pretty deep it
00:09:36
again so we saw on our customer on average
00:09:42
each of them dropped about twenty five percent this in also few weeks
00:09:47
so um some of them went down to ten percent you know they said oh don't
00:09:51
cheat me anymore this year i don't need anything anymore my stock is full
00:09:55
and some others over a bit better but the average it really drop down
00:10:00
um we were lucky because we very strong roles so the
00:10:05
strong rose really took us out of this value again
00:10:08
of the song drop because you know we have a cost structure and all of sudden that income drops down
00:10:13
uh but they take too 'cause our uh and so finally also two thousand nine was he wouldn't be we're
00:10:19
really lucky that he does the right time there that people are really in a in a fast movement
00:10:26
i think you're saying you know the gross driver driver for that at the time was it
00:10:32
was a new product which really make a lot made a lot of turtle were
00:10:36
and the product had the previous esther and that was a complete fool
00:10:42
you know this type of centre it's a differential pressure sensor we developed
00:10:46
the first one and was complete failure it didn't sell at all
00:10:50
people are hiding it uh uh towards our board we know we never don't want to to report about that because
00:10:55
we're afraid they're saying he already crazy stop that stuff but we believe that we can do it better
00:11:02
and we develop this new product and just at the moment of the of the
00:11:07
um financial crisis we could bring it out and it saved us there
00:11:12
so sometimes you know something can be if what if you're really sure you're on the right track and
00:11:19
most times the second one is much better yeah it several times so that saved us them
00:11:26
but of course was the financial crisis also the currency crisis
00:11:31
i don't know how you build up your company but uh we're a
00:11:34
bit exposed to currencies less than before but still exposed of course
00:11:39
you know i'm ninety nine percent of our current worries
00:11:44
of brought in dollar in your role um hum
00:11:48
most of the cost is in switzerland so uh we really could feel you know we see that's the you roll
00:11:54
from almost one seventy how we went down to one so it's frank it's quite a dramatic change there
00:12:01
so of course in the meat how we organise completely different you're more
00:12:06
less depend on that but still i was also was quite striker
00:12:12
again a lot today are we had a very strong pros face at the time
00:12:16
we had a two thousand what can be we grew by sixty five percent
00:12:21
although the current what's going down but the main again thanks to new product
00:12:28
then we moved over um when you uh we built the new production side is ten thousand square
00:12:34
meters and uh that had to go where you quickly because of the pros of course
00:12:39
um i think we i call it quicker here and there is a new challenge for me
00:12:45
and mobile phones and i also discussion today about mobile phones
00:12:50
it's something very tempting but it's it's changing the market
00:12:55
and you know with the quantities are great acronym of scale it's it's really it's good
00:13:00
you know um it's going false but of course you know complications there too
00:13:06
and that they also it's like you know some smelly stuff and the flies are
00:13:10
coming you know the coming from all sides it cannot do anything against it
00:13:14
and um we were market leader in humility centres
00:13:19
and so okay discussion maybe put that in a phone be the same
00:13:24
we don't know what it makes sense but you know if we leave that to a competitor debt
00:13:28
comes case so huge it will be a dangerous so we we try to defend it
00:13:34
so um yeah complex projects
00:13:38
we try to get into it so we really uh decided to fight and and we will finally have the and
00:13:47
two thousand thirteen so means five years ago we had a great success in the in the galaxy fullness
00:13:52
as for notes read actually the galaxy as for is to encourage form is the highest volume ever
00:13:59
there was no waterfall and dreadful this higher volume that this this models so far
00:14:04
so it's roughly one hundred million pieces to build on that for um
00:14:10
several these projects which was a big pain i had
00:14:14
a discussion today we increased our stuff from
00:14:17
roughly two hundred fifty to five hundred people within a bit more than your
00:14:22
one one half your something at double to be able to to withstand such a project pretty heavy
00:14:31
and it's very very fast it was is of huge huge pain but the interesting thing was
00:14:37
you know when when it succeeded everybody says i'm so glad to have a short rest
00:14:42
but i know about three weeks later on became say hey let's do something like that again that was so exciting
00:14:47
but it's it's really it's complex projects um with the probably have the matching the right box
00:14:53
um we had a new sensor there we had produce about one
00:14:58
hundred thousand pieces of that sensor will last all year
00:15:02
and then you go into production is this company meetings remote so you'll
00:15:06
be missing three weeks increase production to hold a million a day
00:15:11
okay but uh it's it's crazy that bill how technically do
00:15:16
half a million at bay yeah it's it's great
00:15:22
okay but it's experience copy learn a lot uh we were except that
00:15:26
then that's a supplier to these mobile phones it's nice m. m.
