Company Profiles Index... 79

Transcription

1 Summary Swiss Label Interview mit Sigrid Sutter,Vizepräsidentin SWISS LABEL Swiss Label Interview with Sigrid Sutter,Vice-President of SWISS LABEL Editorial - Ticino una realtà urbana e dinamica Marco Borradori, Presidente del Consiglio di Stato Editorial - Ticino - an urban and dynamic reality Marco Borradori, President of the National Council DIPARTIMENTO DEL TERRITORIO - Una bussola per orientarci verso un futuro sostenibile Marco Borradori, Consigliere di Stato, direttore del DT (Dipartimento del territorio) TERRITORIAL DEPARTMENT - A compass to point us in the direction of a sustainable future Marco Borradori, State Councillor, Director of DT (Planning Department) DSS - Dipartimento sanità e socialità Ticino pioniere della politica sociale Patrizia Pesenti, Consigliere di Stato direttrice del DSS (Dipartimento della sanità e socialità) DSS - Department of Health and Social Affairs Ticino pioneers social policy Patrizia Pesenti, State Councillor, Director of DSS (Department of Health and Welfare) DIPARTIMENTO DELL'EDUCAZIONE, DELLA CULTURA E DELLO SPORT - Formazione: dinamismo per costruire il futuro Gabriele Gendotti, Consigliere di Stato, direttore del DECS (Dipartimente dell'educazione, della cultura e dello sport) DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION, CULTURE AND SPORT - Education: energy for building the future Gabriele Gendotti, State Councillor, Director of DECS (Department of Education, Culture and Sport) DIPARTIMENTO FINANZE ED ECONOMIA - Ricerca e trasferimento tecnologico per sostenere la crescita economica Laura Sadis, Consigliere di Stato, diretrice del DFE (Dipartimento delle finanze e dell'economia) DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ECONOMY - Research and technological transfer to support economic growth Laura Sadis, State Councillor, Director of DFE (Department of Finance and Economy) Divisione dell'economia del DFE - Pensare globale, agire locale per operare in tutto il mondo Arnoldo Coduri, direttore della Divisione dell'economia del Dipartimento finanze ed economia DFE economic division - Think global, act local to do business around the world Arnoldo Coduri, Director of the Department of Finance and Economy's economic division Cc-Ti - Camera di commercio, dell'industria, dell'artigianato e dei servizi del Cantone Ticino - Servizi ad alto valore aggiunto e versatilità: connubio imprescindibile per rispondere alle sfide future Luca Albertoni, Direttore della Camera di commercio, dell'industria, dell'artigianato e dei servizi del Cantone Ticino Cc-Ti - Chamber of Commerce for industry, craftsmen and services for the Canton of Ticino - Services with added value and versatility: an essential combination to meet future challenges Luca Albertoni Director of the Chamber of Commerce for industry, craftsmen and services for the Canton of Ticino AITI - Associazione Industrie Ticinesi - Industria ticinese competitiva e mondiale Sandro Lombardi, direttore dell'aiti (Associazione industrie ticinesi) AITI - Association for Industry in Ticino - Industry in Ticino is competitive and global Sandro Lombardi, Director of AITI (Association of Ticino Industries) L'Università della Svizzera italiana continua a crescere guarda al futuro Piero Martinoli, Presidente dell'usi The University of Southern Switzerland continues to expand with an eye on the future Piero Martinoli, President of USI EOC - Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale - L'Ospedale multisito del Cantone Ticino Carlo Maggini, direttore dell'eoc (Ente ospedaliero cantonale) EOC - Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale - The multisite hospital in the Canton of Ticino Carlo Maggini, Director of EOC (Cantonal Hospital Authority) TICINO TURISMO - UN TICINO DINAMICO Tiziano Gagliardi, Direttore di Ticino Turismo TICINO TOURISM - DYNAMIC TICINO Tiziano Gagliardi, Director of Ticino Tourism GASTROTICINO Al fianco degli esercenti con dinamismo Marco Huber, GastroTicino GASTROTICINO An der Seite des dynamischen Gastgewerbes Marco Huber, GastroTicino Company Profiles Index Editeur : Rédaction : Coordination : Impression : COM CONSULTING SA 40a, rue Fritz Courvoisier - CH-2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds Tél. : +41(0) Fax : +41(0) info@comconsulting. ch M. Chiaradonna Generoso - M. Alessandro Pesce Color 36 - C.E. Color 36 - C.E. Agosto 2008 Toute reproduction, même partielle, des articles publiés dans ce numéro, nécessite explicitement le consentement écrit de l éditeur.

