After a long hiatus, Swiss Bad finally opened its doors in 2020.
Apart from a trade exhibition, the programme this year also included several specialist presentations, spread over two days.
CHEMIA BRUGG was very well represented with the three competence areas of water treatment/analysis, hygiene and sport & fun. Especially the new presentation of the DESPRO line drew great interest among visitors.
Overall, the interaction with customers was very intense. It was very noticeable that the pool scene had been looking forward to personal contact again, as this had not been possible the previous year due to the pandemic.
We are already looking forward to Swiss Bad in November 2021!
As part of digitisation, the warehouse of CHEMIA BRUGG was completely restructured and equipped for mobile data collection. Around 10 months passed from the planning phase to Go Live. Storage capacities were increased by around 500 pallet spaces and an external warehouse was additionally put into operation.
A significant step was accomplished that enables the better and more efficient handling of orders and minimises the error rate when picking and packing.
The mobile data collection devices replace the traditional paper form of commissioning. The picklist is shown digitally on the mobile data collection scanner and instructions for picking and packing are displayed accordingly. All storage spaces are indicated and the picking of an item is recorded by a scan. Mistakes are thus shown directly and can be remedied immediately.
In the first phase, the area of contract logistics is shown by the new system. The aim by autumn 2022 is to handle all commissioning orders digitally and without paper.
CHEMIA BRUGG AG has taken a further step towards digitisation and significantly minimised the flood of paper in HR management. The newly introduced employee portal offers multiple advantages.
Thanks to individual access, every employee has insight into time logging, absences and so on. Holiday requests can be submitted and managed online. The request automatically reaches the person responsible for approval. Thanks to a quick exchange of information, all those involved benefit from this. Applicants receive a quick reply and absences are shown clearly, which considerably improves the flow of information.
Physical holiday request slips, applications and wage slips are now a thing of the past. Core data such as changes of address or bank details can be amended independently with just a few clocks. Salary settlements can also be viewed in the personal accounts.
Three years after the initial certification in the year 2019 and the annual monitoring audits, a recertification audit was planned in March 2022.
Such an audit takes place at 3-year intervals after the last certification (before the expiry of the old certificate). The ongoing effectiveness and conformity of the management system overall is also checked, along with the confirmation of applicability on the scope of the certification.
Over a period of two days, the auditor checked through discussions with employees how CHEMIA implements quality management. This illuminated processes in management, quality management, logistics and operations, regulatory matters, finances, purchasing, sales, marketing and communication.
The audit went well and no deviations were identified, whereupon CHEMIA was officially recertified.
What drew particular positive attention included the digitisation of the logistical processes and the general development of procedures over the course of the last three years.
Tobias Schild, Director of Security, Technology and Quality: “The fact that we are now officially recertified is thanks to all of us. Let’s enjoy the praise from the auditor and look forward even more to a successful future.”
Those wondering whether it is too hot to work should take a look at our helpers in an emergency: in brilliant sunshine and hot temperatures, the fire brigade in full protection carried out a drill in the area where ammonia is repumped from one tank lorry into a second. On their skin they wore fire protection clothing, with a cooling vest over it, then a layer of cold protection (contact with liquid gas leads to freeze burns on the skin!) and as a very outer layer a chemical protection suit made of PVC with a head helmet – and of course an oxygen supply on their backs. They were not to be envied.
The repumping squad of the Canton Zurich building insurance is a merger of the professional forces of GVZ, Protection & Rescue Zurich and various chemical brigades of Canton Zurich. They attend major events throughout Switzerland and are the only ones capable of repumping liquid gas to be able to recover damaged vehicles. They must practice this regularly and so we were able to watch in amazement how highly concentrated they built up the support station and repumped the ammonia. How glad are we that they are there in an emergency! The next drill on our site has already been agreed.
According to an independent study that was carried out by SIX in March 2022 on the subject of sustainability in accounting, an invoice in paper form generates over 54g of CO2.
At CHEMIA BRUGG, it is time to go a further step towards sustainability. For this reason, it makes sense to switch to electronic invoicing as a logical consequence.
The first customer feedback after the test phase is by all means positive and the proportion of registrations is already relatively high.
If you have not yet registered for electronic invoicing, you can do so here.
