CHARGING AHEAD The worlwide future of electromobility: How do consumers see it, what are governments planning and what challenges do industries face GERM WARFARE Why drinking water isn’t always good clean fun RESCUE REMEDY When mobile devices are lost: How companies can shut out data thieves ISSUE 3.11 contact CUSTOMER MAGAZINE OF TÜV RHEINLAND IS IS IS IS IS IS IS S S SU SU SU SU SU SU SU SU S E E E E E E E E 3. 3. 3. 3. 3 3 3 3 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 IS IS IS IS IS IS IS S S SU SU SU SU SU SU SU S S E E E E E E E E E 3. 3. 3 3 3 3 3 3 11 11 11 11 11 11 1 ISSUE 3.11
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
CHARGING AHEADThe worlwide future of electromobility: How do consumers see it, what are governments planning and what challenges do industries face
GERM WARFARE Why drinking water isn’t always good clean fun
RESCUE REMEDYWhen mobile devices are lost: How companies can shut out data thieves
I S S U E 3 . 1 1
contactC U S T O M E R M A G A Z I N E O F T Ü V R H E I N L A N D I SSI SI SI SI SI SI SSS S US US US US US US US US US EEEEEEEE 3 .3 .3 .3 .3333 1 11 11 11 11 11 11 1I SI SI SI SI SI SI SSS S US US US US US US US USS EEEEEEEEE 3 .3 .333333 1 11 11 11 11 11 11 1I S S U E 3 . 1 1
International study 04 What consumers worldwide think
of e-cars
Whoever brakes first loses 06What conditions are governments
creating to promote e-mobility?
Survival of the fittest 08Why our experts torment batteries
and electric cars
Masters of insulation 10How to take the danger out of handling
e-cars for rescue workers and repair
shops
Healthcare supermarket 14How pacemakers and artificial hip
joints are becoming more reliable
Benedict in the spotlight 17 Why our work made the Pope’s visit in
Berlin’s Olympic Stadium a sure thing
Hidden risk 20 What hazards lurk in public water faucets
Closing gaps 22 How companies can stop security leaks
caused by negligence and criminal intent
Hidden champion 24 Interview: how Real Estate Germany
succeeded in growing into a market-ready
facility management giant
No more cable chaos 27 What users dream of: wireless charging
of cell phones with a universal device
02 contact 3.11
SpotlightFacts and Figures 12 – Market opens for car glass suppliers
– Award-winning Annual Report
– Hygiene check with the Clean Card® PRO
– Compact
Contents
Editorial
28The Oscars of the business world have just been awarded once again. Every
two years, the Thinkers50 ranking honors the most influential minds in inter-
national management. The focus this time was on nominees whose ideas
and visions have the potential to improve the world. As always, the latest
listing highlights many sensational, often strikingly clever ideas that will have
an impact well beyond the business sector, and that pursue important, worth-
while goals for the greater good of humanity. For me, Thinkers50 is a val uable
asset and a source of inspiration for how we at TÜV Rheinland can also make
the world better and safer every day.
That’s especially true in light of the technological challenges that we still face.
In the area of mobility alone, it will be exciting to see which engine prevails
in the future and which cars customers will ultimately choose. On page four,
you can read what consumers in the world’s twelve most important automo-
tive markets think of electromobility, what they want from politics and who
they expect to gain technological leadership.
Do you aim to stay one step ahead in your field, too? As a responsible deci-
sion maker for your company, you should definitely know about the innova-
tions in IT security that we describe on pages 22 and 27. On page 28, we
reveal just how important the pioneering minds of tomorrow are to us – not
only in management but also in technology. Enthusiasm is the basis for all
new development. And that’s where we come in: We’re happy to instill
younger generations with our fascination for using technology and innovation
to safeguard people and the environment. For example, our magazine TÜVtel
explores technological topics in a style that is interesting and understandable
for children. Perhaps you’d like to order a free copy (only in German at this
stage)? And maybe you’ll even discover some budding pioneers in your own
family.