2 DIPARTIMENTO DEL TERRITORIO Una bussola per orientarci verso un futuro sostenibile Marco Borradori, Consigliere di Stato, direttore del DT (Dipartimento del territorio) Ogni decisione tocca il territorio, il bene non rinnovabile più prezioso di cui disponiamo 6 DR Il Dipartimento del territorio opera nei settori dell'ambiente, dello sviluppo territoriale, delle costruzioni e della mobilità. Tra i temi che richiedono particolare attenzione, vi sono inoltre la politica di risparmio energetico e il concetto di paesaggio, punto di riferimento, quest'ultimo, per l'identità personale e collettiva. Il paesaggio naturale e quello costruito, infatti, sono il riflesso della storia, lo specchio del rapporto di un popolo con il proprio territorio. Scaturisce anche da qui l'importanza del nuovo Piano Direttore cantonale: lo strumento pianificatorio principale destinato a coordinare le politiche pubbliche con rilevante incidenza territoriale che nei prossimi anni orienteranno lo sviluppo del Ticino. Nel nostro Cantone, oltre l'80% della superficie è costituita dal verde: montagne, vallate, pascoli, boschi. Si tratta di una porzione ampia, fiore all'occhiello dell'offerta turistica e settore chiave dello sviluppo economico. Ma ancora più ambito è il 14% di fondovalle, dove si addensano le attività e si concentrano oltre i 4/5 della popolazione. Qui si situano i maggiori conflitti di interesse: i trasporti, le vie di comunicazione, i poli di sviluppo economico, i centri commerciali, le zone residenziali, l'accessibilità alle rive dei laghi, la riqualifica del paesaggio. Il Piano direttore vuole dunque proporre risposte a lungo termine alle esigenze emergenti della società, che si riflettono inevitabilmente sul territorio. Più in generale, persegue due obiettivi: favorire l'apertura verso il nord delle Alpi, da un lato, e alla realtà transfrontaliera a sud, dall'altro, e gettare le basi della coesione sul piano interno. Come valorizzare questo nostro contesto alpino? Tra l'altro con un'accorta politica dei trasporti, volta a intensificare le relazioni con i cantoni vicini (Grigioni, Uri e Vallese); ad agganciare il Sempione e il Lötschberg con la ferrovia Locarno-Domodossola; a rilanciare la linea di montagna del S. Gottardo, innestandola su quella trasversale che da Zermatt conduce a Tirano; o, ancora, a sviluppare il sistema ferroviario Ticino-Lomabrdia Tilo, la metropolitana a cielo aperto che, con la nuova linea Mendrisio-Varese- Malpensa, permetterà di accorciare i tempi di percorrenza verso il nord Italia e la Svizzera romanda. Il Ticino vuole evitare di diventare un corridoio di transito, un satellite di Milano o la zona suburbana di Zurigo, e si impegna invece per svolgere un ruolo che gli appartiene per vocazione, quello di cerniera, di piattaforma di scambio, di ponte fra culture e poli economici. Per integrarsi come regione strategica e attrattiva nel sistema delle città svizzere, lombarde ed europee, sul tavolo della concorrenza deve porre il suo valore aggiunto, ossia la qualità di vita intesa nel senso più ampio: meno burocrazia, trasporti attrattivi, sicurezza, minor inquinamento, varietà paesaggistica, stabilità e coesione sociale. Tutti temi che rientrano sotto il cappello del Dipartimento del territorio. Compresa, come detto, la politica di risparmio energetico. L'approvvigionamento e le tecniche di sfruttamento saranno determinanti per la crescita socioeconomica e l'impatto sul clima. Investire nelle risorse e nel patrimonio ambientale, è necessario per mantenere, recuperare e gestire la qualità dell'ambiente, sinonimo di vivibilità anche per le future generazioni. Dipartimento del territorio Residenza governativa CH-6500 Bellinzona Tel.: +41 (0) Fax: +41 (0) dt-dir@ti.ch - Website:

3 TERRITORIAL DEPARTMENT A compass to point us in the direction of a sustainable future Marco Borradori, State Councillor, Director of DT (Planning Department) Every decision affects the territory and the precious non-renewable goods available to us 7 DR The Territorial Department is involved in areas relating to the environment, territorial development, construction and mobility. Matters requiring particular attention include energy conservation policy and the concept of landscape, the second being a point of reference for personal and collective identity. Both the natural and the man-made landscape are in fact a reflection of history, mirroring the relationship between a population and the territory in which it lives. This also gives rise to the importance of the new cantonal management plan: the main planning tool intended to coordinate public policy with significant territorial events which will steer Ticino's development