00:15:32
so then you also see don't turnover have these or green is our traditional business
00:15:37
uh has it has developed over the years and this grey is
00:15:41
the mobile phone top it's it's a pretty dramatic increase
00:15:46
that's nice
00:15:49
and then uh and some some you know cancelled the next project you were designed even as five
00:15:55
it was all finished and they just before presentation uh to the market and
00:16:00
market launch they decided to cop out twenty percent of the bill
00:16:04
of material so that dropped out many features just crew and we got the call to all you can stop it it's over that's it
00:16:13
it's gone that's mobile phone instead is in five minutes it's gone so
00:16:18
you see here i would also can that that's also an experience
00:16:28
ross very important and you always you know all these mobile phone exposure we always the twist
00:16:34
the restriction say okay we have something to greenville part below which really will save us if
00:16:39
the mobile phone goes away it went away um and it saved us actually green or
00:16:48
yes and of course you know we what we managed to all that you
00:16:54
know we actually also earn some money were this year have to say
00:16:58
but we could defend our market share be really could keep our dominant position
00:17:04
what did we do there we decide okay we have lots of engineers you know which we hired
00:17:11
for this complex mobile phone project so let's put them into new centre development new innovation
00:17:18
uh we made losses actually be decide okay we don't care we just because uh before we were good
00:17:24
profitable companies that we make waltzes we go on and do our own innovation that's very one
00:17:32
so the next year got a bit harder because you know we we worked on
00:17:37
our new centres um of course to exchange um you know the the the
00:17:44
the swiss franc euro uh was released so
00:17:49
europe dropped again um the neural computation which were tracked by mobile phones
00:17:55
they came on the market this humidity sensors trying to attack us
00:17:59
also a big companies huge semiconductor companies try to attack us at the same time
00:18:05
we had a new product it's chemical sensor um which there we hope to
00:18:09
log on it uh it failed when we make if you test
00:18:13
you know look fine in the lab but we went out to the
00:18:16
field and you drop it failed terry just died for some reason
00:18:23
um in the mobile forming disappeared completely is easier to grey so um yeah what's the answer
00:18:32
so we said okay let's go on more on on new sensors we just
00:18:37
we believe we can do it uh we can do the right centres
00:18:42
and then of course you know off the bad weather every storehouse of circle while and then it goes away so uh
00:18:48
the sound started come back again twenty sixteen so we have
00:18:52
pros in all our fields again so with the record
00:18:55
we could solve actually also problem about the bang sensors in the field
00:19:00
and we had this new product groups which were on the full speed now
00:19:05
uh for in this case you two p. m. two point five
00:19:08
that's a small um yeah small small you know okay
00:19:15
and we handed over felix and you handed out were the position of c. o. two mark
00:19:19
who was with the company for a long time before so that was twenty sixteen
00:19:25
seventeen be launched out when you can call centre now and we had it in the first the correct
00:19:30
position in a shop i'm i think i'm not going to be here and uh this year
00:19:37
uh it started this market launch of the new sense which we have developed
00:19:41
a which now contribute a lot to other groups in the meantime
00:19:45
and b. g. d. i. plus it was mentioned uh in in spring
00:19:52
okay if you facts about the company before i come to
00:19:55
the lessons learned currently a seven hundred thirty employees
00:20:01
uh we have still ninety nine percent of sales outside of switzerland but
00:20:05
we also have more operations more a head count out of switzerland
00:20:11
perspectives only proved we invest a almost a twenty five percent twenty three
00:20:18
percent invest in or just a lot standing in new technologies
00:20:23
i qualified of course it's house in profit company and you're on a stock market
00:20:31
we have roughly something more than one hundred fifty patent groups will be right a lot of patents
00:20:37
but patents you need them you know but there no guarantee
00:20:42
because we saw you know compass just infringing patents not taking carry huge companies and say look try
00:20:47
to fight us so it's it's not such an easy saying but you need that it's good
00:20:53
okay i've you know have products mainly in air
00:20:55
quality sensing and gas flow liquid flow area
00:21:01
you're off we have a whole or a bit more than hold a
00:21:04
billion of sensor out in the field so probably use them somewhere
00:21:09
but you don't realise because the rebuilding staring carter medical devices or distribute it ever
00:21:17
okay so second part lessons learned
00:21:22
on that's the so the first thing is when you found a company i um
00:21:28
you know typically the winner takes it all so how can you get
00:21:31
the number one i don't see many startup companies in switzerland it's a big
00:21:36
you know not so much space it's maybe more american style but
00:21:40
you know there are so many startup companies they start somehow but they never have them patients really win
00:21:46
and to be clear number one and our experiences i'd go
00:21:50
for it and you your number one or you die
00:21:53
a slow death you know you try you're not really
00:21:56
dying but the but you never really successful so
00:22:00
really it's important to be a patients and think how can you get and do you have the chance to get the number one
00:22:07
because in our case of course we have to say the market was that huge uh it was a very fast so we could get number one
00:22:15
i also saw startup company to say i will get number one and but you see it's
00:22:19
it's impossible thing that you have to see what's the right size for you i think
00:22:24
but i think that that's health and we always that's also why we took the mobile opportunity
00:22:30
you still how much it hurt us in a way but it was clear we are
00:22:34
the number one and nobody else gets in and that's a way of thinking so
00:22:40
not oh okay there space for everybody nothing that day
00:22:47
then maybe something how long does it take you to earn money
00:22:53
