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Sustainable value creation

Financial and operational excellence

Implenia continually adapts its structures and processes in response to market developments in order to stay competitive and exploit market opportunities. Carefully weighing up opportunities and risks, the company exploits its entrepreneurial freedom and creates sustainable value for its shareholders and stakeholders.

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Creating value Value Assurance BIM Cybersecurity Sustainable finance “Green” credit financing Lean Construction Quality strategy Customer satisfaction

Creating value

GRI 2-6, 3-3, 201-1

Consolidated Financial Statements 2022

Value Assurance

The execution of individual large construction projects can have an impact on the success of the company as a whole; so it is very important for Implenia to plan carefully, exploit opportunities and control risks in every phase of its major projects. This is the only way to secure sustainable growth for the whole Group, which is why Implenia operates according to the Value Assurance model. Each project undergoes a predefined process in which its profitability is checked several times. This model is applied as soon as projects are selected and tenders prepared. It then continues across all the major stages up to and including actual construction.

Implenia divides its projects into classes on the basis of various parameters, including size, complexity and contractual conditions. Depending on the class, a specific decision-making body (Value Assurance Committee - VAC) will be responsible for overseeing the project. The VAC approves the tender and regularly reviews early warning indicators to determine whether a project is progressing according to plan. If problems become apparent, proactive measures are taken to prevent greater losses.

BIM

It is hard to think of anything that has changed the construction industry in recent years as much as Building Information Modeling, or BIM. This new technology creates a digital 3D model that brings together all of the planning, execution and subsequent management of a building or structure.

Implenia has invested significant funds in its Group-wide BIM infrastructure. Local BIM units help the divisions implement the new methods in their operational business. These local teams train project workers, provide support and develop technology.

Implenia is constantly expanding its use of model-based work in the various phases and areas of its construction projects. Nearly all planning is done digitally these days, but the use of BIM on-site is less widespread. Implenia is now piloting its first paperless construction sites, where all the information needed to execute the project is available on digital devices only.

It is also working on linking the environmental profile of the materials it uses to its BIM models. This will make it possible in future to calculate the grey energy of building components and whole buildings automatically, compare data and choose the most sustainable option.

Implenia is also working on integrating the environmental performance of the materials it uses into its BIM models. In future it will therefore be possible to record the grey energy of building components and whole buildings automatically, compare data and choose the most sustainable option.

Cybersecurity

As more and more processes within the company become networked, the risk of hacker attacks and data theft increases. In response, Implenia uses state-of-the-art cloud technologies and is continuously expanding its cybersecurity strategy. This strategy is based on the international ISO 27001 standard and includes an integrated risk management approach centred on the protection of employees and systems.

Implenia works with internal and external specialists to ensure all digital processes are implemented in a professional manner. A partner company monitors the systems round-the-clock, registers any irregularities immediately and responds without delay. Regular internal and external audits ensure that vulnerabilities are identified promptly and corrected.

Employees receive regular training to sensitise them to risks associated with the internet. They tackle the latest cybersecurity topics and practice how to defend against virtual attacks.

Sustainable finance

Sustainability is an integral part of Implenia’s business and value system. This makes the Group’s shares and bonds attractive to investors who want to invest responsibly. It is important to Implenia, therefore, whether and how the Group’s engagement is perceived and valued by the financial sector. The company also attaches great significance to transparent communication, in particular of its objectives and key indicators.

A raft of positive ratings reflect the external recognition that Implenia’s sustained commitment has received in recent years. MSCI ESG – one of the world’s leading credit rating agencies – gave Implenia an AAA rating in 2022, for example. Implenia also received above-average sustainability ratings from rating companies Sustainalytics and Inrate. 

“Green” credit financing

In 2018 Implenia became the first industrial company in Switzerland to link its credit margin to its sustainability performance. This performance is determined annually by Sustainalytics, a leading international provider of ESG ratings. In 2022, Implenia consolidated its top position – both overall and in the three individual areas – among a total of 65 companies in the “Construction & Engineering” sector, scoring 85 points. This was an improvement of one point on the previous year (download report). The Sustainalytics “ESG Risk Rating” also puts Implenia in the top five percent of companies (download report). Thanks to its consistent high ratings Implenia benefits from favourable conditions on the capital market.

 

Lean Construction

Implenia uses Lean Construction methods to preserve resources and ensure efficiency in the planning, management and execution of construction projects. The main objectives are to promote transparency and communication in the projects, and encourage learning among those involved. 

Lean methods help bring all stakeholders into the project at an early stage, shorten decision-making processes and achieve common goals on schedule in collaboration with partners, customers and subcontractors. This increases agility, prevents empty runs and conserves resources at all levels of a construction project. As well as improving material and energy efficiency, it also ultimately leads to greater safety and greater satisfaction for all involved.

In collaboration with the operational project business, Implenia’s Lean experts have put together a toolbox that brings the methods developed specifically for the company together as internal standards. This toolbox is continuously evolving and enriched by the addition of specific best practices based on experience.  

In 2021, Implenia also developed an extended, multi-month Lean training programme for operational staff. This is recognised externally and certified under the Lean Competency System. The programme forms the basis for a growing internal community of Lean users, who continue to embed the understanding of Lean values more and more into Implenia’s corporate culture.  

Quality strategy

In order to stay competitive for the long term, Implenia continuously adapts its structures, as well as its management and control processes, to market requirements, the latest academic insights and the latest technology. Almost 100% of all business units are subjected to the ISO 9001 continuous improvement process.

Implenia’s quality strategy is based on three pillars:

  • Excellent process management with clear processes and responsibilities;
  • Continuous improvement by learning from experience and maintaining a positive error culture;
  • Increased quality awareness through training and a clear definition of responsibilities.

Implenia thus ensures that the company can achieve the desired results with regard to products and services, customers, employees and society at large.

A central element of process management is the Implenia Management System (IMS), which has developed over many years and was completely revised in 2020. It serves as a reliable reference for all standards (“single source of truth”). Thanks to the IMS, all employees can access the relevant processes whenever necessary. Roles and responsibilities are clearly set out at document level as well as for the different areas and processes.

In 2022, the Implenia Executive Committee defined and adopted an overarching quality policy. “Quality Principles” for day-to-day work were derived from this policy – simple phrases that help instil quality into the work employees do every day on construction sites and in offices. 

Customer satisfaction

Satisfied clients are the basis for Implenia’s long-term success. Implenia regularly assesses how its customers feel about its services. As well as talking to them directly about their experience, Implenia carries out systematic customer satisfaction surveys. Questions are asked through a web interface on the management system, thus giving customers a user-friendly process and, at the same time, increasing the response rate.

Implenia receives feedback from numerous customers each year. Around 95% of the feedback is from professional clients, and the rest from private customers such as people who have bought apartments built by the company. In 2022, 97% of business customers said they were satisfied with Implenia’s services and would recommend Implenia to others (previous year: 98%).