Annual Report 2005/06 THE WORLD OF SOUND - Sonova

Our customers buy a better quality of lifeOur approach is not technology for its own sake. Instead,we constantly strive for technological innovations, which cansolve everyday problems of people suffering from hearingimpairment. For over 40 years now, Phonak has been committedto providing high-tech solutions for hearing-impaired people,thereby restoring some of their quality of life. In the case ofchildren, Phonak’s products give them access to the wealth ofsounds, thereby helping them to develop the auditory skills theyneed to build their future. Furthermore, Phonak is a pioneer inthe field of high-power amplification for people with severehearing impairment.Phonak drives innovation and has set the standards withinthe hearing instrument industry for many decades. Savia,Phonak’s revolutionary hearing system in the digital premiumsegment, has established itself as the benchmark product inthe hearing instrument industry. Savia incorporates many “worldfirsts”like Real Ear Sound or EchoBlock, advanced functionswhich deliver unmatched hearing performance and provide aneffortless and natural hearing experience. In the other pricesegments, Phonak now also offers eXtra and Eleva (both launchedduring 2005/06), two hearing systems that boast the excellentsound quality and basic functionality provided by the PALIO platform.Another milestone in 2006/07 was the market launch ofmicroPower and Verve. With microPower, the advantages ofmicro hearing systems – comfort and cosmetic appeal – are forthe first time available to people with severe hearing impairment.Verve is in a class of its own – both in terms of technology andits comprehensive service package – and has carved out its ownsegment that is positioned above the digital premium segment.Investment in training and continuing educationLast year, Phonak continued to invest heavily in the educationof hearing care professionals and presented the latest scientificresearch and product innovations to a broad audience. As wellas holding conferences, the company also created a uniqueweb-based interactive learning platform. With innovation cyclesbecoming increasingly shorter and the number of hearing systemfunctions steadily growing, our employees and distributionpartners worldwide need to spend more time on training andcontinuing education. To ensure that users are able to fully benefitfrom the exceptional performance offered by our products,we need to ensure a high standard of education and trainingacross the entire value chain. With the help of the new interactivelearning platform, we can train our global workforce quicklyand efficiently while at the same time addressing our clientsdirectly. Leading scientists are already giving presentations onthis platform and recorded product presentations can be downloadedfrom anywhere in the world. One positive consequenceof this platform is that it reduces the amount of travel, therebybenefiting the environment.During the last financial year, Phonak once again organizedseveral highly regarded conferences on different topics inaudiology. Over 350 experts from 34 different countries attendedour Second European Conference for Pediatric Audiology inAmsterdam, the Netherlands, in October 2005. Here, internationallyrenowned specialists were able to share their knowledgewith audiologists and pediatric experts. Topics included otitismedia, causes of hearing impairment, environmental considerations,and current issues concerning the provision of hearinginstruments for infants.For November 2006 Phonak is planning an internationalconference in Chicago on the topic “Challenges associated withhearing care for the adult population”. An international teamof around 30 leading international experts will present the latestresearch findings. The scientific presentations are backed up bypractical information that is useful for everyday work.Recognizing that today’s hearing instruments may still beimproved to rival the hearing abilities of the human ear in allhearing situations, Phonak continuously pursues the development38 Sustainability