in the next years. In our Canton, more than 80% of land is green: mountains, valleys, pasture and woodland. It is a large area representing the pride of what Switzerland has to offer tourists as well as being a key area for economic development. However, an even more sought-after area is the 14% of valley floor where activity is becoming ever more prolific and where more than 4/5 of the population is concentrated. This is the place where major conflicts of interest exist: transport, highways, centres of economic development, business and retail centres, residential areas, lakeside accessibility and redefinition of the landscape. The management plan therefore wants to provide long-term answers to the demands emerging from society, which are inevitably reflected in the territory. More generally, it is pursuing two objectives: on the one hand, it is supporting the opening up of the area towards the north of the Alps and the existence of the cross-border situation in the South and on the other hand it is laying the foundations for internal cohesion. How can we turn this alpine challenge to our advantage? Not least, with a sensible transport policy intended to improve relations with neighbouring cantons (Grischun, Uri and Wallis 1 ); to link up the Simplon and Lötschberg railway line with the Locarno-Domodossola line; to reopen the San Gottardo mountain line, integrating it into the line that cuts across it from Zermatt to Tirano; or even to develop the Ticino-Lombardy railway system known as Tilo, the overground Metro, which together with the new Mendrisio-Varese-Malpensa line will enable shorter journey times across the north of Italy and the Swiss Romande. Ticino wants to avoid becoming a transit corridor, a satellite of Milan or a suburb of Zürich and is thus committing to developing its own "vocational" role as that of a hinge pin, a hub, a bridge between cultures and economic channels. In order to become integrated as a strategic and attractive region within the urban systems of Switzerland, Lombardy and Europe, it needs to prove it can add value in order to compete, in other words it needs to demonstrate quality of life understood in its widest sense: less bureaucracy, attractive transport, safety, reduced pollution, variety of landscape, social stability and cohesion. All these subjects fall within the remit of the Territorial Department, as does the above-mentioned energy-saving policy. Purchasing and prcurement techniques will be determined by socio-economic growth and the impact on climate. We need to invest in resources and environmental well-being to maintain, restore and manage the quality of the environment, which goes hand-inhand with making it a place in which people can live, both now and in the future. (1) Translator's note: I have used German Canton names in the translation as an English reader will be more familiar with these. Dipartimento del territorio Residenza governativa CH-6500 Bellinzona Tel.: +41 (0) Fax: +41 (0) dt-dir@ti.ch - Website:

4 Cc-Ti - Chamber of Commerce for industry, craftsmen and services for the Canton of Ticino Services with added value and versatility: an essential combination to meet future challenges by Luca Albertoni Director of the Chamber of Commerce for industry, craftsmen and services for the Canton of Ticino This blanket association for Ticino's economy has been working for decades supporting the Canton's entrepreneurs. What does the Chamber of Commerce for industry, craftsmen and services for the Canton of Ticino (Cc-Ti) consider to be important for Ticino's economy? To give some idea of the impetus associated with the Cc-Ti, let us consider a few statistics: around 800 businesses with 42,000 jobs and at least 43 professional associations with more than 6000 businesses, representing a total of almost 90,000 jobs, are affiliated to the Cc-Ti. The numbers are significant when you consider that the Canton of Ticino has a population of around 300,000. The Cc-Ti contributes towards consolidating and developing the Canton's economy, promoting framework conditions that benefit businesses whilst maintaining close contact with economic activity, businesses and professional associations - the key players for a strong and competitive economy. The Cc-Ti has been providing a service to Ticino's economy for more than 90 years. One of its main responsibilities is to act as a link between the state, the world of politics and the economic reality of the Canton and as far as possible to facilitate the introduction of productive activities into the region. The foundations of the association were laid in 1917 when the Cc-Ti was established as a private association, free from state