HOW FORMULA 1

WORKS

E-LEARNING GIVES MANY

ADVANTAGES

NEW DESIGN NEW CONTENT!

BY SEMCON #1 2015

BIG DATA SOLVES FUTURE TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS

COOPERATION: SHARING RISKS AND PROFITS

IDEAS DON’T

COME IN YOUR SLEEP

THE BRAINS BEHIND “THE EPIC SPLIT” REVEALS HOW

SHE KEEPS CREATIVITY ALIVE

FUTURE BY SEMCON #2 2014

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32Stefan

Sommer“Everyone has a key role to play”

Contents#1/2015

This is Future

Noted 4

How will we travel in the future? 6

Guide 15

The solution 16

Satellite navigation 18

E-learning 20

Trends 24

Q&A: Sophia Lindholm 30

How Formula 1 works 34

Semcon Brains 36

What happened next? 41

The list: 10 inspirational designers 42

BY SEMCON

PUBLISHED BYSemcon

WEBSITEsemcon.com

LETTERSFuture by Semcon

Semcon AB, 417 80 Göteborg

CHANGE OF ADDRESSfuture@semcon.com

PUBLISHERAnders Atterling

Tel: +46 (0)70 447 28 19anders.atterling@semcon.com

SEMCON PROJECT MANAGER Madeleine Andersson

Tel: +46 (0)76 569 83 31

madeleine.andersson@semcon.com

EDITORIAL PRODUCTIONSpoon, spoon.se

EDITORBjörn Jansson

ART DIRECTORMathias Lövström

REPROSpoon

PRINTINGTrydells Tryckeri, Laholm

ISSN1650-9072

TRANSDLATION: Cannon Språkkonsult AB

Creating the future

JOINT DEVELOPMENT

BENEFITS EVERYONE

Strength in numbers – it is becoming more common for competing companies

to work on joint projects for development and business.

24 30SOPHIA LINDHOLM: FACTS ARE THE KEY“There is a preconception that creative people just dream up inspiration.”

6HOW WILL WE TRAVEL IN THE FUTURE?Travel opportunities for the future have changed enormously. How will this affect the daily lives of billions of people?

FUTURE BY SEMCON has a new look and new content alignment. In this issue we are focusing on technological developments, the future and crea­tivity. The reason is that we, and our industry colleagues, both need to start thinking along more unconventional lines if we are to succeed in remaining competitive in the future.

We’re living in an age where consu­mers’ demands and the way they live and consume are pushing development ex­tremely quickly. Increased digitalization,

ever growing and aging populations and urbanization, are just a few examples of global trends providing us with opportu­nities and challenges.

New services and solutions in the future will also lead to changes in legis­lation and regulations affecting all of us on many levels. There is a lot to gain from extended industry and customer cooperation, which we will benefit from by exploring and implementing new joint models for delivery, ownership and responsibility.

At Semcon we are convinced that we need to dare to be creative and develop tomorrow’s delivery models and business in cooperation with others. Such a stance would benefit everyone and improve opportunities for freeing up the huge potential of many ideas and initiatives. ✖

Editorial

Creative cooperation is the key to progress

Markus GranlundPresident and CEO

FUTURE BY SEMCON  3

Notes

SEMCON HAS WORKED for many years with customers on the Norwegian market. Semcon in Sweden has provided both engineering services and product information. Part of this develop-

ment meant Semcon recently acquired the Norwegian product information company Ibruk AS.The company has over 13 years’ experience of technical documentation and lifecycle

analy sis (LCI), mainly with the Norwegian oil and gas industry. “Our expansion in Norway will mean new opportunities, allowing Semcon to be a more

international service provider,” says Johan Ekener, President of the Product Information business area.

SPONSORING

PONTUS LINDBERG started work-ing for Semcon in 2011, the same year he won the Swedish Iron Man competition. Semcon recently decided to sponsor Pontus for one year so he can compete with the elite in triathlon. Pontus current-ly lives on Mallorca where he is training full-time to succeed in this season’s competitions.

Semcon sponsoring champion triathlete

EXPANSION

Semcon expanding activities in Norway

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SEMCON LAUNCHED a new blog in autumn 2014 to share the company’s knowledge of product information. The blog will be regularly updated by writ-ers who are all active in various areas of expertise.

“We have a passion for technology and believe in being generous and sharing the knowl-edge that we have throughout the company. The blog will grow over time and we hope it will help both customers and every-one with an interest in product information,” says Madeleine Andersson, Global Marketing Manager at Semcon.

READ MORE: blog.semcon.com/productinformation

New blog about product information

SEMCON

INNOVATION

SAFER CAR JOURNEYS ON THE WAY TO BECOMING REALITYSEMCON TOOK PART in Volvo Cars’ Active Safety Challenge 2013 and won with the innovative PAW project. It’s a user-friendly function that uses sensors in the car – cameras and radar – to make car journeys safer and more comfort-able. The solution is now patented, and thanks to development grants from Vinnova, Semcon, Viktoria Swedish ICT and Volvo Cars will develop the business models and collaboration to develop effective software.

SEMCON HAS been a partner company to SOS Children’s Villages since last spring. The internal ambas­sadors, Alexandra Wagner and Amy­Marie Brown recently visited India and were overwhelmed by their experiences.

“We were amazed at the fantastic work SOS Chil­dren’s Villages does, provid­ing these children with a future,” says Amy­Marie.

Semcon has chosen to sponsor renovation and equipping a children’s village in Bhimtal in northern India. Employees

at the office in Bangalore are also helping with activities for the children in the children’s villages in Bangalore, Tirupati and Puducherry in southern India. During their visit in September Amy­Marie and Alexandra were given the opportunity to see activities for themselves.

“I will never forget one evening in Titupati. We sat on the floor eating rice and the children were so quiet and shy. At the end of the evening one of the girls came up to us and said that the day she came

to the children’s village was a crucial point in her life,” says Alexandra. Alexandra and Amy’s job is now to highlight the internal collaboration by publishing articles on the intranet, through lectures and activities. It is hoped that employees around the world will choose to become involved and help in this work.

Semcon was also carrying out an internal collection around the world ahead of Christmas to further support SOS Children’s Villages.

CSR

Unforgettable experiences at SOS Children’s Villages in India

Lodges digitalizing product information

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Digital information has many benefits – but you need correctly designed user inter-faces and an effective distribution platform to really use it properly. Semcon’s Lodges system makes product information accessible online for all digital platforms, both mobile units and embedded in products. This provides an improved user experience, greater business opportunities and reduced production costs, while content can be updated constantly.

FUTURE BY SEMCON  5

HOW WILL WE TRAVEL IN FUTURE?

FACTS DODGE GRANADA CONCEPT CARThis concept car from Dodge was introduced in 1954. This was the first car to be made completely from fibreglass built on a conventional chassis.

Interactivity, big data and multimodal solutions. Future transportation is about technology that puts people in focus. And it’s done with everything from smart apps and car sharing to vehicles that drive themselves.TEXT MARCUS OLSSON

HERE HAS BEEN AN accident ahead. I propose an alternative route. Take exit 26 in 500 meters.”

The satnav app talks to the driver, helping to find a new, more efficient route. The traffic is flow­ing better, saving time.

Future solutions will build on interactivity

between users and software. There are already apps like Waze, a social satnav app for smartphones.

Crowdsourcing helps users im­prove Waze themselves. Not only by reporting traffic jams, but also by automatically sending infor­mation to Waze’s database, which then updates traffic information in real time. Waze can also advise on where to buy the cheapest petrol and provide you with various ad­vertising campaigns close by.

The Israel­based company has more than 50 million users and was bought by Google last year for close to USD 1 billion.

David Levinson, professor of traffic technology at the University of Minnesota has written a number of books and runs Transportation­ist.org, which is one of the world’s most visited blogs about transport.

David Levinson sees a future where navigation apps are integrat­

ed in cars, instead of in units like tablets or mobile phones. Cars will be even more connected with more personal, customized and intuitive user interfaces.

“It will be interesting to see how Waze is received now that it’s

being launched more globally. The potential is huge.”

Smartphones have changed everyday lives for billions of people who move around on a daily basis. And this has meant opportunities for future transport

has also vastly changed. More people are

already getting around by using more than one means of transport for the same journey. This means renting bicycles, car­pooling and tradi­tional public transport

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FACTS FUTURE TRANSPORTIf you buy anything on the US Amazon.com website in the future you will be able to get your goods delivered to your door. Transport will be dealt with by a drone. The transport method is impeded at the mo-ment by legislation, but Amazon is hoping that new laws will change all this in 2015.

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such as commuter trains and buses, to cars that we drive ourselves.

AND IT’S BIG DATA that will get us there.

Professor David Levinson pre­dicts clear changes in how data will develop travel experiences for most of us. The systems’ users will notice this in their smart units when they link up to find the quickest mode of transport and routes.

“People will be using different transport systems more effectively. Travel times will be cut because it

will be easier to find a better route in real time. System administrators will control the systems better using real time information from their own sensors and the user data created when people move around the traffic network. A bus company can put in an extra vehi­cle on a certain route if they can see that a lot of people are using that service. They can increase or reduce speeds using information boards on motorways, depending on the traffic situation.”

Dublin and Stockholm are two cities that use data in this way. IBM

has helped both of these large cities with various traffic solutions.

“We are doing a lot to improve traffic patterns in various cities,” says IBM’s Randall Howard, who is an expert in big data. This includes collating traffic data during rush hours to better understand where buses can best get through Dublin’s city centre when traffic congestion is at its worst. In Dublin for example traf­fic managers have become better at predicting maintenance and how to manage their entire fleet of buses. Routes become more efficient, both in terms of time and for the environment.”

There are more than 6,000 different sensors positioned around Dublin. They send direct feed with real time information to the traffic management centre, which can then direct traffic to where it’s needed. In Stockholm IBM has 7

“PEOPLE WILL BE USING DIFFERENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS MORE EFFECTIVELY. TRAVEL TIMES WILL BE CUT BECAUSE IT WILL BE EASIER TO FIND A BETTER ROUTE IN REAL TIME.”