Our high delivery capability is paying off in the current supply crisis and we can serve our customers reliably. The significant increase in transport assignments and greater utilisation are currently driving CHEMIA BRUGG AG logistics forwards. Every day we send large volumes of hazardous goods onto the roads. We like to carry out this service whenever possible with our own vehicles. Our drivers Thomas Zalewski and Miki Vukman are the face of our friendliness and competence towards customers. A cordial thankyou to them.
We started already in April 2021 to renew our aging lorry fleet. After a long waiting period, the first new vehicle is now in operation. We are delighted to have a lorry that complies with the latest emissions regulations and safety technology for our customers! A further vehicle of the same model will follow in December 2022.
CHEMIA BRUGG is therefore equipped for a larger volume. In line with our motto: “More than just a supplier”.
Besim Fej is always on the road as a specialist consultant for the swimming pool business division. His territory comprises six cantons in the north-west of Switzerland. A reliable vehicle is essential for this responsible position.
On 13 May 2022, a pilot project started at CHEMIA BRUGG – in line with sustainability objectives. Besim Fej was the first to drive a purely electric car in our fleet. In the following interview, he tells you about his first impressions and experiences.
What vehicle do you drive?
An electric Kia EV6.
How were the first weeks with the electric car for you?
The Kia EV6 is absolutely great and is quiet and smooth to drive.
How many kilometres do you cover per year?
60,000 to 70,000 kilometres.
How have you found charging?
Charging the vehicle was an adjustment in the beginning and a little tedious. There are only few fast-charging stations in my territory. I use the charging station at the motorway rest area Neuenkirch, Lucerne. In about 20 minutes I can charge around 50%, which increases the range by several hundred kilometres. I make use of the waiting time for charging with a short lunch break or I simply work in the car.
You are driving a highly modern vehicle. Is there anything negative?
Absolutely. Especially the last weeks were not always so pleasant. The temperatures were extremely high and the air conditioning in an electric vehicle uses up a lot of battery power. So in the summer months I had to do without the comfort of a cooled car.
What’s your conclusion?
In my opinion, e-mobility is an absolute winner. I love the driving sensation and of course also the environmental considerations. Privately I would also like to get an electric vehicle sooner or later.
Would you also recommend it to others?
Of course. But I think it would be important to have a charging station directly at home or at work.
As of 1.1.2023, the new directive (VVSG) will come into force, regulating the access of private persons to substances that can potentially be used for manufacturing explosives.
Hydrogen peroxide and products containing hydrogen peroxide, which are used for example in swimming pool water treatment, also come under this regulation.
What does this mean for you as a sales point for swimming pool chemicals?
AQUEA Oxyfluid, AQUEA Oxyblue and hydrogen peroxide 35% may no longer be sold to private users as from 1.1.2023 without a valid purchase or exception permit. It is your responsibility as a sales point to check the purchase permits of private users. For this purpose, FedPol is developing an information system that should be available from October 2022.
What does this mean for your customers?
Law stipulates that purchase permits can be applied for from FedPol. It has not yet
What does this mean for your customers?
The law sets out that purchase permits can be applied for from FedPol. It has not yet been ascertained whether permits for purchasing products for swimming pool water treatment on the basis of hydrogen peroxide between 12 and 35% will be issued. Practice will reveal this.
Parallel to this, we will develop replacement products for the forthcoming season which can be freely purchased and sold without a permit.
Our recommendation to you: duly inform your customers about the change.
We will proactively keep you up to date as soon as we have further information about the implementation of VVSG.
In recent months, we have been working on a very special internal project. We are now finally ready and can proudly present you the result.
More intuitive, understandable and informative. These were our aims when redesigning our website. It was clear from the outset that we would use a new CMS that allows us a greater freedom of design and high flexibility.
It all started with brainstorming and sketches in order to find a suitable basic structure. We asked ourselves questions such as what do we want to convey to our website visitors, how can the visitor navigate the website easily and get to the required information quickly. When the final sitemap was set out, texting started, breathing life into the shell.
The video clips and photos put together for the project were a special highlight. On 31 May Melanie Feuerer, a talented photographer and owner of Fotostudio Brugg, visited us for a day to gather impressions of CHEMIA in images and video recordings. The aim of this was to give our digital visitors a real-life picture of our work.
Numerous employees were involved in the project in a wide variety of roles. Thanks to all those involved.
We think we can be proud of the result. What do you think?
In the forthcoming weeks, the translations will be implemented and soon chemia.ch will also be available in English, French and Italian.
Now we would like to wish you an enjoyable browse of our new website! We would be happy to receive feedback or suggestions.
