Innovation and key investments

Innovation and key investments

Following the completion of several development projects, in 2023 Mikron invested another CHF 7.3 million (prior year: CHF 6.5 million) in the development or enhancement of new products and product platforms. These figures include personnel expenses, material costs, and other operat­ing expenses, and represent 2.0% of net sales (prior year: 2.1% of net sales). This does not include day-to-day innovation activities, which are triggered by customer projects and are required to develop new specific assembly or machining processes.

Under its strategic digitalization initiative, in recent years, Mikron has systematically developed, test­ed, and integrated digital and connectivity-related services and solutions commonly summarized as “Industry 4.0” into existing and new products, processes, and service offerings. The Mikron Machining division, for example, now offers five different state-of-the-art digitalization modules to its customers:

• miConnector – for data sharing with customers’ PDAs (personal digital assistant)
• miMachine – for monitoring and analyzing machine and peripheral device data throughout the life cycle
• miMaintenance – for customized maintenance tailored to effective use
• miTool – an advanced tool monitoring system for high-precision part production on Mikron high-performance machining systems or any other machining system.
• miEnergy – for efficient energy consumption management

Another strategic initiative launched by Mikron in 2023 was the Connect project. This Group-wide project is aimed at attracting and retaining talent while creating a working environment that increases profitability. As a connected HR community, Mikron aims to establish aligned HR processes, structures, tools, and methods that enable the Group to focus on strategic people management and company culture, while providing a positive experience to current and future employees.

In order to further strengthen its customer focus, Mikron has slightly adapted its branding and intro­duced divisional logos for Mikron Automation, Mikron Machining, and Mikron Tool.