David Levinson, professor of traffic technology at the University of Minnesota.

FACTS CHEVROLET BISCAYNE CONCEPT CARWhen launched back in 1955, the Chevrolet Biscayne’s design was considered very futuristic. All the big fins were gone and instead the car exuded a sportier look that was more reminiscent of the 1960s. The windscreen extended a bit onto the roof and the door’s con-struction meant there was no need for a B post.

FUTURE BY SEMCON  9

built the digital infrastructure for the road tolls.

Randall Howard, together with his colleague Kurt Wedgewood at IBM, both big data analysts, wrote the “Big Data and Analytics in Trav­el & Transportations” report.

This maps out things like how large companies can best use the data for developing future trans­port solutions.

THE CHALLENGE IS TO analyze the vast amount of information and then turn it into something usable for each individual user.

The data will mainly be used by the private sector to change future transport solutions, according to Kurt Wedgewood. He mentions car rental companies as possible win­ners. They can accumulate major competitive advantages by using big data in a smart way.

“The next step for companies like Enterprise, Avis and Hertz is to follow customer demand in real

Three solutions for future transport

1“Greater integration of all modes of transport – both public and

private – will create a better travel experience. There is already an ambitious plan in Helsinki to create a network that integrates both pooled transport and public transport. Users get all the available modes of transport up on a single search screen – and can pay for everything at the same place. We’ll be seeing more of this in the future.”

2“They will benefit from the increasingly shifting ecosystem of public,

private and non-profit making

organizations working to meet future transport challenges. It’s all about opening up data for development. Many private companies currently use crowd-sourcing, and we will see more collaboration building on con-necting information from nu-merous different networks.”

3“The construction of new infrastructure is often expensive and time

consuming. The good news is that many future solutions will be built on using existing infrastruc-ture. Buying into car pools is one example, and the completely autonomous car is something quite different.”

TIFFANY FISHMAN POINTS AT THREE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR FUTURE TRANSPORT TO WORK BETTER: INTEGRATED METHODS OF TRANSPORT, OPEN SYSTEMS AND SMARTER WAYS OF USING EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURES.

Tiffany Fishman is a manager at Deloitte’s research department. She wrote the “Digital Age Transporta-tion: The Future of Urban Mobility” report, which deals with the challenges of future transport.

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According to Woodland car shar­ing companies also play a key role in terms of coordinating various modes of transport.

“The relationship to public transport is important. “One payment mode” is a solution that we will see for people who want multimodal transport from A to B. This is where users search using one platform, receive a choice of different modes of transport and then pay once for one ticket to get them to their destination.”

IN MANY WAYS it’s easier to coordinate transport in major cities with already well­developed infrastructures. Smaller towns and cities can soon fall behind development if they don’t jump onboard in time,” according to Randall Howard at IBM.

“Being able to link together the various modes of transport and provide a service that covers air, rail, bus and car will be crucial for many companies in the future. An increasing number wanting to expand their busi­

to less than one per cent of the to­tal population of the US who hold a driving licence. Car manufactur­ers are following developments very closely.

“They are seeing fewer numbers of younger owner­drivers than ever before. Young people have a differ­ent perspective on owning cars. In the past people saw owning a car as an expression of their personality or as a status symbol, like: “I have a black VW and that says something about me as a person.” This has changed, according to Woodland, who continues: “Car manufacturers will be key players in the future. They are now building and selling cars, but in future their relationship with customers will be completely different. Customers will see cars as more of a service rather than some sort of asset. We will see car manufacturers aiming more directly towards their customers, rather than having car sharing and rental companies as the middle­men. Daimler­owned Car2Go and BMW’s Drive Now are two exam­ples that exist today.

Kurt Wedgwood is one of IBM’s big data analysts.

FACTS BRIGGS & STRATTON HYBRID Briggs & Stratton is not a car manufacturer but a motor manufacturer, making engines for various applications. Their concept car from 1979 is an early example of a hybrid. The car had an 18 hp gas engine and an 8 hp bat-tery-driven motor. The batteries weighed almost 500 kg, which was why the car had twin rear axles.

Ttime and then customize prod­ucts and steer prices in very small, limited areas.

he car pooling industry, other­wise known as “car sharing”, is another industry that will benefit greatly from

gathering data. “Innovation is the key at the

moment,” says Kurt Wedgewood. “Companies are working to link products and customers togeth­er in new ways that we haven’t thought of yet. One example is how car sharing companies, using data, will be able to attract a user with a specific car to best suit that person’s requirements. This might be someone with a strict set of criteria for the car’s infotainment system or engine performance. In the past this was just a dream for marketing men – to be able to mar­ket their products so specifically down to a personal level.”

ALAN WOODLAND is CEO of the Car Sharing Association, a group of car sharing companies around the world. He believes that people’s view of car ownership has changed.

“Ten years ago car sharing was considered radical, even politically charged. As a protest against the current pattern of how we view car ownership. It’s now more “main­stream”. The media and people in general have another view, a more positive one. Changes have been radical, especially in the last four years. All our member companies are noticing more than a ten per cent annual increase on all their markets. Car sharing is becoming more popular everywhere and in the US around 1 million people now share. This is four times as much as just four years ago.

A million people is equivalent

FUTURE BY SEMCON  11

ness models are trying to attract people travelling using various modes of transport.

We will probably see more collaboration between different companies in this area. It might be a question of cities collaborating with car sharing companies, who in turn are linked to publicly or privately­owned public transport.

The most important aspect for development is that those who provide the information make it available to others. This is also one of the toughest challenges. While the public sector often provides data in its systems, the large private sector companies don’t di­vulge this information. For them the goal is instead to develop future transport solutions.

San Francisco is one of the cities to have made its data public for various software developers. Since 2011, people travelling by car can use the SF Park app, which shows them where to find availa­ble parking spaces. Using ground sensors and variable pricing the aim is to provide 15 per cent of the parking spaces available, while

Foldable cars in BerlinHiriko is Basque and means “city”. Berlin’s local authority has decided that the foldable electric car should be part of the city’s car sharing pro-gramme. What’s possibly the most ingenious thing about Hiriko’s foldable car is that the rear end folds in under the

chassis. This means that when parked it takes up almost no space at all – just 1.5 metres. State-run Deutsche Bahn wants to use Hiroko as the last part in their chain of mobility solutions. The car has a range of 120km and can be fully recharged in just 15 minutes.

scenario: many cities will further develop their concepts of rental bi­cycles, car sharing and car pooling programmes.

“Research suggests that many car sharers sell their cars and delay possible car purchases. A single car sharing car can remove between ten and twelve privately owned cars from the roads. Fewer cars used more often will natural­ly provide positive environmental effects. The same research shows that car sharers also travel more often on public transport, they walk more and travel with friends more often. In short it changes their lifestyle.

If the environmental objectives of the future are to be achieved we need change, both at an indi­vidual level and in how large cities and organizations act. Accord­ing to the Texas Transportation Institute the average American

“MANY CAR SHARERS SELL THEIR CARS AND DELAY POSSIBLE CAR PURCHASES. A SINGLE CAR SHARING CAR CAN REMOVE BETWEEN TEN AND TWELVE PRIVATELY OWNED CARS FROM THE ROADS.”

Alan Woodland is CEO of the Car Sharing Associ-ation, which is a consortium of car sharing companies from around the world.

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drastically reducing time and fuel waste. A study presented by the University of California last spring showed that parking fines had dropped from 45 to 20 per cent of the overall parking income in the city. Meanwhile, San Francisco’s parking company reached its target capacity of between 60 and 80 per cent. The time spent driving around just finding a parking space has halved.

here are many ways of trying to reach envi­ronmental and sustainability objectives. The UN predicts that

60 per cent of the global popula­tion will live in cities by 2030. 85 per cent of people in the US will live in cities by 2020. One quarter of them will live in major cities with populations of more than five million. Increased population density usually means a drop in car ownership.

Alan Woodland of the Car Sharing Association sees a likely

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where taxpayers’ money is aimed. Levinson points to another tech­

nology waiting around the corner, which might provide positive effects. Cars that drive themselves and which communicate with other vehicles, will revolutionize future transport.

“Autonomous cars will be the biggest change at an individual level. It will change how we view car ownership. In the future I will be able to order a car using my smartphone and the car will appear in front of me and take me to where I want to go. Getting a “driverless taxi” to pick you up will give us a whole new outlook on travel, especially in mid­sized cities where public transport is not as good. Fewer people will choose to own a car when there is another option that’s almost as good, and which will probably be a cheaper option.” 7

driver has increased how long he or she waits in traffic, due to traffic jams and other delays, from 14 hours a year in 1982 to as much as 34 hours a year in 2010.

MOTORWAY COMMUTERS IN many other countries are already seeing flexible road fees, adjusted accord­ing to road congestion. There will be more change as the use of cars with combustion engines drops, Levinson believes.

“If we can adjust road fees in real time better we will be able to almost eliminate traffic jams completely by raising fees at certain times of the day. We’re already witnessing a financial crisis in the US in terms of raised fuel tax. Taxes have remained steady for ten years, while over­all fuel consumption has fallen. This has made it more difficult to finance the infrastructure,

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FACTS FORD FX-ATMOSThe Ford FX-Atmos is a good example of how car manufacturers were inspired by the jet engine. It was presented in 1954 with pin-like radio antennae in front, glass cover as a roof and steered using handles in-stead of a wheel. The idea was for the car to be nuclear powered.

ther technical advancements for future travellers will be within direct view or earshot. Traffic will sound a lot differ­ent. The EU is currently draft­ing directives for how electric cars of the future will sound.