PIONEERS OF THE FUTURE
People & Environment
Changing times for recruiting 28
How today‘s technology-loving kids can
become tomorrow’s engineers
Tasteful contest 30
How international up-and-coming master
chefs delight food fans – report from the
tradeshow Anuga
Imprint 32
03
Dr.-Ing. Manfred Bayerlein, CEO
contact 3.11
Cover picture:
Liu Weihai, General Manager Com-
mercial Products at TÜV Rheinland
Greater China, tests charging stations
for e-cars. Here, she is seen with the
new Opel Ampera, the first electric
car with unlimited range and suitable
for day-to-day driving launched by a
European automobile manufacturer.
Titelthema Elektro-Mobilität
04 contact 3.11
Electromobility
88%
37%
57%52%
92%
63%
85%
34%
78%72%
61% 57%
China Denmark Germany France India Israel Italy Japan Portugal Spain UK USA
Would you buy an e-vehicle in the next five years?
What do consumers around the world think of electromobility? How high is the basic accep-tance level? TÜV Rheinland investigated consumers’ possible purchasing motivations, information levels and safety concerns along with other aspects relating to electromobility in the world’s twelve most important markets. For complete information on the most comprehensive and represen-tative study on the topic to date: http://bit.ly/qv1FaV.
ASIA TAKES THE DAY
contact 3.11 05
90% 64% 72% 73% 95% 76% 95% 59% 94% 89% 67% 60%
China Denmark Germany France India Israel Italy Japan Portugal Spain UK USA
Should electric vehicles be powered by renewable electricity only?
China Denmark Germany France Japan USA
16% 10% 42% 12% 53% 23%
What country has the greatest electromobility know-how?
Interesting alliances
Germany and Japan are considered the undisputed technology leaders in e-mobility. But Japan’s and Denmark’s drivers have little interest in high-voltage technology. Italians and Indians place a high priority on getting energy from renewable sources.
Trends & Innovation
WHOEVER BRAKES FIRST LOSES
06 contact 3.11
GERMANY: The German government is
putting up one billion euros for research in
all aspects of e-mobility. But Berlin is some-
what more stingy when it comes to subsi-
dizing the purchase price of electric vehicles
– although vehicle ownership is tax-free for
five years. Municipalities can allow electric
vehicles to use bus lanes or designate lanes
exclusively for e-vehicles.
Consumer acceptance of electromo-bility is rising throughout the world, but how are politicians responding? How do the parameters affect the competition for global leadership in high-voltage technology? Germany is subsidizing a solution. Other countries are significantly more creative – with Japan, France and China leading the pack.
Subsidize purchasing decisions or research? Governments around the world are using different approaches to establish electric vehicles on their roads.
A further result of the current TÜV Rheinland study: Chinese, Indians, Italians and Spanish are in favor of government subsidies.
China
93 %
Denmark
64 %
Germany
57 %
France
74 %
India
89 %
Israel
79 %
Italy
84 %
Japan
70 %
Portugal
80 %
Spain
89 %
UK
62 %
USA
43 %
Trends & Innovation
07
to spend around €1.5 billion on the infra-
structure for electrically powered vehicles.
The government is also supporting the erec-
tion of a new bat tery factory to the tune of
€125 million.
ITALY AND SPAIN: Somewhat less gen-
erous, the two Southern European coun-
tries limit purchase incentives for private
con sumers to between €1,500 and €6,000.
Commercial users in Italy can expect
€4,000. By contrast, the British are putting
up around €5,700 and, at least in London,
waiving the congestion charge. It remains
to be seen whether these efforts will be
enough. As yet, the European electric-vehi-
cle motor is not really up to speed. This is
the conclusion of a recent study by the in-
ternational market analyst JATO Dynamics.
Its findings show Germany leading Europe
in the first half of 2011 with 1,020 new ve-
hicles registered.
SHOULD GOVERNMENTS FINANCIALLY SUPPORT ELECTRIC VEHICLES?
DENMARK: Although Denmark
is heaven on earth for e-mobility
with tax benefits of up to €20,588
per vehicle, only 283 new cars were regis-
tered there in the same period.
