Sustainability

By pursuing sustainable corporate practices, Tecan is looking to secure the long-term expansion and prosperity of the Company for the benefit of all interested parties. Tecan sees sustainable corporate practices as more than just a series of individual measures. Instead they are a basic mindset that shapes all corporate processes and unites economic, ecological and social aspects. Tecan’s business principle is to treat partners – including employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, government agencies and stakeholders – professionally, fairly and to high ethical standards.

At Tecan, prudent corporate activity founded on clearly structured, transparent business processes is the permeating theme of the daily routine of both employees and management. It is important that Tecan employees are familiar with globally binding internal corporate guidelines, business processes, and country-specific laws and regulations. Employees can access the most up-to-date version of these documents, which also convey guiding principles on the intangible values of the corporate culture, at any time in the Tecan Management System (TMS). The TMS is rated as a model tool by customers and external partners alike. Tecan develops the TMS on a continuous basis.

Tecan has had a continual improvement process (CIP) in place for a number of years. Employees in all areas of the Company should identify potential improvements at a day-to-day level, put forward solutions and contribute to their rapid implementation. The aim of the CIP is to increase the Company’s profitability, enhance both efficiency and quality, and improve internal collaboration. Where possible, the success of the CIP is measured using key performance indicators, such as productivity, throughput time and inventories in production.

Tecan developed and installed the production and logistics system PULS specifically for continual process improvements as part of just-in-time manufacturing. This integrated system enables Tecan to eliminate weaknesses and to better achieve the required, ever-stricter quality standards. The sustainability of the improvements is ensured by means of an audit system, which covers the relevant areas from occupational safety and environmental protection through management and collaboration. One of the guiding principles of PULS is to avoid waste caused, for example, by overproduction, standby time, excessive inventories and defective units.

Tecan continuously adjusts its risk management system in line with changes to the environment and takes current events into account in its risk assessment. Under the business continuity plan, for example, in the event of natural disasters such as earthquakes and flooding, direct suppliers in the affected region are examined, and information gathered on their subcontractors. The aim is to ensure Tecan’s ability to supply, even in this type of exceptional situation. The Board of Directors reviews annually whether the risk assessment of business activities is appropriate and whether it takes into account both internal and external changes. Where necessary, new measures to mitigate risk are implemented. Tecan’s risk management system is regularly audited by a key insurer, who attests to the instrument’s high standard, enabling a premium reduction. Two employees achieved risk management certification in the year under review. Tecan attaches great importance to this high level of qualification being present internally and to the Company not having to depend exclusively on external experts, as is often the case at other companies. 

Tecan has a solid SAP-based infrastructure for business processes which integrates sales, customer service, production and the entire financial area in one platform and harmonizes processes. This platform also forms the basis for a “business intelligence reporting suite” with integrated planning modules, for instance for human resources or the budget process. Annual updates ensure that Tecan always has the latest software versions, thus limiting outages and helping avoid large-scale, expensive update processes with long test phases.

In the financial area, Tecan uses an internal, self-managed treasury system and in doing so, is taking a pioneering role. Tecan executes all money transfers for all Group companies centrally, and manages their cash reserves. This has enabled Tecan to reduce the number of banks it uses in connection with its business activities, and transfer cash reserves to banks at lower risk of failure. The treasury system has also improved short-term financial planning and ensured an interest rate benefit compared with decentralized management.

Tecan uses an IT-based control system in the financial area. This automatically recognizes and flags potential areas of conflict with regard to employees entrusted with a range of duties, which when combined could result in a risk of manipulation. The system is an integral part of the IT audit by the auditors. In this process, Tecan provided evidence that the access control system is working well.

All IT services offered by the Group worldwide are outsourced to servers of an external service provider. The data is backed up redundantly, and the data centers are physically separated from one another and from the production sites. This enables Tecan to minimize the risk of critical data loss and increase data security. Global round-the-clock IT support is also available to Group companies, thereby reducing outages.