It’s mainly a question of safety.It’s widely known that traffic

noise kills. But an investigation by the US Department of Transport shows that silent vehicles in certain situations can be even more danger­ous than traditional petrol­driven cars. Electric and hybrid cars travel­ling slower than 55 kph run a 37 per cent greater risk of hitting pedes­trians and a 66 per cent greater risk of hitting cyclists than cars with conventional combustion engines.

FREDRIK HAGMAN IS an interactive sound designer at Volvo’s sound lab NVH Centre (Noise, Vibration and Harshness).

FUTURE BY SEMCON  13

Our challenge is to not remove the benefits of the silent running we have today. We want cars to be heard, but not to disturb their surroundings.”

Bo Karlsson, section head at the NVH Centre:

“The auto industry agree on change to minimize warning sig­nals as much as possible because it risks worsening noise pollution, es­pecially in cities. Look into a crystal ball and we will probably see active systems in the future, making it possible to detect people. The first step for the car might be to warn people in the vicinity. Information is important and we need to hear that the car is coming.”

THE EU PARLIAMENT HAS decided that all electric and hybrid cars must meet special requirements of drivability before 2021.

Semcon is carrying out research

under the Sonic Movement project concerning how electric and hybrid cars might sound in the fu­ture. James Brooks, hybrid designer at Semcon:

“Our fear was that as soon as something is implemented it would be impossible to alter. If a large car company introduces the sound of a V8 engine in an electric car or adds an irritating beeping noise it almost immediately gives rise to legislation.”

The project has aroused interest from both the auto industry and technology companies.

“At the end of the day we just ask questions. We present concepts. Why do I as a pedestrian have to hear a car sound its horn a long way away? Why can’t this sound be directed at the person in front? New technology provides new possibilities of solving these problems,” he says. ✖

FACTS AMC CONCEPT 80 AM VANThis concept was presented in 1977 and was the precursor of the popular minibuses seen in the mid 80s. AMC saw back then that fuel consumption was going to be an issue, and wanted to make a small, fuel-efficient car. Despite this it was a 4X4 with a turbocharged engine.

“The biggest challenge with electric car noise is to retain the benefits of electric/hybrid power, which is the perceived silence,” he says. Electric car noise in future will be informative noise, telling its surroundings that you are there.

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Buying food on the subwayTesco’s South Korean Home Plus stores launched a completely new way of shopping three years ago. Using a mobile app that scans QR codes, the subway commuter registers the goods he or she wants to buy. But not by vis-iting an actual store. Instead the goods are displayed by the platforms, on large signs that look like real shelves. The goods are delivered home within a few hours. Car traffic to Tesco’s stores has dropped, but overall sales have increased thanks to online shopping.

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BenefitXLPM Project methodology

Methodology that makes every project a success

2UNDERSTANDABLE INTER-

FACE. The reason why XLPM works in practice is the low

threshold for users. Terms and definitions are clear and recognizable from most large organizations. Sequences, stages and levels are clearly coded. Everything is packaged in instructional visual form.

9 A PROJECT IS NOT ALWAYS

ONE PROJECT. Sometimes it’s only a short assignment,

sometimes a major programme with lots of parallel projects and assignments. XLPM 2.0’s methodology is scalable, containing various work forms. The portfolio management function gives you control of the entire project. The advantage of this flexibility is simpler coordination and in the end also improved fulfilment of objectives.

4BY PEOPLE FOR PEOPLE. Methodology and technology aside, all projects either succeed

or fail due to the human factor. It is individuals that run projects and they must be given the right prerequisite. Individuals, teams and coached leadership are key factors of XLPM’s project culture.

6FIT IN AND FOLLOW. All that’s needed to get going with XLPM is a web browser. This is an

environment well-known to most people, meaning that everyone involved from management to project members IS aware and have a short run up. XLPM can also be used with Microsoft’s Sharepoint and also works well with Antura and Project Place.

5TESTED AND APPROVED. Just the 2.0 in the name gives away that XLPM is not

new. It’s a methodology that has been tested and developed by many large organizations. Semcon has implemented the methodology at global industries, fleet footed IT companies and the public sector. Developments are ongoing and so far the methodology is being given top marks by those testing it out.

PROJECTS’ SUCCESS RATES INCREASE IF YOU USE EXPERT PROJECT MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGY. SEMCON’S XLPM METHODOLOGY IS NOW IN VERSION 2.0 – HERE ARE TEN STEPS SHOWING WHY IT’S AN EXCEPTIONAL CHOICE. TEXT JOHAN JARNEVING PHOTO COLOURBOX

1PROVEN SUCCESS. What sets successful organizations apart from

more mediocre ones? Research clearly shows that structured project management is a crucial factor. According to a report by the Project Management Institute, 89 per cent of high-performing organizations succeed with their projects, compared with a success rate of 36 per cent otherwise. Apart from achieving their objectives they also save time, money and frustration.

7GET YOUR PROJECT ROLLING. The methodology sees each project as a lifecycle. Different

projects have different lifecycles, but it’s always more efficient to take one phase at a time and follow a model that synchs work groups. XLPM 2.0 has a number of lifecycle models integrated from the start. There are models for short assignments, agile projects joint programmes and complete portfolios. The lifecycle model gives everyone in the project clear guidelines to keep to and concrete decision points to follow.

10 JUST THE BEGINNING. The finished installation tool and the user-friendly

technical platform is the foundation. The practical tools turn loosely put together plans into structured projects that work all the way. But XLPM 2.0 is a work method to continue working with. There are a number of training courses, both classic on-site training and interactive e-versions.

BUSINESS BENEFITS. The project might very well be a resounding success, but if it

doesn’t link back to the strategic objectives then the organization will be treading water. Using XLPM 2.0 the tough business strategies and the softer organizational values have room in project management.

3

CLIENT INVOLVEMENT. A common problem in project management is that project

clients, or “sponsors” in XLPM language, don’t take part in the actual work. It’s often a manager who doesn’t always have sufficient project experience. XLPM 2.0 makes the sponsor a natural part with own role descriptions and a good over-sight thanks to such a simple thing as colour coding.

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FUTURE BY SEMCON  15

New camera body shows more detail in poor light

SolutionHow Semcon solved the customer’s problem

TEXT KARIN AASE PHOTO HASSELBLAD

THE ASSIGNMENT: The H4 needed new hardware and new software to improve

data flow speeds. The challenge of developing a camera for the high-end segment was to implement programmable logic that can manage the high level of data without using too much power as this is a battery-powered camera.

THE SOLUTION: To improve the camera’s communi-cation capabilities it was updated

with a larger memory and new processor. This change and the new drive routines also saw the addition of a new oper-ating system, which better supports the new architecture. The3 camera has also been made more modular, meaning it’s simpler to add more software when you want to update in the future.

THE RESULT: The new H5D model has received a very positive response from the market.

Performance is better, the user interface is faster and it offers users more functions, while the camera now has a more modern look. The new sensor also allows it to take exceptionally good photos even outside the studio and without extra lighting.

16  FUTURE BY SEMCON

200 MEGAPIXLESTwo of the H5D models provide multi-shot, meaning that the camera, using an advanced piezo module, can take photos up to 200 megapixles, technology that Hasselblad is alone in providing in its segment.

HASSELBLAD LENSIt makes no difference what’s inside the camera body if the lens is no good. Like the previous H models the H5D has been customized to Hasselblad’s unique lens pro-gramme, making it possible to use the flash even under the briefest of exposure times.

THE PERSONAL ALTERNATIVEHasselblad’s customers are mainly profes-sional photographers, all with their own de-mands for how a camera should be. The H5D allows Hasselblad to improve the possibility of customizing the camera according to per-sonal requirements, including programmable buttons and settings.

MORE MODERN LOOKThe H5D has allowed Hasselblad to enhance the camera’s characteris-tics. The design around the sensor unit has changed, as have covers, and the display, and all now have a more modern look. The colour scheme has also developed to enhance Hasselblad’s character.

BETTER PICTURES DESPITE POORER LIGHTBecause Hasselblad has improved its electronic performance a new CMOS sensor has been able to be installed. This provides significantly im-proved sensitivity and allows the ability of longer exposure times. Together providing much more options of using the camera even in situations with limited light.

THERE’S NO BAD WEATHER, JUST BAD CAMERASA camera with such good light that it can take photos anywhere must also be able to handle tough environments. The H5D comes equipped with tighter sealing cov-ers and seals, making it both more watertight and able to withstand dusty industrial environments.

FUTURE BY SEMCON  17

THE IDEA OF GETTING an exact position in real time began in the military in both the US and USSR during the cold war. The space race was in full swing and research scientists on both sides were learning more about what satellites could be used for.

First to the post was the US, which launched its first purpose-built satellite in 1978. Its version of a satellite-based positioning system is GPS, Global Posi-tioning System. Four years later, in 1982, the USSR launched its first satellite for the system, known as Glonass.

30 years on and the technology has been refined, become available to everyone and used every day by people using their smart phones, satnav in cars and in equipment that needs positioning. Marine safety in particular has improved for ordinary boat owners with the possibility of finding a correct position in an

emergency with an everyday piece of technology and not just for boats in the premium segment.

Other players are entering the posi-tioning industry. In theory the US and Russia could switch off both GPS and Glonass with the flip of a switch. This has meant that India, China and more recently the EU have created their own systems. The European navigation sys-tem Galileo, which will be fully devel-oped by 2018, will be almost 10 times as accurate as GPS and will be able to plot your position on the planet within a 1m margin of error. ✖

The cold war saw the birth of satellite navigation

THE TIME OF SOMEONE GIVING YOU VERBAL DIRECTIONS IS OVER. FEWER PEOPLE NOW DRIVE AROUND WITH A ROADMAP IN THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT. TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE INROADS INTO ATLASES AND GIVEN US SATELLITE NAVIGATION.

FACTS NAVIGATION SYSTEMSNavigation systems with embedded maps also have embedded logic. If your system detects that you are close to a road and moves you in the direction of that road, you should logically be on that road. This is why many satnav systems are perceived as more correct than they actually are.