CHINA: Beijing tops all other countries
with investments in the billions. 500,000
electric vehicles are to be rolling on China’s
roads by 2012, rising to five million in ten
years. The government recently expanded
the subsidy program in place since 2005 to
include a model project in five major cities:
in Hangzhou, Hefei, Changchun, Shanghai
and Shenzhen, buyers of electric vehicles
receive a premium of up to €7,000. Addi-
tionally, manufacturers receive a state
subsidy to further reduce the price of elec-
tric vehicles. Around five billion euros are
to be spent on electromobility by 2020.
The Chinese government has also launch ed
a program to find joint venture partners for
Chinese companies. Domestic businesses
can receive premiums and capital to pro-
duce rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for
all applications.
Trends & Inn
SHOW NO MERCY
08 contact 3.11
A battery’s life is hard and, often, short.
Sometimes they go down in a hail of bullets
or fall victim to malicious mauling aimed at
finding out if they will surrender their energy
through short-circuits. Engineers also take
pleasure in putting the heat on them: candi-
dates that catch fire at temperatures of up
to 900 degrees centigrade cannot look for-
ward to a life after testing. If the TÜV Rhein-
land battery testing labs in Nuremberg,
Osaka and Shenzhen are the fires of purga-
tory for lithium-ion batteries, then hell is in
Helmond, in The Netherlands. At least for
complete electric vehicles. Sometimes the
air is thin, sometimes the temperatures ex-
ceed 55 degrees centigrade. Sometimes
the mercury drops through the floor, down
to minus 40 degrees. How does the vehicle
respond to fluctuating ambient and opera-
ting conditions? How do record tempera-
tures affect range and performance? Does
the motor start acting up, or does it bravely
hold out for the minimum range of 100 kilo-
meters?
Not a word to the public!
Nothing sparks the colleagues at TÜV Rhein-
land so much as electricity, particularly in
Survival training for electric vehicles and batteries: manufacturers that pass TÜV Rheinland’s rigorous testing are ready to take on the global growth market of high-voltage technology.
Merciless temperature drops, searing heat: at the European Electric Mobility Center
in Helmond, TÜV Rheinland can simulate all climate zones in the world.
Around 50,000 electric or hybrid vehicles currently travel on Germany’s roads. The high-voltage systems work with currents of up to 700 V. It represents a high risk for untrained workshop staff and emergency responders – and careless employers.
Danger wears orange. The high-voltage ca-
ble snakes through the entire vehicle –
“Caution: high voltage!” Even after being
switched off, with the special service plug
pulled and the fuses removed, electric vehi-
cles can still continue to carry a voltage for
up to five minutes. “Depending on the cir-
cumstances, a shock like that can be fatal
or cause severe, permanent injury,” warns
Dr. Ulrike Roth, occupational physician at
TÜV Rheinland. Just 20 milliamperes (mA)
causes muscle cramping, making it impos-
sible let go of the current source without
help. Currents above around 80 mA can
cause ventricular fibrillation. And 700 volts
can be lethal.
“Basically well set up”
Many businesses in the automotive sector
apparently still fail to take the risk seriously.
Over 80 percent of workshop mechanics
have received no training on how to work
on electric vehicles, according to a repre-
sentative survey from 2010. One quarter of
all businesses will also work on an unknown
electric car without training. Employers can
be liable if an untrained technician suffers
an accident, as in principle they are obliged
to care for the well-being of their staff –
which includes appropriate safety instruc-
tion.
Since 2009, the German Federation for Mo-
tor Trades and Repair (ZDK) considers itself
well set up with its industry-specific training
offerings. General service and maintenance
Electromobility
contact 3.11
Trends & Innovation
Our specialists are also in-volved in creating safe work-places for electric vehicles in dealerships and service ope-rations. These businesses need to put up around €5,000 as the price of admission to this future technology – not including employee training.
A MECHATRONICS WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE
Insulated gloves:
Mechanics can’t perform any maintenance or repair work on the high voltage network without them.
Helmet with face protection:
Deformable and in-sulated against 1,000 volts.
Insulation meter:
Extremely important for protecting people
against electric shock. It also helps prevent
damage due to uncon-trolled fault currents.