Tecan has established several organizational control mechanisms with the aim of ensuring correct corporate behavior. These include an internal auditor, who reports directly to the Board of Directors. In addition, a formalized Code of Conduct that is binding for all employees, managers and Board members has been in place at Tecan since 2012. In this Code, Tecan undertakes to maintain the highest standards in its business activities and to respect ethical values. The document is available to the public on the Company’s website. Tecan aims to document internally and externally that the Company is a credible and reliable business partner and employer in all situations through the Code. The Code of Conduct also brings together key guidelines that are already included in other tools, such as the employment regulations or the Tecan Management System, in a comprehensible form. It instructs employees how to orient themselves within the Company, and to seek further information or support in cases of doubt. The Code promotes compliance with standards on occupational health, safety and the environment. It provides instructions on ensuring data protection and handling confidential information, and requires accurate and timely communication of information and careful logging of meetings and processes by Tecan staff. The Code also stipulates compliance with competition law as well as national and international trade law for the import and export of products. It guarantees anonymity for whistleblowers. Although Tecan only generates a small portion of its sales in countries with an increased risk of corruption according to the criteria of the organization Transparency International, the Code of Conduct has a zero-tolerance policy toward bribery and corruption. Line managers are responsible for ensuring that all of their staff know and understand the content of the Code of Conduct. All employees must attend and successfully complete a training course on the Code.

In 2013, the Code was established worldwide and employees were given training on it. All Tecan employees had to complete e-learning courses. People exposed to higher business risks in their function, such as sales or procurement staff, also had to attend training courses in person. The Code is available in English and German as well as various other languages, including Chinese and Japanese. By providing these different language versions, Tecan wishes to ensure that this important document is understood by employees all around the world.

In the year under review, Tecan focused on a detailed screening of its distributors, establishing a separate process with a new TMS directive (Distributors and Intermediaries Anti Bribery Due Diligence) for this purpose. The screening was carried out with the assistance of an external specialist service provider who drew up a due diligence report. This process was supplemented by Internet research and a database analysis as to whether companies or individuals related to Tecan appeared in connection with corruption, bribery or other untolerated behavior. In particular, the TMS directive requires that all Tecan distribution partners and their owners, directors and employees refrain from bribing representatives of governments or state-owned or private enterprises or from taking bribes. It does not matter whether bribery is prohibited, tolerated or allowed in the countries in which business is being done. Bribes are prohibited irrespective of whether a bribe is connected to a specific act or omission or is granted or received with a general view to the future execution of duties. Bribes do not only involve cash payments but also mean for instance lavish gifts, hospitality and entertainment. Distributors and intermediaries need to ensure that their representatives and their sales force are trained and adhere to Tecan’s standards on doing business. In individual cases, the screening has led to Tecan terminating relationships with intermediaries. The process is also applied during the selection of new distributors.

Tecan has established processes Group-wide and at its individual business locations to ensure compliance with national laws and regulations as well as with internal guidelines on safety and environmental protection. The Company invests substantial amounts each year in pursuit of further improvement. Tecan cooperates closely with public authorities and standard-setting bodies around the world to recognize new trends in regulation, occupational safety and environmental protection as early as possible and to integrate them in its corporate processes. The Company actively shapes these developments in significant economic regions by participating in key industry associations.

Internal and external experts regularly inspect whether Tecan’s locations comply with country-specific regulations and the Company’s internal standards for product and occupational safety as well as health and environmental protection. These inspections also cover measures that Tecan has to implement if it fails to meet any requirements. Each year, the locations are subject to a number of audits conducted by regulatory authorities, testing, monitoring and certification agencies, customers, and Tecan’s own specialist teams. As part of a continual improvement process, gap analyses are performed and improvement measures implemented. In 2014, Tecan was subject to a number of sometimes very extensive audits by customers at its production sites. These included leading diagnostics companies that Tecan supplies with instruments through its OEM business in the Partnering Business, or will supply in the future. The audits covered areas including processes, quality management systems, product design, validation and documentation. The customers again attested a high standard at Tecan with regard to the relevant requirements. One audit of a production site by an international authority also took place during the year under review and was successfully concluded. Customers in the Partnering Business were supported in authorization applications for new diagnostic instruments through the provision of key documentation. Tecan put together an ISO 14971-certified product risk management process for medical devices that covers the entire lifespan of a product and evaluates all possible risks, especially those pertinent to patients and users. The Tecan parent Company, all production sites and most sales subsidiaries are now ISO 13485 certified. With global certification to this standard by TÜV Süd, Tecan has established a stringent system of control, which has a very good reputation in the life science industry worldwide.