The revolutionSatellite navigation

TEXT FREDRIK HULDT PHOTO 123RF & COLOURBOX

18  FUTURE BY SEMCON

1982Kosmos 1413, the USSR’s first of the GLONASS (Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya sistema), satellites was launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan. It was in operation for just 15 months.

2015Galileo will be in operation. Work on traffic safety and the environment will make a huge leap forwards with system accuracy of 1-0.01m. Better coverage near the poles. Endless monitoring possibilities. Personal integrity will be a huge issue.

2025Crash-free traffic will be a reality. Short-haul traffic will be given new logistics systems including autono-mous transport drones in cities and in areas with damaged infrastruc-ture. Examples include transport of emergency aid to disaster areas. To solve major transport needs swarms of solar-powered drones will work together.

2018European Galileo will be fully developed. Revolu-tionary improvements in safety and accuracy down to 1cm. Unique Search and Rescue function, satellites equipped with transpond-ers that send signals from people in distress about where they are.

1978Satellite OPS 5111, the first of 75 US satellites so far for GPS was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. There are now 32 satellites in use.

1995The GPS system was fully developed and operational. After only being available to the US military it was made available to the general public and the civilian market. The map’s glory days as a navigational aid was over.

2020Chinese Beidou will be fully developed and operational. Autonomous vehicles for personal and goods transport will be operational. More efficient traffic flow on our roads with intelligent transport using low-intensity hours, never crashing and saving energy by convoy driving.

RECEIVERBy using data from the satellites and the speed of light the receiver (e.g. mobile phone) can work out the dis-tance to the satellite. Data from three or more satellites allows the unit the possibility of positioning itself.

SATELLITESatellites constantly send positions and time indications from internal clocks of exactly when the data was sent.

The US GPS system consists of 32 satellites in six orbits with a 60° spread around the globe. The satellites orbit at 20,200 km up and are placed so that the receiver has line of sight with at least six satellites on the majority of the earth’s surface. Positioning requires data from three satellites. Readings are more accurate the more satellites contact is made with.

HOW GPS WORKS

HOW SATELLITE NAVIGATION HAS AND WILL DEVELOP

FUTURE BY SEMCON  19

SubjectE-learning

20  FUTURE BY SEMCON

E-LEARNING IS OFTEN used as a fancier way to describe distance learning via a computer. If we lift the lid it is however an area just as complex as the subject as a whole. Just like there’s no school to suit everybody so e­learning is a variety of ingredients and recipes.

Developments in e­learning go hand­in­hand with computerization of society in general.

Apart from two previous trials – electronic test machines for students at US universities in the 1920s and Plato (Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations), a program for computer­based learning developed by the University of Illinois in the 60s – it’s the personal computer and the internet that’s made today’s e­learning possible.

E-LEARNING now has a specific role in academia as well as at work. You can now study everything from compulsory education at adult education centres to university degrees at Stanford online.

Whether you work at a café or as a specialist technician at a nuclear power plant, there’s a big chance that you have completed an e­learning course in recent years.

The real breakthrough for e­learning came in the 1990s and in the 2000s it

skyrocketed with new technologies and more mobile solutions.

Today’s e­learning is far­removed from email correspondence courses. Courses prefixed by e have really made use of technological advances. From a seemingly simple thing like video lectures, to virtual worlds where participants face various scenarios and web­based classrooms, where teachers and students integrate in real time, or a flight simulator for budding pilots or simulated customer meetings for shop assistants.

When ‘future researchers’ predict new generations of robots that take on more qualified tasks like electronic accounting and medical diagnostics, it’s easy to wonder if the role of teachers is also threatened.

ULRIKA FAGRELL IS the sales manager for the XLPM project methodology at Semcon, and has worked a lot with training and e­learning, especially in project management. She believes there is a while to go until computers take over teachers’ roles.

“The demand for e­learning is on the up. Partly because of a greater and im­proved offering and partly because many of the managers buying in e­learning are counting on making savings. But it’s not always quite that simple – teachers and classrooms cannot be replaced by com­puters just like that,” she says. There are naturally financial gains with e­learning. Expenses for travelling, premises, accom­modation and teachers drop – but the

Digital, virtual and really

flexible

E-LEARNING OFFERS MANY OPPORTUNITIES. BUT TEACHERS AND CLASSROOMS CANNOT BE REPLACED BY COMPUTERS – THE BEST THING IS TO COMBINE BOTH. TEXT JOHAN JARNEVING PHOTO COLOURBOX

7

Ulrika Fagrell, sales manager at Semcon

FUTURE BY SEMCON  21

SubjectE-learning

real gains are seen in distribution and the interactive environment’s possibilities of “learning by doing” as it’s popularly known. Ulrika recommends that everyo­ne looks at results first and then costs.

HOW THEN SHOULD someone buying training think when choosing between ordinary les­sons in a classroom ver­sus web­based training? Both, that’s the short and obvious answer or ‘blended learning’ as it is known in the industry.

“E­learning is not bad in itself, but people don’t always act as the advoca­tes had thought. Ten years ago there was euphoria surroun­ding anything to do with the web, but in practice only a fraction of participants completed the courses as they were sup­posed to,” she explains.

Blended learning is a mix, the best of both worlds. Participants get the opportunity of meeting in person, get to know other participants and do a bit of informal networking. This is something that improves their learning

ability when they then meet online.“E­learning is important in orga­

nizations with participants that are spread out, but you can also ask yourself

whether the training is also a good opportunity to create personal con­tacts. Blended learning offers the benefits of both the real and virtual worlds.

For Ulrika and Semcon it’s obvious to take on new technology and develop new ways of working with training. But care should also be taken in thinking critical­ly and evaluate and come up with own combina­tions to achieve results.

Blended learning is a good example of this. “Group dynamics and belief in the

teacher are just as important online as in the classroom.”

THE BENEFITS OF blended learning are easy to see, but what does this new e­learning provide?

Customized packages are important because reading books is not for eve­ryone. E­learning tools allow people to study using films, graphics and games. And when sitting in front of a com­puter you can work at your own pace and always with the most up­to­date information.

Digital technology is also a way of cutting the cost of training more people. This is something that companies and society in general benefit from when knowledge is the most important compe­titive advantage. ✖

FACTS E-LEARNINGVarious forms of e-learning have evol-ved since its breakthrough in the 1990s.

Technology for virtual classrooms is mainly used for distance learning, but the digital part is also growing in popularity in classrooms. Mixing tradi-tional teaching techniques with new technologies, known as blended lear-ning, is recommended by most experts. It’s also possible to study university degrees online.

Functional project work with unanimity across borders is necessary for internationally active companies.

ONE WAY OF achieving this is to train employees to become PMPs, Project Management Professionals, which is certification issued by the American Project Management In­stitute. Semcon is one of the players preparing companies’ employees for the PMP exam.

Preparatory PMP courses and a course in project finance are held in virtual classrooms, where participants meet their teacher in real time and can put their hand up, chat and work in virtual group rooms, with partici­pants coming from all over the world.

“At first I was doubtful whether the technology would hold up, not least because internet connections vary in quality. But I was soon proven wrong and the courses have exceeded all expectations,” says Erika Klingler, who developed Semcon’s virtual classroom concept.

The IT tool that Semcon chose is Adobe Connect, which is a web­based environment with all the functions you need from a modern classroom, but without major de­mands on bandwidth or any special software.

“We haven’t come across any tech­nical obstacles. However different time zones are a major practical issue.

This type of course in attaining certification is well suited as e­lear­ning. Participants are motivated and manage the self­study that’s required.”

“We also work a great deal with exercises and direct feedback where participants can see what they need to improve before continuing to the final test at the PMI.” ✖

E-learning tools allow people to study using films, graphics and games.

7

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY MAKES IT EASIER TO CUT THE COST OF TRAINING MORE PEOPLE. HERE

ARE THREE GOOD EXAMPLES OF E-LEARNING.

1. GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE IN REAL TIME

22  FUTURE BY SEMCON

The African organization LEAP, based in Nigeria, is using e-learning to change attitudes and help people discover new opportunities.

LEADERSHIP, Effectiveness, Accoun­tability and Professionalism, or LEAP, is the organization that’s training and developing young people and businessmen in 26 countries across the entire continent. The timetable includes leadership, enterprise and soft values as well as communication and responsibility.

LEAP’s visionary attitude is creating hope and connecting skills with a self­interested labour market. LEAP works on two levels ­ directly with young people and with business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Much of the work deals with

changing attitudes and helping people realize new opportunities, often with a whole country in classrooms.

This is where e­learning and multi­media are key success factors.

Najja Junction is a project where LEAP has worked together with the African Leadership Institute, to raise political awareness amongst Nigeri­ans, mainly young people.

A series of film scenarios allows them to paint various future pictures for the country. The project has its own website and the films are publis­hed on YouTube. Internet access is increasing all the time in Nigeria and the films have become a door opener as LEAP trains more leaders.

According to LEAP’s Executive Director, Iyadunni Olubode, the success of Naija Junction has led to more investment in e­learning, tech­

nology that’s increasingly significant through out Africa.

“If we succeed in spreading this training evenly to the entire popu­lation then the African century will be here. With the right content and simpler access to the internet e­lear­ning will boost knowledge levels,” she says.

She mentions the “Powering the impossible” project, which is aimed at secondary schools. In a solar­powered computer lab teachers and students can use technology to improve lessons. They get access to better material and tools for learning and evaluating.

LEAP has also developed a format for web seminars, The LEAP Career Corner Speaker Series, where aspiring young people get to listen to mentors and integrate in real time. ✖

The public sector and social work are not everyday work for Henrik Montgomery and his colleagues at Semcon’s product information de-partment.

NOHALC – Norra Hisingens Arbets­livscentrum is a further development of the Supported Employment method run with support from EU/ESF. The idea is that work experience and internships will help those furthest from the labour market get closer to real jobs.