Trends & Inn
12
Facts
contact 3.11
TÜV Rheinland has earned not one but two awards with its
2010 Annual Report: the Silver Award in the category
“Business Services” and the distinction of being one of the
“TOP 50 German Annual Reports of 2010.” The prizes
were presented by the League of American Communica-
tions Professionals (LACP) in the context of its Vision
Awards – the largest international annual reports competi-
tion. With 97 out of a possible 100 points, our annual report
“Boundless” ranked among both the best in our industry
and Germany’s top 50. The report was impressive for its
concept and design, as well as its topics and motifs. The
jury characterized the overall presentation of the report as
“excellent” and “extraordinary.” “We’re very happy about
this international recognition, especially because it’s our
first integrated sustainability and financial report,” says Aud
Feller, Head of Communications at TÜV Rheinland AG.
Shattering results: the experts test how the safety glass responds to a blunt, massive object.
CORPORATE REPORT 2010
Award-winning: our Annual Report with the Singapo-re skyline on its cover.
TIME BOMB: Does my fertilizer contain
explosive ingredients? TÜV Rheinland can now
answer this question for manufacturers. If the
result is negative, they can rest assured that their
products cannot be misused. The Oslo bomber
fabricated his own device – from fertilizer and die-
sel fuel.
NEW: from July 1, 2012, onward the new stan-
dard EN 1090-1 will apply to structural elements
in steel and aluminum. By that time at the latest,
manufacturers of structural building components
must have the corresponding certificate in order
to sell their products in Europe.
GROWTH: Do not destroy! With the acqui-
sition of the Dutch testing service provider Sono-
vation, our global non-destructive testing capacity
is enhanced even further. Particularly for compa-
nies in the oil and gas industry, TÜV Rheinland
now possesses additional capacity in the area of
technologically sophisticated non-destructive
testing. This includes ultrasonic analysis, corro-
sion tests and special measurement methods for
pipe systems.
ANNIVERSARY: Has it really been that
long already? TÜV Rheinland has been active at its
locations in Thailand and the Philippines for two
decades now. Hundreds of guests celebrated this
occasion with us – in Thailand on a boat with a
view of Bangkok, in the Philippines in an elegant
hotel.
contact 3.11 13
EHEC cucumbers and dioxin eggs are having an impact: 70 percent of Germans
are afraid of contaminants in foods, according to the German insurer R+V Ver-
sicherung. Even though this fear is not always justified, restaurants, cafeterias
and other food service operations can build trust using a brand-new product:
the Clean Card® PRO in credit-card format detects protein residues on working
surfaces and devices in just 30 seconds with a single swipe. This is a tremen-
dous advance, as these surfaces are a “land of plenty” for germs and bacteria.
If the color scale on the card signals danger, the surfaces and equipment must
be cleaned again. Conventional wipe and swab tests require several days to
show results. Many food service businesses demonstrate their commitment to
uncompromising hygiene with the mark “TÜV Rheinland certified cleaning ef-
fectiveness.” With the Clean Card, they now have a simple, low-cost tool for
checking their working services – a favorite focus for our inspectors – them-
selves.
THE KEY TO CLEAN BUSINESS
An effective day-to-day hygiene aid: the Clean Card® PRO shows if a surface is clean within just 30 seconds. Can protein residue be found? With one swipe it becomes instantly clear whether germs or bacteria will find nutrients. In that case, more cleaning is required.
Greater safety for patients is the goal of a voluntary Code of Conduct for the assessment process of medical devices. It’s about time there were con sistent standards, since whether a pacemaker is safe or not shouldn’t depend on where it came from.
OPERATION CODEXthe approval process for their product – and
there are clear variations throughout the EU.
The national authorities often impose diffe-
rent requirements, for example regarding
expert qualifications. For that reason, com-
parable qualifications are a key aspect of the
Code of Conduct.
Diverse demands in Europe
“To us, appropriate qualification means that
our experts are familiar with the specific
product type and that they’re up-to-date
with the latest technological develop-
ments,” says Dr. Wilma Hartung, our expert
on medical devices. “The national authori-
ties monitor their Notified Bodies quite
diffe rently – once a year in some countries,
only once every two years in others and
never at all in some places,” she adds. How-
ever, the products can be sold all over the
EU if they bear the CE mark, regardless of
contact 3.11 15
where they come from. It goes without say-
ing that in the highly competitive growth
market for medical devices (see inset), pric-
ing and speedy market access are important
selling points.