As part of its certification strategy, Tecan obtained a full, Group-wide matrix certificate based on ISO 13485. The Company wants to ensure that all units worldwide work according to the same processes and strive together to continuously improve their products and services. The matrix certificate also accommodates the current and future Group structure with an increasing number of subsidiaries. In Europe, the sales subsidiary in Germany was awarded the main certificate, while subsidiaries in other countries received subcertificates. This new method of coordinated certification has benefits for customers and Tecan alike: greater transparency; the possibility to systematically monitor processes worldwide; and harmonized, standardized systems that also accommodate differences in the markets. The matrix certificate results in considerable simplifications and increased safety compared to individual certificates. TÜV Süd verifies the certification annually with sample checks at different subsidiaries. Tecan successfully passed these checks in 2014; various subsidiaries were recertified.

Tecan products must also satisfy the following important requirements, among many others: US QSR (Quality System Regulation)/21 CFR 820, CMDCAS (Canadian Medical Device Conformity Assessment System), JPAL (Japanese Pharmaceutical Affairs Law) and CCC (Chinese Compulsory Certification). New opportunities are developing for Tecan in emerging markets, which will place additional requirements on the Company.

Regulatory requirements are increasing around the world. To ensure that the current versions of these are understood and satisfied everywhere, Tecan is in constant contact with local organizations and authorities. Several online applications provide Tecan’s technical staff with the necessary technical support for managing product registrations and clarifying regulatory requirements in more than 60 countries.

Tecan has a central Quality & Regulatory organization at Group level to ensure ongoing improvements in the high quality standards worldwide. In Europe, all of the quality systems of the national subsidiaries and organizations have been harmonized and processes standardized, including sales, service and complaint processes, for example. Tecan operates a Central Complaint Unit for customer complaints.

Tecan performs a global management review every year in which relevant data from all Group companies are reviewed centrally. The process assesses whether quality management is still optimized to the legal requirements and regulations for the products and services supplied by Tecan. Tecan undertakes this review with regard to the individual national markets as well as from a Group-level perspective.

Tecan’s approach to product development is also characterized by an awareness of quality and regulatory requirements. Specialists collaborate from an early stage, supporting the process in a series of structured stages that span the product’s entire life up to the point where it is withdrawn from the market.

In the production process, Tecan focuses on the final assembly of a relatively small number of items of laboratory equipment. In comparison with companies with extensive production processes, Tecan therefore emits only very low levels of pollutants. Tecan implemented numerous controls as part of the ISO 13485 certification, which applies to all production sites and sales subsidiaries. ISO 14001 certification has not been applied for, as no own incinerators are used in the production process. The production sites therefore do not emit gases or other environmental pollutants (scope 1 emissions). For this reason, emission values such as CO₂, methane and other greenhouse gases are not measured. Indirect emissions arise from energy purchased (scope 2 emissions). However, energy costs make up less than 1% of all operating costs. As Tecan has substantially improved transparency with regard to environmentally relevant indicators, the Company achieved first place as “Best Improver Switzerland” in the largest climate rankings worldwide, the Carbon Disclosure Project. 

The areas used at the production sites consist exclusively of offices and rooms for assembling products. They are located in already developed commercial and industrial zones. Environmental considerations such as the impact on protected areas and biodiversity are therefore not relevant in the current circumstances. The net floor area at the largest production site in Männedorf, Switzerland, has increased considerably since 2011 so that Tecan can cover increased demand. Employee numbers have also grown during this period. In addition, a large number of external specialists assisted Tecan employees in development projects, which resulted in an increase in total energy and water consumption in absolute terms in 2013. Tecan concluded various development projects and reduced the number of external staff further in the year under review. As a result, total energy consumption fell by 8.3% and paper consumption also declined significantly to 17.5% below the prior-year level.

Tecan takes care to ensure that modern, energy-efficient technology is used in the infrastructure of its buildings. For example, hot and cold water lines in the ceiling are the sole source of heating and cooling at the headquarters in Männedorf. Processed wastewater from the Männedorf wastewater treatment plant supplies the heat pumps with energy.