intervention, built on the free affiliation of members and with the objective of protecting the general and sectorial interests of the private economy in the Canton of Ticino. The confederation was only asked to perform one official task, in line with all the other 17 Swiss chambers of commerce, namely that relating to the service for certificates of origin which are strictly associated with the export of goods. In practice, Cc-Ti representatives cover a multitude of tasks. They cooperate with federal and cantonal authorities on the introduction or amendment of legal provisions, providing businesses concerned with information vital to their operation in the region; they regularly participate in public debates and in study days in the economic sphere and they maintain constant contact with the other major economic organisations in the Canton and in Switzerland as a whole. They promote business meetings with embassies and other institutions and organise foreign assignments for economic delegations. One of the ambitious objectives of the Cc-Ti is to put ever more effort into becoming a service platform in which people or businesses operating in the economy and, above all, members can find the answers to their questions. The service portfolio ranges from legal consultancy to training; the start of 2008 also saw the introduction of the possibility for the Cc-Ti to issue the ATA Carnet, the international customs document that permits the temporary and duty-free export, import and transit of goods, via the ATA online portal ( Compared with the current procedure, the main benefits of the ATA online portal are that it makes issuing the ATA Carnet quicker and easier. The head office of Lugano Arbitration is also at the Cc-Ti. This service was set up as a result of the Canton of Ticino's Bar Association and Cc-Ti joining forces. This is an important service in resolving controversial issues within a reasonable timescale. The monthly publication Ticino Business (available for download at is the means by which Cc-Ti communicates with its own members and those operating in its economy. The future holds many challenges, especially for our region which, although small in size, is located at the heart of Europe. Suitable answers need to be found with favourable conditions for setting up new businesses and with essential versatility to maintain and develop additional high-value services, activities which can boost benefits for the entire Canton of Ticino. Chamber of Commerce for industry, craftsmen and services for the Canton of Ticino Chamber of commerce for industry, handicraft 1 and services for the Canton of Ticino Corso Elvezia 16, CH-6901 Lugano Tel.: +41 (0) Fax: +41 (0) cciati@cci.ch DR 17

5 COMPANY PROFILE SUPSI, the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland - 10 years of history The University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) is one of the seven Universities of Applied Sciences (SUP) recognised in the Swiss Confederation. SUPs (Fachhochschule, Haute école specialisée, University of Applied Sciences) have university status and are geared towards professional training and applied research. The SUPSI is an independent public organisation established by the Canton of Ticino as a result of the law dated 11 March 1997, which brought together existing specialist educational establishments and public and private research institutes. Its origins date back to architecture courses which began in 1852 in Lugano on the initiative of Carlo Cattaneo. which have been created to encourage the transfer of knowledge and technology and to promote an entrepreneurial approach. 1 January 2008 saw the SUPSI enter a new phase in its relatively short history. The new management will be tackling the consolidation of the current organisational structure, whilst seeking to maintain its evermore competitive edge regarding teaching quality and research excellence, and whilst seeking to attract motivated students and talented researchers to Ticino. SUPSI When Switzerland's Fernfachhochschule, based in Brig in the Canton of Wallis, was integrated 2004, the SUPSI attained intercantonal dimensions. With the integration of the Swiss Italian Conservatory (CSI) and the Dimitri School of Theatre in 2006, together with the inclusion of courses in healthcare (including the Landquart School of Physiotherapy in the Grigioni Canton), the SUPSI was able to offer a complete University of Applied Sciences curriculum. The University has around 20 degree courses on offer, as well as ongoing training courses attended each year by thousands of professionals and it undertakes consultancy and applied research activities in various