very bad feel they're being volume suppliers was probably not the best idea but that's what he had
00:22:59
you know but how quickly can use a write checks and or money on it
00:23:04
that's very very important when on your bases small um they're easier things
00:23:10
to start completely to uh i'll come back on that later
00:23:15
so which market yeah i come to that now where is it good to make startups
00:23:20
and that's very simple picture out saying well if you go
00:23:24
to science instrument on and instrumentation eyesore several startups there
00:23:28
that's pretty okay you know to you do the best instrument people buy it
00:23:33
even if the companies that small but if it's the best thing you did get by its very direct
00:23:39
it's good if you do of course services also you can charge pretty soon that that's pretty nice
00:23:46
and then a history pretty okay too you know because they
00:23:51
they they buy from smaller comes to work together with small company it's good
00:23:57
where we went that first was here on the consumer gadgets because it's
00:24:01
fast it's the quality is not that was not that high um
00:24:06
it's a it i i write your gadgets in a way it's also increasing uh to mount here now
00:24:12
is all this uh parables and stuff it got much more difficult now and medical it's also pretty
00:24:18
okay but on medical you know sometimes it's a very very long way to get approvals and
00:24:26
the f. d. a. or orders so it can be very hard and trying to market
00:24:31
it there are some ways format cool a component various shape parts to bigger companies it's faster
00:24:37
can also be done there and but it's already more difficult than up there to make
00:24:41
a startup then if you do all the malt if well you can't do it
00:24:49
you need a partner i've seen startups trying to be just a
00:24:52
supplier to baltimore to things i don't believe that can or
00:24:56
because all the mortgage that just five from established companies that so we need a
00:25:01
partner i would say and and and time also to get in there
00:25:05
um because you know if you do a product and your
00:25:09
finishes product until the automotive in the automotive industry says
00:25:12
i start to buy it takes four years before they start by out what are leaving off in this time
00:25:21
so okay and of course also more while i think that's a start
00:25:25
up you can you you have to partner with somebody that fee
00:25:30
that's my personal opinion of course there are more markets but i think that's a very easy
00:25:34
um orientation how he's to to make a start which feel
00:25:41
then another one you need partners
00:25:44
be careful whom you trust uh_huh it's very important you need to trust people but be careful
00:25:52
and i think the most important part lesson to learn to talk to people references
00:25:58
you know talk to put the you know make yourself a picture but then talk to references and not only will
00:26:05
if you have you know we're partnering huge company ordain charge how long
00:26:10
will that be in charge with our partners that's it so
00:26:13
many changes you know you have a manager think okay that's a good guy i work with that guy and he's just replace
00:26:20
so um i think that's a it's it's very fundamental and talk to people
00:26:26
get references i think that's the most important because you need to trust
00:26:31
that's something you know it was mentioned before uh felix me people to company up the better uh which is
00:26:38
in a way privilege if it works that well uh it cannot be forced but what we d. h.
00:26:45
every models even in the whole time's sake one someone's it's one day out of the business
00:26:53
get some distance meeting a different place walk around and think about the bigger picture
00:27:00
i could can't really recommend that to you i think many many mistakes
00:27:04
that didn't happen because we have time to think about it
00:27:08
so really get out talk together and say on the rule these nothing
00:27:13
of daily basis just on the big things or what's going on
00:27:18
and at that helped us a awful
00:27:21
because you know one when you're running your so basically easier daily stuff you you
00:27:25
don't see see beyond anymore but really tried to keep the view huh
00:27:32
then face the truth a you know a challenge your ideas are you really sure
00:27:37
you're doing the right same that many startups which lie to themselves i i
00:27:41
we will we will but is it really the true face it tried the
00:27:46
actual change yet to reinvent ourselves many times on the way to success
00:27:54
i attended a information sometimes more important than intelligence
00:28:00
i would say for right decision you should be smart but you should have the
00:28:06
right information and maybe some experience helps to um or to put it in
00:28:11
other words the best strategies we ever date was always on the way back form
00:28:16
a customer base it and not to be smart people in the meeting
00:28:21
hope you understand what i'm saying you know go out talk to people and see
00:28:26
what's the writing and then that i just call that's very very important
00:28:31
i've seen so many smart business plans which just not there
00:28:36
learn from customers be close to that yeah it's about the set up
00:28:42
okay thank you very much that was it for my side and i think we have
00:28:54
hot
00:28:57
thank you very much slow yeah
00:29:11
or who ah it was really amazing ideas in so
00:29:16
many things about the big companies about the dynamics
00:29:20
market customising thank you very much i really
00:29:25
next yeah yeah yeah i'm the same
00:29:32
yeah we engineer um whether right from the p. i. for this definition in
00:29:37
the night time within a mix can believe it on top of machinery
00:29:40
it worked doesn't engine going to some where in the department of some of the sun
00:29:45
he was often with active for nine years in the field of i do i wanna takes
00:29:50
as an experimental at best buy lots for this with department of difference we
00:29:54
have something in common i was like to that at the table
00:29:58
you have been a staff member of the research directory to
00:30:00
be beautiful since nineteen eighty eight cities on head of
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the technology transfer of his purity due since its creation in
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nineteen ninety the your since you unless created it

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