Prix Industrie 4.0 "The Shapers": innovators from French-speaking Switzerland rewarded for their projects

For the third year running, the " Manufacture Thinking " collective, of which alp ict is a member, in association with the chambers of commerce of the French-speaking part of Switzerland, has awarded the Prix Industrie 4.0 to 11 leading figures from French-speaking Swiss industry.

Above and beyond the projects presented, the prize is intended to reward their initiators for their role as innovation leaders in the digital field. As Xavier Comtesse, jury member and organizer of the evening, states: "It's important to show the faces of the industry, not just its machines." Although the prize rewards specific individuals, Xavier Comtesse nevertheless doesn't forget to point out that "in a company there is rarely a single inventor, it's often teams that develop innovations."

The list of winners, known as "Shapers", had already been unveiled in February 2020, and the recipients were finally able to receive their awards in person at a gala evening on September 3, not far from Geneva. An evening dedicated to these innovators, who are sometimes forgotten or hidden behind the presentation of their achievements. "In the absence of raw materials, Switzerland has grey matter. A precious commodity that is being honored today", says Vincent Subilia, General Manager of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services (CCIG).

 

As a reminder, here is the list of 2020 "Shapers":

• Agnes Petit, from Mobbot (FR), for the project "3D printing in concrete;

• Pierre-Yves Bonvin, from Steiger Participations (VS), for the "Machine textile 3D" project;

• Thierry Vialenc, from the company Sogetri (GE), for the "Waste sorters using AI" project;

• Anne Tayac, from Givaudan (GE), for the project "AI & Perfume;

• Stéphane Poggi, from Felco Motion, and Nathalie Nyffeler, from HES-VD (NE/VD), for the "From pruning shears to Data" project;

• Christophe Taramarcaz, from HoroSys (NE), for the project "Precursor in terms of Smart Micro Factory";

• Denis Piquerez, from Soprod (VS), for the project "Movements for smart watches with hands";

• Steve Tanner, from ecoRobotix (VD), for the "Robotized, connected and ecological agriculture" project;

• Philippe Crevoisier, from Crevoisier (JU), for the project "Development of a polishing cell using a collaborative robot";

• Jean-Marie Hotz, of Hot's Design Communication(BE/Bienne), for the "Easy Docmaker, a platform for multi-channel communication" project.

 

Interviews with the winners

Video copyright: Thierry Weber / breew

 

The industry of the future concerns all fields

Digitalization is a current theme in all areas of industry. The innovations represented by the 2020 winners cover a wide range of sectors: construction, textiles, medical technology, the environment, agriculture, viticulture, watchmaking, production technology, the cosmetics industry and the food industry. Generally speaking, all the projects presented aim to optimize the use of energy and human resources. "It's difficult to predict exactly what the future of industry will look like. Nevertheless, the notion of sustainable development has been gaining ground in recent years. And these innovations all have one thing in common: they propose new ways of working which, directly or indirectly, lead to more sustainable development, whether from an economic, environmental or societal angle, or all three at once. Each of these innovations is a beacon of hope for Switzerland's economic fabric", declared Laurence de la Serna, President of the CCIG, as she opened the ceremony.

 

Switzerland on the front line

"Shapers today are shaping the economy of tomorrow. They transform an idea into a project, a project into a product or a service, which in turn helps to create economic value," explains Vincent Subilia. Innovation is essential to the country's economic development, but so is what we do with it. "For the tenth year running, Switzerland has been voted the most innovative country in the world. However, we need to ensure that the fruits of these innovations are kept in Switzerland, in order to transform these great ideas into economic value and jobs" , says Laurence de la Serna.

The Prix Industrie 4.0 is a gesture of recognition from the jury and the chambers of commerce, who are thus affirming their support for Swiss companies and their innovators, the driving force behind industry.

 

Recognition for work accomplished

The gala evening was attended by 121 invited guests, who enjoyed an aperitif in a rural setting before making their way to the awards ceremony. Winner Pierre-Yves Bonvin and his team from Steiger Participations SA handed out a barrier mask knitted on their 3D machines to each guest at the entrance to the hall. A fine demonstration of the capabilities of the award-winning technology. At the end of the ceremony, all participants were invited to a flying dinner with a cappella music background.

A pleasant atmosphere, which enabled everyone to continue discussing "innovation" and all that goes with it. For beyond the visibility that comes with winning an industry award, everyone agreed that the recognition it brings is important for them, for their teams, and for their companies. The reward for the work accomplished is an important source of motivation, essential for innovative behavior.

 

Discover the winners' portraits, their vision of innovation and Swiss industry.

Source: Read the rest of this beautiful article on the MSM website , written by Marina Hofstetter.