No water is used as a production factor in the assembly process. Tecan’s water requirements are met entirely by the communal water utilities and do not influence any water resources in protected areas. The Company was able to significantly reduce per head water consumption in the year under review. The total amount of waste produced fell by 9.7% in comparison with the previous year, with recyclable waste accounting for the majority of that amount. Only a small portion of it was hazardous waste, which includes materials, solvents and chemicals contaminated through the automation of biological processes, for example. In 2013, the amount of waste classified as hazardous waste produced at the Männedorf location increased markedly. Tecan conducted an analysis of the precise composition of the hazardous waste, which showed that a significant portion of the waste disposed of as hazardous waste was incorrectly treated as such as a precaution. As a result, Tecan trained employees on the precise classifications and disposal types. This resulted in a 78.6% reduction in the waste classified as hazardous waste in the year under review.

Tecan attaches great importance to using the most environmentally friendly materials and ecologically efficient processes possible. Employees receive regular training and are familiar with the latest developments in this area. Environmental standards such as the WEEE¹ or RoHS² Directives are growing in importance. Tecan incorporated the RoHS requirements into product development from an early stage to comply with this directive. The Company is also working on implementing this directive in its local form in emerging markets such as China. In addition to environmental aspects, such as avoiding toxic substances that are not readily biodegradable in electrical and electronic devices, there are also ethical aspects related to rare earth elements and mining conflict minerals. Tecan is working together with suppliers on these areas and requires a Declaration of Conformity that human rights are respected as part of supply agreements. 

Through the reliable, robust and sustainable design of its products, Tecan continuously targets progress in their environmental sustainability. The PULS program set up by the Company also includes targets and measures to avoid wasting materials and energy.

Tecan also makes its administrative processes as environmentally friendly as possible. For example, the Company is holding more and more video conferences in order to reduce the number of flights. Customer service staff use tools that enable completely paper-free processes. For innovations such as the Infinite F50 Reader, CO₂ efficiency is a key criterion. This Tecan product makes a sustainable contribution to the reduction of CO₂ emissions. Compared to the previous model, the F50 Reader is around 65% lighter and more compact. This results in a reduction of almost 60% in CO₂ emissions from transport of the product alone. Innovative LED lamps also reduce energy consumption by 50% compared to previous components. The F50 Reader meets the Chinese and EU RoHS Directives.

Tecan supports employees at the Männedorf location in their use of electric vehicles. The Company provides separate parking spaces equipped with charging stations that can be used free of charge.

Tecan has a very cosmopolitan workforce comprising employees from around 40 countries. The average age of Tecan employees is approximately 40. The number of employees remained almost constant in the year under review. The proportion of women in the workforce increased again to approximately 28.5%, and the proportion of female managers also rose by three percentage points, reaching over 24%. Two of seven positions on the Board of Directors are occupied by women.

The acquisition of IBL International led to more than 90 new employees being welcomed to the Tecan Group. This Company supplies reagents and diagnostic kits – an activity for which it is easier to recruit women than Tecan’s highly technically oriented laboratory automation. Accordingly, the proportion of women in IBL International’s workforce is around 65%.

Tecan measures and analyzes the satisfaction of its employees on a regular basis by means of an anonymous, Internet-based survey. Regular surveys enable Tecan to ascertain whether its business parameters, processes and structures are appropriate and gauge how motivated and committed its staff are. In this way, Tecan can ensure that it is employing the right staff in the best possible way. The results also help management gain a better understanding of what constitutes employee satisfaction and how staff can be motivated. The last survey produced good to very good results. General satisfaction was excellent. 

Tecan employees particularly value the clear delineation of responsibility that they experience. Among the psychological motivators, a supportive environment and paths to personal growth were rated as particularly positive. Tecan employees are proud to work for the Company and feel highly committed to it. 

Tecan’s management considers instilling the Company’s vision and common values in all its employees and ensuring these are put into practice to be of key importance. Tecan reformulated its vision in the year under review. As a common basis for collaboration, it has great importance in Tecan’s corporate culture.

