153rd General Meeting of the Swiss Association for Technical Inspections
Following two general meetings conducted in writing, members, benefactors and guests have once again met in person. The meeting took place in the building extension at the SVTI headquarters in Wallisellen for the first time and was conducted in a new format. In the second year marked by the coronavirus, 2021, the SVTI Group was even able to improve its annual result from the previous year.
Conducted in person, but in a new format
In light of the coronavirus situation becoming more relaxed, along with the repeal of the corresponding measures, members, patrons and guests have come together for the 153rd General Meeting of the SVTI at its headquarters in Wallisellen, in the facilities of the Swiss Safety Center Academy. The new format, conducted over half a day, is a way of showing how the precious time of the attendees is valued while making sure it is not put under excessive pressure.
Statutory program and keynote
President Udo M. Bäckert conducted the statutory part and was able to report good news during the review and outlook. Prof. Lutz Jäncke, renowned professor of neuropsychology at the University of Zurich, then answered the question ‘Is our brain rational?’ He showed in an understandable and entertaining way how ra-tionally or irrationally we make decisions or how the unconscious actually exists and how it influences us.
Challenges have resulted in greater agility and resonance
The challenges of the past two years have also come with a lot of positives. While short response times due to rapidly changing measures have increased the pressure on employees on all levels, they have also increased employee agility. Overall, exercises under realistic conditions have made the corporate group more resilient and robust. The fact that the SVTI Group has been able to improve the annual result from the previous year, even in the second year confronted with the coronavirus, is also positive news.
Proactively confronting technological transformation to enable innovations from the SVTI Group
The Pressure Vessel Inspectorate has started using a new digital tool for registering pressure equipment. Among other things, an innovative vacuum robot has also been used for inspection purposes. The Nuclear Inspectorate has begun building the drone that will enable sonic and ultrasonic measurements on concrete structures in the future. In the Swiss Safety Center, significant progress has been made particularly in terms of vision systems and automation.
Making tomorrow’s ideas a reality with the Innovation Fund and a CTO
The SVTI established an internal innovation fund in 2021, aimed at promoting innovative power focusing on digital technologies. Creating the CTO role has significantly helped to consolidate the position of the SVTI Group and in particular, the Swiss Safety Center AG as an innovative market player.
Outlook
The digitalisation of the SVTI Group and its transformation into a digital technology company offering many innovative services and products will remain a key challenge for the SVTI next year. This will also play a role in efforts to further increase its attractiveness as a company and employer, in order to achieve more success in the “battle” for specialists, which also includes raising awareness of the SVTI brand and its excellent reputation. ‘Of course,’ says Bäckert, ‘we also want to continue increasing the company’s value, whether through organic growth or acquisitions if suitable opportunities emerge.’