key sectors such as architecture, engineering (civil, information technology, management, electronic and mechanical), economics, sociology, health and the arts (music, design and theatre). It works alongside the University of Southern Switzerland (USI), the Alta Scuola Pedagogica (ASP) and other university partners, thus making it an Italian language university centre in Switzerland, currently accommodating some 5000 students. Our main vision is to be actively involved in building Ticino's university system, making the most of our methodological and educational specialisms and thus contributing to the development of the entire Canton, in the various contexts in which we operate, explains Professor Franco Gervasoni, SUPSI Director since the beginning of We have adopted a concrete, multidisciplinary and networked working approach that is grounded in a regional identity, innovation, and originality that also has an international perspective. All this enables us to respond to the real-life requirements that we face in every area of our activity. To facilitate the flow of information between the school and companies and institutions, we have also set up some appropriate support units, in close collaboration with the USI and other partners, such as for example, the research department, Ticinotransfer and the Start UP Promotion Centre, Throughout Switzerland, the SUPs and in Ticino the USI have been provided with up-to-date and attractive logistical infrastructures. Planning is in progress to consolidate the majority of SUPSI departments with the USI faculties in 2012 on just two campuses, in Lugano and Mendrisio. The construction of the USI-SUPSI Campus, particularly for the DSAN, DSAS and DTI, is essential for ensuring the medium and long-term development of the SUPSI. The SUPSI has adopted sustainable development as the unifying theme, around which it prioritises its focus in the area of research activities, thereby seeking to satisfy the real needs of the present without compromising the potential needs of future generations, as regards all aspects of technology, economics, society and the environment. The SUPSI will invest its own skills to promote knowledge from the applicable results in products and in industrial production, but also in social politics, business management, construction as well as regional and public services management, without neglecting artistic/recreational considerations: thus taking account of the creative as well as the destructive potential of human beings. Internationalisation is also an essential element to be encouraged on an ongoing basis, involving and stimulating students, teaching staff and researchers. Sabbaticals for teaching staff, student mobility, a warm welcome to postgraduates, organisation and participation in international workshops and summer schools are just a few examples of activities that the SUPSI will need to continue and expand. In addition to this, bachelor degree courses (three-year degrees) and a selection of masters degrees (specialist degrees) on offer are promoted in collaboration with other Swiss and foreign academic institutions. Tel./Fax: +41 (0) Le Gerre CH-6928 Manno info@supsi.ch Website: / 43

6 COMPANY PROFILE Riri SA Quality, technology and reliability: a brand synonymous with excellence Zip! and they close - or open - bags, suitcases, dresses, coats, tents, jeans But behind that one simple action lies more than a century of history, advanced technological research and above all an industrial Group that leads the world in the manufacture and sale of high-quality zip fasteners: that Group is Riri, which produces zips made of precious metal alloys, zamac and nylon in its factories in Mendrisio (Switzerland) and Tirano (Italy), with branches in Milan, Monaco, Paris, New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai. A Group that is setting sail for the future, with its own rich history and cutting-edge technology. No one invented the zip, but many people contributed to developing the idea, until in 1923, the Swiss inventor and lawyer from St Gallen, Martin Othmar Winterhalter, purchased the patent for Europe for a hand-made zip fastener. The founder of Riri studied and perfected the layout of the concave and convex teeth (called rille and rippe in German, from which the acronym riri is derived) and set up the necessary machines for mass production. When the Nazis came to power, Winterhalter left Germany and emigrated to Switzerland where he opened a factory in 1936 in Mendrisio. A long journey of commitment and passion resulted in Riri officially opening its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in 1979 next to the original