This was an unusual assignment for Semcon, which often has major industrial customers.

“We immediately saw that this was an assignment requiring our expertise. That it was also our city that was the client and that it was

an urgent project made the deci­sion easy,” says Henrik.

Semcon’s proposal was the start of a rewarding collaboration.

“They shared our broader, more prag­matic view of e­lear­ning as an interactive learning in different packages, so we synched immediately.”

“We had free rein with this projectfrom the start.”“We had meetings with Norra

Hisingens Arbetslivscentrum where they provided their method and we complemented this with our expertise in interactive solutions.”

The interactive teaching platform builds on the open interface, Dru­pal, which is a system for quickly

and cheaply creating and distribu­ting content.

The City of Gothenburg’s Social Services will work

on the platform together with clients. Functions include assessments, self­appraisal and statis­tical presentations. Even

employees taking part in the programme can go in

and follow up.“It’s hugely inspiring working with

these issues and seeing that our solu­tions make a difference in society.”

The platform will run until Decem­ber 2014 and hopefully it is just the beginning.

“The City of Gothenburg is very progressive and we have future­ secured for apps and see many possi­bilities,” he says. ✖

2. E AS IN ENGAGING

3. DIGITAL SHORTCUT FROM ALIENATION TO WORK

Henrik Montgomery, Semcon.

FUTURE BY SEMCON  23

TrendsCooperation

There is a clear trend – cross-border cooperation creates new business opportunities. The challenge is to communicate and agree. And the future may lie in artificial intelligence when people aren’t enough.TEXT JAKOB LUNDBERG AND MARCUS OLSSON

EVERYONEGAINS

24  FUTURE BY SEMCON

FROMCOOPERATION

FUTURE BY SEMCON  25

“EVERYONE HAS THE SAME INFORMATION AT THE SAME TIME AND EVERYONE IS WORKING TOWARDS GETTING THE CITY TO WORK EFFICIENTLY.”ROHIT TALWAR

HINGS ARE run­ning smoothly in Rio de Janeiro. Po­lice and ambulanc­es arrive quickly when something happens. Engi­neers arrive quick­ly when a broken traffic light needs

fixing. Sewer system blockages can cause nasty flooding unless preventative meas­ures are already in place. This city of 12 million people now has, through unique cooperation, a coordination centre with 30 organizations all working together.

The walls are lined with screens mon­itoring key societal functions. Centro de Operações gathers vast amounts of data from surveillance cameras, sensors, smart traffic lights and private users of various apps. The information is shared by the various government departments and pri­vate companies involved in the project.

Brazil’s second largest city has joined the cooperation trend.

Thinking way outside the box can get cities to function – and companies to grow.

“The reason Rio de Janeiro has succeed­ed is that it has a common database where

information can be accessed to make quick decisions. Everyone has the same information at the same time and every­one is working towards getting the city to work efficiently,” says Rohit Talwar.

He works as a global futurist and runs the London­based consultancy firm Fast Future Research, helping companies with strategic future thinking.

“The most successful companies have one thing in common. They create smart ways of starting conversations and sharing information between all parties in the company’s ecosystem. An increas­

ing number of deals are now turned into major projects where lots of players are involved. Focus is always on finding better ways of cooperating.”

ROHIT THINKS that the most difficult thing is actually starting cooperation – and then to keeping it going.

“There are many forces at work. Policies and motivation vary between organizations. People at the top might agree while people below them might not be willing to play ball. Companies often get surprised by how difficult it is to get good cooperation to work. Everything boils down to the individual. If you can get people to work together and trust one another then you’re half way there. There are deep­rooted challenges when differ­ent companies, cultures, languages and working methods need to work together.”

“It’s not a naturally smooth process when an Indian, Chinese and American firm are to work together. They have different ways of managing and making decisions. Information flows in different ways,” he says and continues:

“Another key point is how we work together in work teams and between vari­ous parts of our own organizations. How do we make use of an idea at one end,

TThis coordination centre at Centro de Operações in Rio de Janeiro, has 30 organizations working together. All have access to huge amounts of data with the aim of providing speedy, more effective efforts.

26  FUTURE BY SEMCON

1 RESEARCH PROJECT WITH MANY COMPANIES

Pharmaceutical giants Sanofi and Merck are two competing companies now collaborating with one another. A joint research project now sees these companies working together on developing cancer medicine. Both companies are also working together with the authorities and public sector organizations on a number of projects.

2 JOINT DEVELOPMENT WITH THE COMPETITION

PSA Peugeot and Toyota developed components together to build three different small city cars. The result was the Peugeot 107, Citroën C1 and Toyota Aygo. Manufacture of all three cars started in Kolin in the Czech Republic in 2005 and have become sales successes for both car manufacturers.

3 OPEN INNOVATIONWikipedia, the multilingual, web-based encyclopaedia, is the most visited

on the internet. It mainly has free, open content that is developed by its users. The English version is biggest, with over four million articles. Wikipedia con-tains a total of 30 million articles.

4 SHARING KNOWLEDGESouth-South Cooperation is an exchange project where knowledge,

resources and technology are shared between developing countries in the southern hemisphere. One of the goals is to set up a joint bank, similar to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. More than USD 450 million was pledged by investors, companies, governments and other parties present at the organization’s latest trade fair.

5 CUSTOMER-DRIVEN INNOVATION

Blizzard Entertainment has created the series of World of Warcraft (WoW) games. One of the success factors was inviting in users for beta testing during development. WoW had sales of over USD 1 billion in 2013 and a market share of 36 per cent in its genre.

6 SHARING RISKS AND REWARDS

Aera Energy is a collaboration between energy giants Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell. Aera is California’s leading oil and gas producer (30 per cent of overall production in the state). Exxon and Shell shared costs for manufacturing and other investments. Aera’s income in 2013 amounted to USD 5 billion.

Various ways of cooperating

7

which can be used effectively somewhere else in the company? That’s where IT is important for sharing ideas. Everyone wants to know how to work with digital media, across cultural and organizational boundaries.”

THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY is a trendsetter, where many contractors, investors and interested parties work together. Sharing information is the key.

“A construction project worth EUR 1 billion might have 20 partners. What can we do to work together optimally? Well, we work with the same data at the same time. Everyone has the chance of affecting content immediately. This also minimizes the risk of various parties wasting time doing the same thing.”

Dick Stroud is a corporate strategist from the UK. Despite clear trends towards collaboration he is still seeing some areas slow to react.

“I’m surprised how little collaboration there still is between different companies and organizations.

The need to keep information a secret seems to have followed us down through the generations. Many bosses in their 30s are just as preoccupied in keeping tabs

Rohit TalwarLives in: London, England.Occupation: Advisor, author and lecturer.Rohit uses humour, inspiration and provocation when advising global companies, both in risk assessment and development strategies.

FUTURE BY SEMCON  27

on their competitors as people in their 60s. This is a real disappointment because I believe that companies can learn a lot from one another without compromising their commercial successes. Competition between companies scares many of them from looking for new, common ways of development. But that’s where most of the opportunities lie, if they are willing to take that step.”

JOURNALIST ANDREAS EKSTRÖM has written a book about Google. He’s a futures analyst and lectures on the social effects of digital realignment.

“The digital revolution has given rise to completely new ways of developing busi­nesses at various levels. And despite com­petition being tougher than ever it seems as though more companies are choosing a softer approach to collaboration. The val­ue of learning from one another is vast. Everyone now knows that. But at the same time there is a risk of conformism, with everyone moving towards medio­cre market niches, where things are safe rather than challenging. When was the last time we really saw a “game changer”, an invention that profoundly changed the market or people’s behaviour? I

would say that we haven’t seen anything like that since the introduction of tablet computers,” says Andreas.

There are lots of examples of technical collaborations deemed necessary and successful. Joint standards like 3G, 4G, Bluetooth and USB were the result of extensive collaboration.

In these cases Ericsson, Intel, IBM and

Microsoft saw the benefit of working together with their competitors in their respective industry.

“The global Bitcoin community is another example of how technology has developed through collaboration,” says Rohit Talwar. “People worked together and came up with common solutions. They created a completely new finan­

cial system with digital currency and blockchain technology as a security mechanism. These models have complete­ly altered financial services. In this field the players are pioneers and need to work closely with one another because their in­novation is receiving a lot of resistance.”

MANY INDUSTRIES need to accept help from outside.

“Some pharmaceutical companies are getting better at accepting ideas from companies and other researchers. Astra Zeneca is a company that often seems to succeed in collaboration. The same is true of its competitor, Glaxo­SmithKline,” says Rohit. He believes that common sharing models for taking risks and reward is another area that P

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ON

TUS

TID

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A unique collaboration is in operation here at Dallas/Fort Worth international airport between the airport and airlines. All development is run jointly and the airlines have a lot of input in terms of how profits are spent.

Andreas EkströmLives in: Lund, Sweden.Profession: Journalist, author and lecturer.Andreas wrote a book called “The Google Code”, neutrally explaining how Google reasons and thinks.

28  FUTURE BY SEMCON

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME WE REALLY SAW A “GAME CHANGER”, AN INVENTION THAT PROFOUNDLY CHANGED THE MARKET OR PEOPLE’S BEHAVIOUR?ANDREAS EKSTRÖM

will grow in importance in the future. One example he mentions is the DFW,

Dallas/Fort Worth international airport, operated by 30 or so airlines, including American Airlines, Lufthansa and British Airways.

“The airport has a very interesting way of making decisions together with the airlines. The system builds on how services and stores improve and there is an underlying, sophisticated system for how revenues from stores, restaurants, hotels and other companies should be shared. The airport also has a lot of influence over how any further profits are spent and invested.

At DFW, one of the world’s top 10 busiest airports, competitors have joined forces to share in the profits made.

In other sectors it is more common to meet at an early stage and then separate with a joint result that they take with them.