The four values “ownership”, “trust”, “innovation” and “solution-oriented” were defined by employees as essential in 2012. The four Tecan values are particularly important in ensuring the Company is a partner of choice for customers. “Ownership” is intended to ensure that employees take responsibility, make decisions and complete their tasks responsibly. “Trust” lays the foundation for successful collaboration. It aims to ensure that employees are reliable and deal openly with others. “Innovation” is essential to the Company’s success and to ensuring sustainable growth. It means that employees are able to contribute and implement specific value-generating ideas. “Solution-oriented” primarily refers to an attitude that all Tecan employees should adopt. It also aims to encourage staff to continually improve and develop themselves. The four values are also integrated into the year-end process in which target achievement is evaluated, as well as into meetings with employees. The Company places greater emphasis on employees’ conduct with regard to the Tecan values in the performance review process MyPerformance. 

At Tecan, ongoing professional and external basic and continuing training is a key requirement critical to business. Due to strict industry-specific requirements, Tecan has high training expenditure: The Company must comply with requirements and guidelines set forth by various supervisory authorities and must also demonstrate that its employees possess the required knowledge. In the year under view, investments in basic and continuing training increased again per employee. Aided by an SAP-based system, Tecan ensures that training processes are carried out to a sufficient standard throughout the Company. Each individual employee receives a personalized training profile. This enables employees and line managers to check and update the current training status. It also ensures that information on training levels is available electronically at all times for audits. Tecan is working continuously to develop and improve this learning system. It should provide an effective performance record and offer employees the best possible training opportunities. 

Tecan is increasing investments in management training. Strong leadership is indispensable if the Company is to generate sustainable value. Specific four-part seminars provide managers from all levels with practical guidance for developing their leadership skills, motivating employees and raising the Company’s productivity. This seminar offering has been established as standard and is extremely popular. The number of seminars held increased again in 2014. All the seminars include written individual and group exercises as well as larger group projects, including case studies and simulations of challenging business situations. A new two-part project management seminar is a further training focus for 2014 and 2015: first, a common basis is ensured using e-learning, then the participants take part in a two-day situational training session. Through this seminar, Tecan is building up important knowledge, establishing an internal Company standard and providing training on uniform methods and terminology. This seminar is compulsory for all project managers, subproject managers and project staff. 

As a third key area, Tecan offered an intercultural seminar focusing on China in 2014. Good knowledge of Chinese culture and its dos and don’ts is now essential in many roles, for example for employees who give customer training or work on development projects with Chinese partners. The aim is to avoid cultural misunderstandings, which could seriously disrupt the collaboration.

Tecan also held a financial seminar for novices for the first time in the year under review. This was aimed at employees without in-depth financial training, who require advanced knowledge for their budget processes, project planning or business analyses. 

The Te-Wiki is a tool available to Tecan employees for the purpose of exchanging information and experience. This platform includes general information describing Tecan products, as well as experiences of employees in sales and customer services from direct contact with customers. All Tecan employees can also benefit from the knowledge of their colleagues by asking questions or outlining issues via “tickets”.

In countries employing a dual education system, Tecan instructs trainees from various vocational and professional groups. The number of trainees rose again in the year under review.

Tecan offers a wide range of healthcare initiatives for its employees including medical courses, vaccination programs and various sporting activities. The Company supports chronically ill employees, taking efforts to ensure they remain integrated in the workplace as far as possible. 

Tecan attaches great importance to good cooperation with the people and authorities where it does business. The Company also supports projects serving the common good at its various locations. Tecan launched a collection campaign for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the year under review, to support the fight against ebola in West Africa. The Company encouraged employees to donate money in October and pledged to double the amount donated at the end of the month. A total of more than CHF 30,000 was raised for MSF. 

A further example is the learning concept “Spürnasenecke” (a corner for children with a nose for discovery) for kindergartens, which was developed in Austria together with the Tecan site in Salzburg. It helps teachers lead children toward scientific discoveries in a playful way. Tecan supported the development of the “Spürnasenecke” project with funding and its own expertise. With this commitment, the Company wants to make a contribution to the early development of children in the communities around its locations and get them interested in science. The concept has proved a success and is enjoying great popularity. In Austria, several kindergartens have already been fitted with a “Spürnasenecke” by various sponsors, including Tecan. A similar corner – the first of its kind in Switzerland – has also been installed in Männedorf kindergarten by Tecan.