illustrious factory. Since 1998, four years after it was purchased by the investment bank, Schroeder, the Group has been back in the hands of private investors led by the President and General Manager Livio Cossutti, who returned the company to its former glory (the Group currently has a turnover of more than 70 million Swiss francs). Riri has always been the leader in fashion, leather goods and shoes but it has also encountered and conquered another challenge: to design and produce special high-quality zips, using sophisticated materials, that can withstand extreme conditions. Without giving away any trade secrets, what does this involve? Livio Cossutti explains, We developed a range of innovative products aimed at the nautical, outdoor and sports (including extreme sports) markets as well as technoligically-based products (life rafts, lifejackets, military equipment, industrial filters, items used for civil defence). Storm is at the top of this range of high-tech zips. This was the first waterproof zip used especially in sportswear. Then Extreme, the only fully watertight zip. Further research also led to the design of Decor UV, a zip that resists the damaging effects of ultraviolet rays and Aquazip, the waterresistant zip designed for the luxury outdoor market. 59 A high-tech company like Riri could not avoid putting its name to another equally technological challenge. And in this case, the challenge was won after which Riri became a partner to the Swiss boat Alinghi, winner of the last two America's Cup races. A competition, which for us has been a unique platform to improve publicity of the Riri brand at a global level and to demonstrate our capacity for innovation in the zip fastener industry. An opportunity, stresses the President, to demonstrate that even in a small Canton like Ticino, it is possible to develop avant-garde technology and whoever wants to invest and undertake research will find the ideal conditions there and a State that is sensitive to the industrial world. There are many reasons why the Riri Group has enjoyed so much success, from its capacity for diversification (6 million possible combinations of zip components), to always ensuring cutting-edge technological research and excellent quality. Riri's quality research continues to be based on constant product and manufacturing process innovation, on rigorous controls and on solidly based, long-term customer relationships. The business's philosophy is also important, as it sees its suppliers essentially as partners to satisfy the customer's requirements. We have established very close and synergic relationships with innovative businesses, creating a network of partners who work with us in specific areas (galvanising process, fabrics, trimming, zinc die-casting, etc.) enabling us to continue to be the leader in our industry. A business philosophy and a method of building the future are what make Riri the pride of Switzerland's economy. With these characteristics, countries abroad see the Riri Group as increasingly synonymous with precision, reliability and quality. Riri SA Via Catenazzi Mendrisio - CH Tel.: +41 (0) Fax: +41 (0) Website: riri@riri.com RIRI

7 COMPANY PROFILE SSCB - Swiss Stem Cell Bank A leader in autologous conservation of umbilical cord stem cells Swiss Stem Cell Bank is based in Lugano and is the first private Swiss organisation to be set up with the aim of conserving stem cells for autologous use, i.e. so that they can be used, if needed, by the person who has deposited them. SSCB - Swiss Stem Cell Bank The objective of Swiss Stem Cell Bank, SSCB, is to create a cuttingedge facility in Europe in terms of skills, technologies, quality standards and safety. It represents a highly-specialised prestige international centre which, based on its conservation and banking service, has a 360 degree approach to the challenge of stem cells and regenerative medicine. Cell therapies are the new frontier of medicine and represent an expanding medical sector which promises extraordinary innovations for the treatment of diseases which up to now have been considered incurable. In the near future it will be possible to regenerate diseased tissues and organs using stem cells, capable of adapting to the biological specifications of the tissue or receiver organ. The exponential growth of interest in these techniques creates new needs and new demands, opening up market spaces and unprecedented opportunities which SSCB intends to make the most of by playing a leading role in Switzerland and in Europe. The bank, which has been operating since 2005, is above all geared to conservation of the stem cells found in the blood of the umbilical cord and