“We see this in ‘pre­competitive research projects’, often partly financed by government authorities. A lot is being done to get different companies to share information and results. This is in an attempt to move forwards with some­thing that will benefit ordinary people, and which companies can then try and commercialize.”

Andreas Ekström says that collabora­tion models are being refined. Signif­icant developments have been seen in terms of collaborating directly with the end customer.

“Releasing early beta versions of products has been extremely successful for many companies. It creates a feeling of unity around a project between the manufacturer and the users when they, at an early stage, get to affect the products and content.”

SHARING INFORMATION is the common denominator in collaboration trends. It creates trust and boosts people’s will­ingness to help one another. Human interaction will have a more minor role in future. Goodwill between individu­als might go a long way but not always enough. When Rohit talks about the future’s most ground­breaking collabora­tion he believes it won’t even be human.

“There is another route. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change a lot. We will see “AI agents” that learn how to act correctly,” he says.

These “agents” will be computer pro­grammes instructed to perform specific tasks, and make their own decisions based on what collaboration partners are re­quired to achieve a successful outcome.”

“They will be able to meet targets and constantly collaborate with those who can help them achieve their goals. The benefit will be that these agents will not have a political agenda. They won’t need promoting, they won’t need bonuses and are not at risk of being fired. Their only motive will be meeting targets and they will find the collaboration required to achieve it.” ✖

Dick StroudLives in: Salisbury, EnglandOccupation: Consultant, lecturer and writer.Dick mainly works at the 20plus30 PR agency, which specializes in reaching out to the new group of well-to-do consumers over 50.

FUTURE BY SEMCON  29

Q&ASophia Lindholm on creativity

You have probably seen and talked about it. The sequence where Jean­Claude van Damme does the splits between two Volvo Trucks is one

of the most clicked on adverts in YouTu­be’s history and its impact has boosted awareness of Volvo Trucks brand so much that the Louvre art museum in Pa­ris want to show the film as a permanent exhibit in their advertising department.

For Sophia, The Epic Split was not just one of the pinnacles of her career it was also the epic conclusion of a campaign that she and her colleagues at Forsman & Bodenfors worked on for many years.

When Volvo Trucks turned to the award­winning Swedish advertising agen­cy it was to get help with its first product launch in nineteen years. Four of Forsman & Bodenfors’ creators, including Sophia, were assigned to raise interest, creating something spectacular from “Not just another truck – Not just another launch”. And it was. It became an overnight suc­cess with the first film of the campaign, “The Ballerina Stunt”, where Faith Dickey walked a tightrope between two moving trucks, and the success saga continued.

The high point came in June when Sophia and her colleagues received two Grand Prix at Cannes Lions, the best awards an advertiser can get. 7

Sophia Lindholm is one of the world’s most creative people and one of the brains behind Volvo Trucks’ viral mega success “The Epic Split”. How does she stay creative? TEXT LINDA THOMSEN HÖGFELDT PHOTO ANDERS DEROS

30  FUTURE BY SEMCON

Sophia Lindholm

Works as: Art director at Forsman & Bodenfors in Göteborg. Hobbies: Skiing,

tennis and lobster fishing. Prizes and awards: #14 Most Creative People in

Business 2014 (Fast Company), 3 Grand Prix Cannes Lions, 5 Golden Eggs,

awards in Black Cube, Art Directors Club, Best in Show, One Show,

Black Pencil, D&AD.

FUTURE BY SEMCON  31

You’re seen as one of the world’s most creative people. Where do you get all your ideas?

“There’s probably a preconception that creative people just dream up inspira­tion or get a brilliant idea while walking around town. Unfortunately it’s not that exciting in real life. Advertising work is often hard work where we sit, shut off in small rooms, discussing and sifting through ideas. Someone will have an idea in the work group and then we develop it together. These ideas often develop into something completely different in the end. The creative bit of my work is only part of what I do, where the prerequisites for my creativity mean that I must first provide myself with enough background information in order to cre­ate something relevant and good for the client to work with. It’s possible, of cour­se, to come up with fantastic ideas, but if these ideas aren’t based in fact then they won’t be relevant. That’s probably my strength as Art Director, coming up with something creative and interesting, but which is also relevant to my client. The Epic Split is all about the product and everyone understands why Volvo Trucks does these stunts. What we are actually doing is nothing more than product demonstration, but in an unexpected and spectacular way.

So facts are a prerequisite for your creativity?

“Facts are incredibly important to me! They are the basis for creating the message to be communicated and we use facts to then come up with an idea that will sell. When we work with a client and a campaign we always start by doing research. When we developed the Live

Test Series concept for Volvo Trucks we met so many talented employees at the company, everyone from technicians to product managers, and let them tell us about what they thought of the new truck and what it’s benefits were.”

How did you come up with the Live Test Series idea?

“We were told that the target group was both wide and difficult to reach with traditional media. We needed to speak to small owner­driver hauliers and decision­makers at large companies like Schenker or DHL who buy in several hundred trucks. This forced us to think differently and find the target group’s common denominator, which is that they have lots of influences around them, everything from colleagues and family to friends and the media. Our goal was to create a talking point where a son would come home and say to his dad: Have you seen the advert for Volvo Trucks? Or that someone would read about the cam­paign in a magazine and feel that “that’s something I need to check out”. So we worked to reach a wider target group and make the truck’s functions public know­ledge and interesting for lots of people, so that the wider audience could affect the core target group we wanted to reach.”

How does working at Forsman & Bo-denfors differ from other advertising agencies?

“We don’t have a creative director. If you look at the major international adver­tising agencies and others in Sweden the advertising industry is quite traditional and managed from the top, and the cre­ative director has a lot of authority over the creative team’s work.

1Get new influences. Travel, try new things and above all, listen to others. I believe that new

influences are linked to the ability to be creative.

2Drop the prestige. Don’t be afraid of saying something that’s not fully thought through or that

quite simply feels stupid. Sure, they might not always be good ideas, but sometimes they can also lead to something fantastic. So challenge yourself and stop worrying about what other people think.

3Practice makes perfect. Just like anything else, creativity can be improved by practice.

Experience plays a big part of course and if you’ve worked for many years then you’ve practiced a long time. You might even be able to ease some anxiety when you know you can come up with something good, and the next idea might come around sooner than you think.

4Develop your ideas with others. Many of my best ideas have grown by collaborating with

other people. We’ve sat and sifted through ideas, which were improved upon by other people’s input. Creativi-ty for me is very much about teamwork.

5Forget inspiration – just work. Coming up with ideas overnight or on the spur of the moment

has never been my strong point. Ideas usually germinate as my colleagues and I are shut in a small room discussing.

6Have fun. I believe it’s important to enjoy what you do and have fun at work. If I’ve not enjoyed

myself then my ideas probably won’t have been very noteworthy.

How to be more creative –Sophia Lindholm’s tips

Q&ASophia Lindholm on creativity

32  FUTURE BY SEMCON

“IT’S POSSIBLE, OF COURSE, TO COME UP WITH FANTASTIC IDEAS, BUT IF THESE IDEAS AREN’T BASED IN FACT THEN THEY WON’T BE RELEVANT.”

It’s the other way around at Forsman & Bodenfors because it’s the work groups that are responsible for their own work. But who’s in charge then you might won­der? It sounds quite difficult, but most of the time when we come up with ideas that are good enough all of the work group seems to agree. If one or more are dubious then we should probably develop the idea further or move on to something else. We also have a corporate culture and work method where we like input and feedback. We often consult other creators at the agency, but in the end we decide how we deal with any criticism.

What are the advantages and disad-vantages?

“I believe that the our method has hel­ped everyone’s creativity, both through the trust and responsibility we have as creators. Everything then falls down to employees believing in the work model and trusting in our own ability to de­liver, that we are good enough and take

responsibility. I’m not saying it’s always easy with such a democratic working method. For example, young creators new to the industry might end up in the same work group and have as much responsibility as someone who’s been doing the job for thirty years and might even have founded the agency. In these cases it might be initially difficult to dare criticise or even express your ideas out aloud. Meanwhile, older, more experien­ced people will gain a lot by working with a young person who has a new and different approach. A lot happens in this industry with the introduction of new media and the young creators might be just as good as those who have been around for along time. It might take a while, but everyone seems to realise that they have something to gain using this work model.

We are becoming increasingly digital. What do you think about that deve-lopment?

“I think it’s positive and that fantastic ideas can evolve when someone who has mostly worked with print meets someone talented digitally. It’s these kinds of me­etings that develop creativity. It’s difficult to predict the future. The communication landscape changes and it wasn’t long ago that people were saying that films would be a thing of the past as we no longer watch TV, but there are more films made now than ever, even though dramaturgy has changed and sequences have become shorter – or longer. Digital media has made it trickier for printed media to get the same penetration. Meanwhile we’re constantly seeing on the internet and in social media how people send and share images or text that they find funny. We might find when we look back in a few years a breaking point in development, where print was forced to be more creati­ve and maybe even interactive? ✖

FUTURE BY SEMCON  33

How it worksFormula 1

PERFORMANCE WHATEVER THE COST

BRAVERY, MILITARY PRECISION AND OUTSTANDING TALENT. THESE ARE CRUCIAL BUILDINGBLOCKS IN A SPORT WHERE THE HUMAN MACHINE

MUST BE AS WELL-OILED AS THE ENGINES. TEXT FREDRIK HULDT PHOTO GETTY IMAGES/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

FORMULA 1 is without doubt the most extreme material sport on the planet. A crazy melting pot where competitive individuals are forced into teamwork by one goal – to be world champions in the fastest series of races on earth.

Here, the sharpest minds in engineer­ing spend countless millions in attempts to satisfy the best drivers and their enormous appetite for faster lap times. The best engineers from the aerospace and aviation industries are recruited to program super computers to hone the cars’ increasingly advanced aerodynam­ics using clever computer simulations. The smartest strategists go through vast amounts of data in the hunt for winning race strategies. And the most revolution­

ary freethinkers design and deliver the technology and manufacturing processes required to provide outstanding chassis and driveline concepts that the sport now uses. These are concepts that with a little luck will also benefit us mortals when they eventually get used in every­day cars.