Great start: 11 out of 80 already comply
To ensure that patient safety doesn’t suffer
in tough competition, we and four other
leading Notified Bodies created a Code of
Conduct in 2009. Compliance is voluntary.
The aim is to develop a consistent basis for
the certification and inspection of medical
product manufacturers. By 2011, the Code
had already been adopted by 11 of the 80
Notified Bodies in Europe, including compa-
nies from Germany, France, Great Britain,
Luxemburg, The Netherlands and Turkey.
Among other things, the Code of Conduct
focuses on ensuring comparable levels of
expertise, while also defining a minimum
Health needs safety: TÜV Rheinland
voluntarily complies with the Code
of Conduct.
From high-tech devices to sticking-
plasters: Medical devices must be
reliable. The Code of Conduct is a
step in the right direction.
16 contact 3.11
risk medical devices like pacemakers via a
central authority. Neither the manufacturers
nor the Notified Bodies agree with this idea
from Brussels. “To keep up with the rapid
pace of technological development, an
authority like that would need a huge team
of experts. In the current job market, there
aren’t even enough specialists available,”
says Dr. Hartung. “With our experts and our
initiative, we aim to contribute to the har-
monization process and help improve quali-
ty standards at a voluntary level.”
The quality initiative is now even making an
impact beyond European borders. The Tai-
wanese approval authority is considering
only allowing European Notified Bodies that
have signed the Code of Conduct to join the
“Taiwanese Cooperation Program” from
now on. After all, prevention is still better
than cure.
time frame for certification and surveillance
audits, regardless of company size. “During
an audit, we evaluate the technical docu-
mentation for a medical device and careful-
ly examine the manufacturing processes.
These range from development and the
purchase of raw materials to production and
packaging,” says Dr. Hartung. “We also
scrutinize the supply chain. For example, if
it turns out that certain pacemakers have
been delivered with faulty batteries, well-
regulated documentation helps ensure that
the products can be recalled quickly – hope-
fully before they’ve been implanted in pa-
tients,” explains the expert.
Fear of a central authority
The product recalls of the past few years
and the varying standards in Europe also
worry the European Commission. It has in-
dicated plans to only grant approval for high-
Safety is the top priority:
TÜV Rheinland specialist
Dr. Wilma Hartung helps
promote the Code of Conduct.
A HEALTHY MARKET
Each year, medical devices worth around 210 billion euros are sold worldwide. With a turnover of 22 billion euros, Germany is the third biggest market after the USA and Japan. Germany is also the third biggest production location und the second largest exporter of goods. German medical technol-ogy companies make more than half their revenue from products that are less than three years old – a clear indication of the industry’s great innovation potential.
Papal visit in the German capital: the safety of the appearance of Benedict XVI before around 61,000 people in the Olympic Stadium was not a matter of faith – it needed a blessing from TÜV Rheinland experts.
All-seeing: Uwe Dewitz inspects the altar installation.
contact 3.11
18 contact 3.1118
one foot to the other, bite down hard on
their chewing gum or check their cell
phones for the thousandth time. Does the
stage structure really come up to code? Will
the expert find any defects? The conse-
quences are unthinkable if Uwe Dewitz re-
fuses to bless the safety of the stage.
Calm in the storm
The athletic engineer doesn’t let the general
anxiety get to him. On the contrary: with full
concentration, he turns his eye first to the
rear section of the altar installation. Appar-
ently there were problems here: “This thing
was partially built into the spectator’s plat-
form. But that only supports loads of up to
550 kilos per square meter,” Dewitz ex-
plains. As the papal platform is heavier, its
weight had to be redistributed using a com-
plex special structure. It took the platform
builders several days to get a handle on the
problems. The chief structural engineer gave
his OK, and our inspector verified the calcula-
tions in advance. He can find no fault in the
finished structure – on to the next section.
Seek and ye shall find – defects
Uwe Dewitz prefers heavy metal over light
music. He describes with enthusiasm how
he recently got to inspect the stage for AC/
DC. Dewitz views the papal visit more dis-
passionately. “He’s also just a person,” says
Berlin resident Dewitz, and returns his at-
tention to the altar installation.
