27-30/2024 – 85 years, 76 pages
Dear readers,
Swiss economic analysts regularly focus their attention on people’s wrists, because the products of the country’s world-renowned watch industry are considered an important indicator of the state of the nation’s economy. In May, exports in the segment fell by 2.2% year-on-year to CHF 2.3 billion. The six most important markets to which more than half of Swiss watches are exported were the USA (CHF 359 million, –0.5%), China (CHF 195 million, –18%), Hong Kong (CHF 176 million, –23%), Japan (CHF 171 million, +6%), the United Kingdom (CHF 153 million, –1.5%) and France (CHF 144 million, +18%).
You can find out how transport and logistics contribute to exports from Switzerland (and Austria) to the wider world in our extensive regional special in this issue (pages 48–72).
Numerous well-wishers from all over the world have confirmed to us that, after 85 years in business, we know what makes the industry tick (pages 41–47).
Let us take this occasion to also look ahead, however, by looking at the logistics around the upcoming Olympic Games (page 11), the resumption of normal operations through the Gotthard Base Tunnel in September (page 65) and – this is no longer science fiction – the industrial production of solar fuel (page 52).
Having officially been appointed as the ITJ’s new editor-in-chief, I’m delighted to have a team of experienced people in the newsroom and beyond on board. Eugene Gerden contributed to the success of this edition with his first article for the ITJ, which looks at our industry’s delicate situation in Russia (page 32).
I also find it particularly moving that Ursula Schmeling took some “Time for Reflection” in this issue (page 74), as she was the editor-in-chief of the ITJ when I joined our publisher 24 years ago.
My how time flies!
Here’s to an inspiring read – now and in the future.
Yours,
Andreas Haug
Editor-in-chief