Formula 1 shifted focus in 2014, with a broader, more ambitious goal than ever. The most comprehensive rule changes ever involve a new dimension, where teams are not only chasing lap times, but also pushing the development of eco­friendly technology for the auto industry. All of a sudden efficiency is

just as much an obvious and important part of the package as speed. Fuel con­sumption needed cutting by 35 per cent as soon as each car was suddenly only allowed 100kg of fuel per race. Natu­rally without compromising the cars’ performance.

Formula 1 is still basically a gladia­tor sport at breakneck speeds. A sport where drivers are expected to challenge themselves and their cars in a treacher­ous balancing act – with huge rewards on the one hand and enormous risks on the other. ✖

34  FUTURE BY SEMCON

STRESS ON THE DRIVERHad a stressful day at work? Compare that with F1 drivers’ working environment. Each time behind the wheel drivers are put under extreme forces. Extreme G forces, cockpit temperatures up to 60°C and incredible stresses, pushing bodies to the limits of what is humanly possible. A Grand Prix lasts 1.5 – 2 hours. In that time drivers have an average pulse of 170 beats per minute, the highest, over such a long time, of all athletes.

MECHANICAL GRIPThe most important components on F1 cars are not engines, computers or wings, but the tyres. F1 uses 245–325 mm wide slicks on 13-inch rims, pre-heated to 110°C to give maximum mechanical grip. However the rubber only lasts about 25 minutes until a complete tyre change is necessary. A pit crew of 18 are needed to use the jack, change tyres and adjust wings. The fastest pit stop was done by Red Bull on Circuit of the Americas in 2013, taking a mere 1.923 seconds.

POWER UNITICE + MGU-K + MGU-H + ES + Turbo + CE = PU. Complicated? To say the least. Forget engines. F1 cars have extremely complex hybrid systems known as Power Units with six basic components. ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) is a 1.6 litre, turbo-charged V6, producing 600hp. A combi generator/electric engine (MGU-K) harvests kinetic energy to the ES (Energy Store/battery) from the rear axle during braking. When accelerating, the MGU-K delivers an extra 160 hp for 30 seconds per lap. The MGU-K harvests surplus en-ergy from the turbo, delivering it to the ES. Overall output: 760hp. To keep the sport’s extreme costs under control everything is controlled using standardized CE (Control Electronics).

SPEEDCalculations have shown that F1 cars have a theoretic top speed of over 440 km/h, which is a fact that not many of the sport’s practitioners care much about. Formula 1 is about lap times, i.e. average speed over individual laps. Top speeds are therefore kept down by the wings’ air resistance. The highest recorded speed in 2014 was “only” 362 km/h. The fastest lap in F1 history was driven by Juan Pablo Montoya in training at the Italian GP at Monza in 2004 with an average speed of 262.242 km/h.

BRAKESUnder really heavy braking kinetic energy is converted into heat, equivalent to 2,000 kW. That’s why the carbon fibre brakes glow so beautifully. The toughest braking in F1 is at bend 14 at the Shanghai International Circuit in China. From brak-ing, and 123 m ahead, the driver presses the brake pedal with 131 kg of pressure. The brakes slow the car down by 254 km/h, from 317 km/h to 63 km/h, in just 2.98 seconds. The most ever decelera-tion measured was at the same bend in an F1 car at 6.41G.

AERODYNAMIC GRIPF1 drivers need more than just grippy slicks to take a bend with side acceler-ation of over 5G, which is why F1 cars have wings forcing the chassis to the track using downforce and a diffuser that creates negative pressure under the car. At 300 km/h up to 1.5 tons of downforce is generated, which is the most extreme example of aerodynamic grip at bend 8 at Istanbul Park. A long 190° bend with 4 apexes, where F1 drivers are put under prolonged G forces of between 4.5 – 5.5 G in 7 seconds.

FUTURE BY SEMCON  35

Semcon BrainsTEXT LINDA THOMSEN HÖGFELDT & JOHAN JARNEVINGPHOTOS SEBASTIAN BERGER, NICKE JOHANSSON, AASHITH SHETTY & ANDERS DEROS

IN RECENT YEARS Stefan Sommer helped Semcon develop a new business area in the field of aircraft galley design, working as a project office for Semcon’s customer, Sell. His team has grown each year, now consist­ing of 50 employees in Germany and India, supporting airlines like Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways.

What is the difference between your department’s work now compared with when you first took on the assignment?

“When I started as a designer back in 2009 I only had three colleagues. At that time, Semcon had no experience in design­ing aircraft interiors, just for vehicles. So the first year, me and my team worked at

Sell’s office. Our first assignment was an easy design, compared with what we do today, which is everything from complex galley constructions to electrical parts, refrigeration, water installations and air conditioning,” he says.

How have you managed to put to-gether such a successful team?

“Teamwork is crucial to everything the department does. Our team in Germany de­signs the galley and then transfers the data to our team in India who do the drawings for the customer. After that, our German team supports the customer in production until the airline gets the galley. So everyone has an important role to play.”

What are your plans for the future and what drives you?

“Over the next few years I would like to continue developing my team and try boosting Semcon’s successes in this area. What inspires me at work is that I always have the ability of developing things and setting new targets to keep me moving forwards.” ✖

Aircraft interior

designerStefan Sommer,

Semcon Germany

36  FUTURE BY SEMCON

FUTURE BY SEMCON  37

38  FUTURE BY SEMCON

Semcon Brains

Children’s car seats

Front seatsBack seats

Seats

Belt reminders

Seatbelts

Climate regulators – back

Climate

Climate regulators – front

JOHAN ELISSON IS a technology writer and specialist in topic-based informa-tion, which is an area that has developed quickly, and one where Semcon has a lead role. Johan and his colleagues are currently helping Volvo Cars develop driver manuals to be more digital.

What’s the difference between topic-based and more traditional information management?

“Take an instruction manual, where you read sequentially, chapter by chap-ter. Topic-based swaps the sequences for stand-alone sections. Readers get just

the information they need and we never know if anyone has ever read the other sections. Each section should cover its own area.”

What advantages do Volvo and Volvo drivers get from your job?

“It’s mainly a matter of improved user experience. The information becomes simpler to take in. Topic- based information is media depend-ent and we can publish and update in different interfaces, like the car’s multimedia system. It’s also possible to embed systems for individual mes-saging and feedback in completely new ways.”

What experience do you have of topic-based writing?

“I was involved when Wikipedia took off and was soon nominated for an ad-min post. On reflection I see many sim-ilarities between writing for them and what we do at Volvo’s editorial office.”

What’s the next step for you and everyone at Semcon working with topic-based writing?

“We work a lot with training, both in-ternally and with customers, and develop the offer. We believe in the choice that this type of information system provides. It can be customized according to any product or service.” ✖

Air conditioning

Electrically heated seats

Seat climate

Ventilated seats

Topics expertJohan Elisson,

Semcon Sweden

FUTURE BY SEMCON  39

MADHURIMA

PATRO IS an electronics de-

signer and part of Semcon’s aero-

space aircraft team, with offices in Germany

and India. She and her team in India design electrical systems where the smallest mistake would mean huge costs for customers.

What characterizes good elec-trical installations?

“The product I deliver to my customers must be both simple and robust. From the very moment when we first test the design in a CAD sys-tem, it has to be perfect. As designers we also need to be flexible through-out production and be able to handle

last-minute changes. It’s a job that’s just as demanding as it is rewarding.”

What are your work duties in your assignments?

“I’m not only responsible for electrical installations, but also for guiding Semcon’s expansion into other areas of the aviation industry. My first assignment was to under-stand and build all the electrical details of an aircraft galley. This included everything from creating electrical systems and integrating different functions for installation at the assembly plant. And now, back in India, my job is creating a Semcon team in Bangalore fir electrical in-stallations for aircraft galleys.”

How do you feel about the col-laboration with Germany?

“We work very closely. When I first got the job I spent a period in Germany where I worked closely with Semcon’s electrical team in Freidrichshall to learn more about their routines. Offshoring is be-coming increasingly important for the service sector because it allows our network to grow. Our com-mon goal is to have a team that can assist customers in various parts of the world.” ✖

BEHIND THE SCENES AT SEMCON BRAINSu Do you want to know more about Madhurima Patro, her work and the challenges at Semcon? See the film at semcon.com

Electronics expert

Madhurima Patro, Semcon India

40  FUTURE BY SEMCON

Electrical energy expert

Christoffer Grönberg, Semcon Sweden

Semcon Brains

CHRISTOFFER GRÖNBERG IS an electrical energy and automation engineer. His work often requires a lot of detective work, where many of the drawings he uses don’t really match reality.

Why is electrical energy an important area?

“Society depends on electrical functions and a power cut can have serious consequenc-es. My job includes developing safe, robust electrical solutions so we avoid these issues.”

What does a typical assignment look like?

“My assignments vary. They can range from fault finding to problem solving and development, quite often in one and the same project. We recently helped a Swedish energy company build remote steering and control equipment for transformer sub-stations. It was an important, complex job because the company supplies electricity to both compa-nies and private individuals and needed help in improving distribution safety.”

What’s the biggest challenge?“If I’m working on an old plant then

documentation might at best be copies of hand-written documents. We’ve had cases where we’ve had to go through the plant on site to document what it actually looks like before being able to start the new assignment. Many of our projects deal with rebuilding the plant during full operation, so we need to be precise when coming up with the decommissioning and assembly documents. The cool thing about my job is that it places demands on both creativity and engineering precision for the result to be as good as possible.” ✖

TWO YEARS AGO we wrote about Atlas Copco Mechanical Rock Excavation (MRE) and the gigantic machines doing the job in modern mines. In the article we met Andreas Stråth, Semcon’s consultant and mechanical designer at MRE. Back in 2012 he and his colleagues were in the middle of four parallel development projects. We called him up to hear how things went.

