Time.  A highly valued asset in much of supply chain management and logistics operations. Time matters. Too little time due to delayed deliveries or late arrivals can cause havoc and supply chain disruptions, too much time due to production slack or early arrivals are equally annoying. Time is important and a supply chain works best when it is on time. For passenger trains it is definitely imperative to be on time and in 1944, Hans Hilfiker (1901-1993), a Swiss engineer and designer and employee of the Federal Swiss Railways, created a clock, which has since become known as the “Official Swiss Railways Clock”. This clock is a Swiss a national icon. It ensures that all trains run on time and that all stations show exactly the same time. This is the story of how the clock came about and what it means to me.

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