The railing at the edge of the stage falls
victim to a tape measure. “Only 90 centime-
ters high, but we need at least 110. Also,
the railing gives when you lean on it,” says
Dewitz, and returns his tape measure to his
pocket. Before a representative of the scaf-
folding company can start explaining,
Dewitz recommends immediately reinforc-
ing this section and attaching a warning sign
as well. Dewitz also critically scrutinizes the
elevator concealed in the interior of the
stage to allow the Pope to appear without
climbing stairs. “It’s totally dark in here and
completely open on one side,” says the
expert. “Whoever is operating this elevator
tomorrow has to be instructed very care-
fully beforehand.” The assembled repre-
The Olympic Stadium just one day before
the Pope’s arrival in Berlin – a high-security
zone. Only those with a pass issued by the
State Office of Criminal Investigations
dangling from their necks are allowed in.
Police patrol all the passageways, their
bomb dogs sniffing in every corner. All clear
– no explosives. Workers in black erect the
seating row by row. Uwe Dewitz marches
purposefully up to the white stage. The TÜV
Rheinland expert has mission from the
Archdiocese of Berlin: to inspect the
250 -square-meter altar installation and its
substructure for safety. This is a task of
great importance, after all, Pope Benedict
will celebrate a mass on the next day – be-
fore an anticipated 70,000 people in the
stadium and millions of television viewers
around the world.
A blessing for safety?
Uwe Dewitz is already awaited in front of
the stage. This is the moment of truth for
the organizers and the scaffolding compa-
ny. They nervously shift their weight from
Measuring up: the platform for people in wheelchairs meets standards.
Inconvenient questions: Uwe Dewitz wants to know all the construction details.
Heavyweight: Uwe Dewitz checks to ensure the stage is well supported.
19
Papal visit Technology & Safety
contact 3.11
No half measure: the Delay Towers must meet all standards.
A hard nut to crack for stage build-ers: the stage was built into the spectator`s platform. It took days to get the statics right.
Working undercover, experts from TÜV Rheinland took water samples from public locations throughout Germany. Their findings: bacteria grow in the pipes of universities, city halls and retirement homes.
contact 3.11
Undercover investi-gation: our testers
took 50 samples. The analyses show that the purity require-
ments are not always met.
OWNERS’ RESPONSIBILITY
The new German drinking water regulation (TVO) took effect at the beginning of 2011. It defines new limits, for instance for legionella, plus strict water hygiene requirements. Owners of buildings accessible to the public must have their pipes and sanitary facilities inspected and maintained according to TVO. Our experts support building operators and private in-dividuals with microbiological examinations and hygiene inspections, and test their drinking-water infrastructure for them on a regular basis. This increases owners’ peace of mind while reducing their liability risk. Additional information can be found at www.bmg.bund.de.
Water hygiene Technology & Safety
21
RESCUE REMEDY
22 contact 3.11
I’m at my wits’ end. My iPhone. Gone. Lost
it on the train. How could that happen? I
can’t stand to think about it. Corre-
spondence, quotations, draft contracts,
sketches … passwords can be cracked …
whose hands will my cell phone fall into?
I’m sitting here on the hotseat in IT, begging
for forgiveness. Instead of reading from the
company cell phone policy, the IT security
officer gets to work immediately: “Don’t
panic, we’ll take care of it right now,” he
says comfortingly. The security officer finds
me in the system – click, click, click. “There
– done.” I breathe a sigh of relief. A single
central command – called a kill pill – has
deleted all sensitive data on my iPhone,
wherever in the world it might be. It’s still a
shame to lose my device and all that work,
but the intangible loss to the company is
limited. It’s not a license to be forgetful for
klutzes like me, but I do rest easier. IT secu-
rity for mobile devices can be so easy, but
is still very much the exception, not the rule,
in small and medium-sized enterprises.
Many businesses permit the use of smart
phones and tablet devices, but fail to consid-
er whether all employees send their e-mail
and other sensitive data in encrypted form,
or whether the cell phone is password-pro-
tected. In times of increasingly frequent IT
scandals, more and more decision-makers
are starting to take note of this gaping se-
A hacker’s heaven: lost or stolen smart phones and tablet PCs are tempting targets for corporate data thieves. But a “kill pill” can reliably protect against crooks in the event of loss of the device. TÜV Rheinland tested 15 control programs.
At first glance, this little black plate seems almost
magical. It certainly doesn’t look like a charger –
more like an iPad. It functions somewhat like an
induction cooker – and still the whole thing seems
totally implausible. Just put your phone, camera or
whatever on the plate and charge them all at once?
With no cable salad? Anywhere including public
places like airports, office buildings and restaurants?
It works. A separate sleeve slipped over each device
makes them start communicating with the charger.
But this new technology is not magic: it is an ex-
tremely sophisticated form of energy transfer via
induction. And to keep the electronic devices from
interfering with each other, the Wireless Power
Consortium (WPC) has developed a new standard.
The move places WPC at the forefront of worldwide
efforts to promote a standard for wireless charging
technology. And it has already come up with a pow-
erful name: Qi, pronounced “chi.” This word stands
for a key concept in eastern philosophy and is best
translated as vital energy; it is at the heart of such
disciplines as Chi Gong and Tai Chi. “The principle
of invisible energy flows is the same in both cases,”
explains Uwe Halstenbach, Head of TÜV Rheinland
in Taiwan. And he should know. His laboratory was
recently authorized by the consortium to test this
promising miracle device according to the newly
defined Qi standard – the only laboratory in the
world to date. If a charger passes the TÜV Rheinland
test, it can successfully communicate with standard
cell phones and cameras, and is awarded the Qi
mark. “Although this project is still in the early
phases, the interest and particularly the demand
from individual companies is great,” says Uwe Hal-
stenbach. Understandable for such a pioneering
idea. After all, what long-suffering mobile device
user doesn’t want an alternative to cable chaos?
Finally – no more mixed up adapters: TÜV Rheinland is testing a new technology in Taiwan according to a specially developed standard. The confusion of chargers from multiple manufacturers may soon be a thing of the past.
Colorful, exciting and brand-new every three months: TÜVtel, the children’s knowledge magazine from TÜV Rheinland. Tess and Roby have loads of fun and information in store.
Smart and sassy: Roby und Tess explain technology.
Young fe-
male seeks
hands-on ex-
perience – when Viki Küppers has the op-
portunity to watch an elevator expert at
work and look deep into the shaft with him,
she doesn’t think twice. As a reporter,
twelve-year-old Viki is exploring the techni-
cal secrets of everyday life for the children’s
magazine TÜVtel. Inquisitive, creative and
with huge team skills, she and her co-re-
porter Leo bombard our elevator inspector
with questions and transform the magical
realm of technology into lively children’s
reading. Tomorrow’s trained experts are al-
ready in short supply today. The headhunt-
ers’ headaches vary around the world de-
pending on the severity of the shortage of
engineers: Germany – like all of Europe, in
fact – is desperately seeking skilled profes-
sionals. Turkey and Russia are also suffering
dramatically from a shortage of qualified
experts. China has enough well-trained en-
gineers for manufacturing, though it some-
times lacks those with specialized knowl-
edge. The situation in Africa and Korea is
similar. South America has sufficient young
engineers thanks to its high birth rates, and
India too stands out with excellently trained,
career-ready experts – although there are
not enough interesting jobs for them at
home. Meanwhile, companies are losing
orders worth billions due to unfilled vacan-
cies.
“More young people are studying engineer-
ing and national sciences right now, but in
the long term that cannot stop the decrease
in skilled workers due to the demographic
change in western nations,” says Norbert
Schnettberg, Head of Human Resources
Development at TÜV Rheinland. With the
marketing strategy of employer branding,
we as an internationally oriented provider of
testing services are seeking to attract the
DON’T WORRY, BE MECHANICAL
YY
m
h
It has hit Europe the hardest, but the shortage of skilled labor-ers is a worldwide trend. TÜV Rheinland is thinking long-term – and reaching out today to the technology fans of tomorrow.
6M² OF HAUT CUISINEEight young chefs vie for the title “Cook of the Year.” To win they have to convince a jury of Michelin Star-wielding master chefs – and a man from TÜV Rheinland.