For more than 40 years, Iftest AG has been finding solutions – for and with its customers. To celebrate these joint successes, the management team held an anniversary event. Read on to find out what was in store for guests. We can tell you this much: the day was full of great moments.

A glimpse behind the scenes
Around 60 Iftest customers and partners accepted the invitation. In the early afternoon, they were warmly welcomed by senior management and the event team. For many guests, this was not their first time at Iftest. But Iftest took the opportunity to provide a comprehensive insight into its work. In several groups, the guests visited the engineering department and various different areas of production. Led by the expert tour guides from sales, the guests even took a look at the development offices and got a live glimpse of how the layout experts work on customer projects with the help of CAD.

Welcome from the Iftest management team, from left to right: Jürgen Schulz, Massimiliano D’Amore and Christian Kupper.

Lots of customers came together at the Iftest site in Wettingen.

Simon Wildy, Hardware Development Team Lead, explaining Iftest’s services.

ESD dress code: preparing for the production tour.

Customer application exhibition
A particular highlight was the extensive exhibition of customer devices. The guests had provided their own products that work with Iftest electronics. They represented a wide range of end applications in the fields of medical technology, industrial automation, measurement and transport technology, energy, communications and building technology. Detailed data sheets provided information on the respective Iftest services. The result was an impressive display of devices that made the diversity of Iftest’s abilities tangible.

Dirk Ziegler, Head of the Customer Team in conversation with customers.

High-tech ocean devices with Iftest technology
The afternoon programme was rounded off by an exciting talk by Thomas Frizlen. His start-up, Swiss Ocean Tech Ltd., was founded in 2013 and has developed a system that can monitor the position and movement of a ship’s anchor in real time. In doing so, Swiss Ocean Tech is addressing a previously unsolved problem of global shipping: unstable anchors and anchor movements that are not detected early enough cause annual insurance costs of more than USD 800 million. In his fascinating presentation, Frizlen explained exactly what his team has developed and the contribution Iftest AG has made to its success.

Gifted innovator and company founder: Thomas Frizlen during his impressive presentation on Swiss Ocean Tech.

Drinks reception with a duo performance
From the dangerous depths of the ocean, the party then shifted to the gently rippling surface of Lake Hallwil. The MS Seetal was ready and waiting to host a drinks reception. With drinks and nibbles in hand, the guests unexpectedly bore witness to a somewhat unusual spectacle. The ship suffered an engine failure – which would probably have gone unnoticed had it not been for the captain’s matter-of-fact announcement. A towing vessel then proceeded to carry out a docking manoeuvre – which was as understated as the skipper’s announcement – causing some guests to think it must be a prank and start looking for the hidden camera. With a bit of additional power from the side, the movement of the two boats on the water was reminiscent of a ‘pas de deux’, and the journey was able to continue as planned.

An unusual image: like two ships in love, the pair arrived at Meisterschwanden harbour as planned.

Sport-inspired evening programme with a spectacular show
Legendary sports presenter Berni Schär hosted the evening programme with energy and charm, and drew several parallels between Iftest AG’s success story and sport: innovation, flexibility, always keeping moving and always looking for new technologies – these are important success factors, in sport and business alike. The performance by The Blackouts that followed also felt like an athletic feat. The formation group provided a breathtaking, light-filled dance spectacle. Each of the five dancers’ suits was fitted with 1,800 controllable LEDs. The flexible circuit boards were designed by the dancers themselves. ‘In the beginning, we just had simple LED strips from the DIY store,’ explained Jonas Schneider, co-founder of The Blackouts. He continued, ‘If we had known about Iftest earlier, we would certainly have thought about using them when making our suits. As someone who is interested in tech, I was very impressed by the tour of Iftest’s production facilities,’ said the electrical engineering and information technology graduate.

A thrilling show: The Blackouts in action, followed by an interview with Berni Schär.

Focus on team spirit
In an interview with Schär, CEO Christian Kupper confirmed that the success factors of elite sport also apply to Iftest: continuous development, not rushing into things, avoiding reckless mistakes, but above all: learning from mistakes. This is something the entire workforce contributes to. ‘Iftest’s success is a team effort,’ emphasised the CEO.

Host Berni Schär in conversation with Christian Kupper …

When asked what sets Iftest apart, Jürgen Schulz, Head of Development, said, ‘Combining Iftest engineering with its main disciplines of engineering, industrialisation, series production, after-sales and life-cycle management – thus clearly distinguishing ourselves from a pure engineering firm – is what makes Iftest particularly attractive.’ He continued, ‘Development cycles are shortened, more cost-effective materials can be used, and early feedback from production simplifies design development.’

… and Jürgen Schulz …

When asked about important future topics at Iftest, Massimiliano D’Amore, Head of Sales, identified digitalisation, in particular artificial intelligence, as well as sustainability and data security. ‘Our goals are clear,’ he explained, ‘more automation and more stable and transparent business processes. For customers, this means that thanks to Iftest, they will be able to bring their products to market even faster in the future and thus be even more successful.

… and Massimiliano D’Amore.

Surprise award for Iftest
Later in the evening, an unexpected award ceremony took place. Quality, flexibility, listening, satisfying wishes – these are Iftest’s strengths, according to Peter Villiger. Christian Kupper accepted the award for excellent quality and cooperation to great applause. ‘Tomorrow will be the biggest employee event in Iftest’s history. There, I will pass the “Teamwork Award” straight on to the team. Thank you!’ he said. This recognition confirms Iftest’s desire to thoroughly understand customers and their needs, to think outside the box and to support customers through in-depth collaboration.

Presentation of the award.

Farewell
The celebration flew by and far too quickly reached its inevitable end. The late hour made the farewell just a little easier. All sides expressed their gratitude: the guests thanked Iftest for a wonderful celebration; Iftest thanked its guests sincerely for their time, interest and loyalty. What remains are memories of an unforgettable afternoon and evening and the prospect of meeting again in the course of everyday business – with new electronics problems and Iftest AG’s reliably innovative and flexible solutions.

Thank you, from left to right: Jürgen Schulz, Head of Development, Christianm Kupper, CEO, Johanna Wüthrich, Marketing/Communications, Berni Schär, Host, Massimiliano D’Amore, Head of Sales.