“Things are on the move down the mine. The last time you wrote about us I wasn’t allowed to say too much about my machine due to reasons of secrecy. I say my machine because I really put my heart and soul into this rig and was very in­volved in development. It’s now launched on the market,” says Andreas.

This new machine, called Easer, is nothing less than a revolution in mining.

“We use the same technology as in raise boring (read more in Future by Semcon #3, 2012) but this is a refinement. It’s like a tractor that’s become an F1 car.”

The name Easer has been directly taken from the mining industry. “Ease off”, is what they say about the pressure given off by an opening hole when rock blasting.

Easer’s job in the mine is to drill these opening holes. The biggest new addition is that the rig is mobile and immensely versatile.

In contrast with previous rigs Easer doesn’t need bolting onto a concrete platform. It takes less than one hour to

get Easer in place, which is like the speed of light in the mining industry.

“Speed indicators tell us that we have gone from 2 to 15 km/h, which saves half the time for the entire job, from installa­tion to finished hole.”

Atlas Copco MRE has every right to have high expectations of “Andreas’ rig”.

Two have already been delivered, with ten on order for Australia alone.

“The pressure is on but we can’t quite deliver yet. We’re still evaluating the two we have delivered.”

Before we end for now Andreas tells us about other development projects.

“Top Secret”. These are customer projects undergoing rigorous testing. Call back in two years and we’ll see.” ✖

What happened next?Future follow up

24 FUTURE BY SEMCON 3.2012

A

FUTURE BY SEMCON 3.2012 25

W e all remember the seven dwarfs in Snow White. With picks and lanterns in their hand, they came trudging back from yet another day in the mine. In the past, they didn’t have much more help than that. If the rock was so hard that picks, wedges and levers didn’t work, the rock could be burned and heated up and you could carry on mining. It became a little easier in the 18th century when gunpowder was introduced - and later dynamite was also used. But it was still hard, strenuous work with high risks for everyone involved.

Today, most things look different. At Atlas Copco Mechanical Rock Excavations (MRE) office in Örebro, there are photographs of advanced rock mining machinery, and there are also several miniature models of machines around the premises. It is also here in the office cubicles that future solutions for rock excavation are developed - both pure develop-ment projects and the modification and im-provement of existing products. “The work here is both varied and exciting. I’m at the forefront all the time and it is a fan-tastic opportunity to be involved in designing new products,” says Andreas Stråth, a Semcon consultant and mechanical engineer at MRE,

Within “raise boring”, Atlas Copco Mechanical Rock Excavation has become the world-leading supplier for the international mining industry. The huge machines are developed in Örebro and Semcon is part of the journey. TEXT LOTTA RINGDAHL PHOTOS ATLAS COPCO & MATTIAS ERMANBRIX

GIANT IN THE MINE

A VERSATILE, MOBILE RIG THAT DOES THE JOB IN HALF THE TIME. THIS WAS THE RESULT WHEN SEMCON HELPED ATLAS COPCO WITH NEW RAISE BORING MACHINERY. AND MORE PROJECTS ARE ALREADY ON THEIR WAY.TEXT JOHAN JARNEVING PHOTO JOHAN BERGLING

A revolution in raise boring

Article in Future number 3/2012

FUTURE BY SEMCON  41

DIETER RAMS

PHILIPPE STARCK

IN AN INTERVIEW at Pasadena Art Center College of Design in California, where Dieter Rams regularly visits, he inspires students with his motto, “simpler but better”.

Dieter has been praised for his ability of merging design principles and in doing do creating cross­ border constructions. This might be be­cause he studied to be a carpenter after studying architecture at Werk­

kunstschule in Wiesbaden, Germany. As a boy Dieter saw his grandfather, also a carpenter, skilfully creating new furniture creations.

The first furniture Dieter designed he used a mix of different materials: wood was used with plastic or alumin­ium. For 40 years from 1955 onwards he worked at the home electronics company Braun AG, where he be­came world­famous as the creator of

the “Braun style”. He emphasizes the importance of teamwork and timing. One of the most praised product his team designed, and which immediately made it as part of the permanent exhi­bition at Moma in New York, was the Braun SK4 combined radio and record player with its transparent Perspex lid. This was new at the time when it was standard practice to make radios from highly polished brown wood.

“MY HEART IS IN THE DETAILS. I BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE MORE

IMPORTANT THAN THE RESULT,” SAYS DIETER RAMS – ONE OF THE

WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS.

TO BE A SUCCESSFUL DESIGNER YOU SOMETIMES NEED TO THINK

OUTSIDE THE BOX AND BREAK AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL RULES. FUTURE

LISTS TEN OF THE DESIGNERS WHO HAVE SUCCEEDED WITH JUST THAT.

“IF THERE DOESN’T SEEM TO BE A PROJECT THAT PHILLIPE STARCK CAN’T MASTER THEN IT’S PROBABLY BECAUSE THAT’S TRUE,” SAID DESIGN MAGAZINE DESIGN BUREAU ABOUT THE FRENCHMAN.

10 INSPIRATIONAL DESIGNERS

PHILIPPE STARK HAS designed everything from toothbrushes to luxury yachts. His designs are often clean and simple with elements of popular culture, which is seen in his iconic alien-inspired Juice Salif juice press, his branch-like taps and the gold painted lamp foot weapons that are part of his Gun Series. The aforementioned represent the correlation between money and war, according to Starck, who has always seen his designs mainly as a political weapon.

The list10 designers

42  FUTURE BY SEMCON

3THE CASTIGLIONI BROTHERS 4CHARLOTTE

PERRIANDTHE ITALIAN industrial design Castiglioni broth-ers have made a name for themselves by using mini-mal amounts of common, ordinary materials to provide products with maximum effect. Initially the brothers became known for rede-

signing products, like chairs made from tractor seats and bicycle saddles. Later they created stereo equipment with faces and lamps just with hanging light bulbs, which was a trend just as hot in 2014 as when the Castigli-oni brothers created it.

5YVES BEHAR 6DRIES

VAN NOTEN

7THOMAS HEATHERWICK 8HARRY

BECKHARRY BECK designed London’s map of the underground back at the beginning of the 1930s. He worked with the under-ground’s signalling system but in his spare time sketched a map that showed the different lines, focusing on stops and the junctions of the various lines.

The first edition was published in only 500 copies and fell on fertile soil. The second edi-tion sold 700,000 copies in a month. His graphics created the norm for underground maps around the world. The map has been voted as the second most influential British design classic.

IF YOU SEE simple, stylish wooden furniture with un-expected splashes of colour, then it’s probably one of Jo Nagasaka’s pieces that you are looking at.

He’s possibly most well known for his “ColoRing Series”, which are tables and chairs with straight sections where the

natural grain of the wood is filled in with neon paint.

He started his own design agency, Schemata Architects, af-ter getting his architecture degree in 1998. He is also responsible for the Happy Hotel exhibition, which is said to show a new kind of hospitality: a modern hotel with a gallery, bookshop and café.

9JO NAGASAKA 10DAVID

CHIPPERFIELDARCHITECT DAVID CHIPPER-

FIELD won the Nobel Foun-dation’s architect competition in April to design a new Nobel Center at Blaiseholmen in Stockholm.

The building will replace the Nobel Museum in Gamla Stan and will house all facilities for the public

concerning the Nobel Prize, including exhibition prem-ises, meeting and event rooms, plus library, restau-rant and shop. Work on the Nobel Center is expected to start next year and it will be inaugurated in 2018.

SINCE 2007 more than two million children and young people in developing countries have received an XO, which is a simple laptop, through the One Laptop per Child edu-cation project. The project’s chief designer is the Swiss industrial designer and dura-

bility advocate Yves Behar. In One Laptop per Child he

and his colleagues emphasize the importance of powerful educational tools for children around the world. Their port-ability makes it possible to in-volve the entire family in learn-ing and to share with others.

ONE OF THE youngest on the list, born in 1970, but experi-enced and renowned. British designer Thomas Heather-wick is one of the UK’s most imaginative designers.

The Heatherwick Studio, which now employs 80 designers, was assigned in

2010 to design a new Lon-don bus. The bus was 40 per cent more fuel efficient than the old diesel-driven double-deckers, and with its open platform at the back is a throwback to the very popular Routemaster buses of the 1950s.

BELGIAN FASHION DESIGNER Dries Van Noten presented his first collection back in 1986. Interest in his style dropped in the 90s, but he managed a comeback at the beginning of 2000. He uses a lot of print, colour, original materials and layers. He has been award-

ed the International Award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. All his clothes can be bought in stores and he doesn’t create haute couture. “I am a little naïve but I don’t like the idea of showing things that you can’t buy in stores,” he says.

THE YEAR WAS 1927, the place, Paris. One day a 24 year-old Charlotte Perriand walked into the legendary French-Swiss designer Le Cor-busier’s studio and asked to be hired as a furniture designer.

“We don’t embroider cushions here,” they said. But

Charlotte was insistent and eventually got what she want-ed. This was the beginning of a close partnership, resulting in a number of timeless classics.

Her motto was ‘better de-sign creates a better society’ and she took on a very func-tional style.

FUTURE BY SEMCON  43

HOW FORMULA 1

WORKS

E-LEARNING GIVES MANY

ADVANTAGES

NEW DESIGN NEW CONTENT!

BY SEMCON #1 2015

BIG DATA SOLVES FUTURE TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS

COOPERATION: SHARING RISKS AND PROFITS

IDEAS DON’T

COME IN YOUR SLEEP

THE BRAINS BEHIND “THE EPIC SPLIT” REVEALS HOW

SHE KEEPS CREATIVITY ALIVE

FUTURE BY SEMCON #2 2014

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