today offers parents from all over Europe the opportunity to preserve for their children a precious capital which the youngsters of today can count on in the future, even when they are adults, for the therapeutic applications made available by medicine and research. Unlike other organisations in this sector, SSCB is not simply a storage facility. It is above all a modern well-equipped laboratory where experienced and highly skilled doctors, biologists and researchers work. SSCB makes an active contribution to the research and development of new stem cell therapies via its cooperation with the Cell Therapy Unit of the Ticino Cardiocentre and with the Lugano Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, organisations that are strongly committed to stem cell projects, in conjunction with the Harvard Medical School of Boston and the University of Zurich as regards the clinical protocols which apply stem cells to regenerate the cardiac muscle. Other lines of research currently in progress concern differentiation of stem cells in precursors of cartilage, bone tissue and myocardium cells. Due to the sensitive nature of the sector in which it operates and the specificity of a service with time perspective spanning two generations, SSCB is aware that its priority must be consolidation of the relationship with its clients based on trust and transparency. This means maximum professionalism and efficiency in all phases of the service which comprises: Information and operational support. Dispatch of collection kit with instructions for use. Recovery of the sample directly at the birth centre, hospital or clinic. Laboratory treatment of the sample (separation of the stem cells). Microbiological and serological analyses of the blood sample. Controlled temperature reduction. Dispatch of conservation certificate, specifying the quantity of cells conserved. Cryoconservation for 20 years. SSCB - Swiss Stem Cell Bank c/o Cardiocentro Ticino Via Tesserete 48 - CH-6900 Lugano Switzerland free phone number: Tel.: +41 (0) Fax: +41 (0) Web: - E-amil: info@stembank.ch 63

8 COMPANY PROFILE TURBOMACH SA TURBOMACH, a leading provider of energy solutions based on gas turbines Activities at Riazzino range from the assembly, sale and installation of plants for power production and co-generation, right through providing maintenance support for plants sold around the world. Turbomach SA is a company employing more than 550 staff, which sells, designs, assembles and manages complete power groups driven by gas turbines. The excellent quality of its staff and products makes Turbomach the European market leader in the co-generation sector. As well as its head office in Riazzino, the company has 9 branches and various sales and after-sales outlets abroad. Founded in 1979, Turbomach was acquired 4 years ago by the large American group, Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT). This group has a turnover of some $45 billion and employs around 100,000 staff. Turbomach purchases gas turbines with power ranging from 1 to 22MW from Solar Turbines in San Diego, California. It installs them in complex co-generation plants and sells them to various industrial, residential and commercial sectors. But what makes a company like Turbomach want to set up in the industrial region of Locarno? "First of all, this area has the technical people with a sufficiently high level of expertise to suit the requirements of a business such as ours," confirms director Marc Brusseleers. "In this respect, Ticino has the advantage of acting as a useful base for Northern Italy too." Brusseleers continues, "The local administrative system assists us in our activities. There is little in the way of red tape, which is a great help." Ticino's central location is also an advantage to us when we are working with European countries." The fact that it is situated at the main crossroads of both road and rail is a great help to business which is heavily focused outside Switzerland. With more than 900 power generation units sold and more than 5600 MW of power installed around the world, Turbomach has become famous for both the quality of its product as well as the efficiency of its engineering, project management and maintenance services, which are all undertaken by qualified engineers. The director, Marc Brusseleers concludes, "Our company's philosophy is based on maximum flexibility for clients and minimum impact on the environment. We are able to achieve this by being highly automated and technologically innovative." 75 TURBOMACH SA TURBOMACH SA Via Campagna 15 CH-6595 Riazzino, Switzerland Tel.: +41 (0) Fax: +41 (0) sales@turbomach.com aftersales@turbomach.com Website: