With offices in China, Taiwan, Japan, Great Britain, and the USA, Schaffner operates on a global scale and has been listed on the stock exchange since 1998. The company is therefore obliged to inform its stakeholders in real time about how the company is progressing and about any changes in the relevant markets. The company's figures, which are published yearly, are awaited with great interest. To create the 2011 Annual Report, W4 was commissioned with comprehensive programming, graphic design, and content services. The simultaneous publication of the report via three access channels (print, web, App), which was aimed at in two languages, had top priority and also marked a new development in the company's history. The cross-media approach was intended to give Schaffner the opportunity to make the costs associated with the reporting task efficient and lend the published content permanent flexibility. The aim was, in the future, to build all versions on a single database and be able to edit the content of the App and online version flexibly. Not least, Schaffner AG also hoped, with the aid of its App, to offer its users easier access to the Annual Report from anywhere in the world - even without an Internet connection or a paper version - and at the same time ensure the report always displays the latest version through automatic updates each time the report is accessed. 

The implementation: develop the app, draft the layout, upload the content, and manage the project

W4 accompanied the process from the layout design to the go-live of the App and web version, from printing to the scheduled deadline delivery of the reports, over a tight period of three months. During this time, W4 worked both on the production of the printed version and on the programming of an App as well as on an online version integrated into the Schaffner website. In the first step, W4 developed a new corporate design for the Schaffner Group, including a redesign of the Schaffner logo, thereby providing a fresh, consistent face for the global player to its customers and partners.

W4's services in the context of this project primarily included:

• Photography and image preparation.
• Creation of graphics.
• Drawing up a multimedia approach for distribution.
• Development, programming, and implementation of the new Schaffner App.
• Development of the new corporate identity manual for the print and online versions of the Annual report.
• Approval and production of the financial report in German and English.
• Proofreading in German and English.
• Support for the web version and the App.

By as early as mid-December 2011, the Schaffner Group's new Annual Report was published on all three channels and presented to stakeholders. As well as the print version, the online and app versions also allow global access to the report in English and German. Online version

The customer

The Schaffner Group is a leading company in the development and production of solutions that safeguard the efficient and reliable operation of performance electronics systems. As a producer of EMC filters, harmonic filters, and performance magnetic components, and as a skilled company specialising in the development and implementation of customer-specific solutions, Schaffner has a local presence among customers all over the world, thanks also to its globally-oriented sales organisation.