Machinery comprehensive insurance and electronics insurance are types of technical insurance. These policies are useful if you want to protect your machinery and equipment against damage caused by technical hazards and accidents. They cover internal operational damage and comprehensive damage to stationary and mobile machinery, systems, apparatus, mobile work machines, electronic devices, and IT equipment. Coverage can be individually expanded with additional coverage upon request.
You need property insurance to protect your inventory (goods and fixtures) and buildings against damage caused by fire, water, (burglary) theft, and similar risks. There are also property insurance policies with additional coverage, e.g., for technical hazards. Therefore, depending on the scope of coverage selected, property insurance may in some cases cover the same risks as technical insurance.
Important: For mobile machinery and equipment, coverage against fire, natural hazards, and theft can be provided through both property insurance and technical insurance. We would be happy to advise you.

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In principle, virtually all machinery, technical equipment, and devices are insurable. It depends on the industry in which your company operates (e.g., the machinery and metal industry, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, transportation, healthcare, the public sector, or the service sector in general).
The machinery, technical equipment, devices, and IT assets must be operational or ready for operation (i.e., they must be fully assembled and have undergone initial commissioning).
Restrictions may also apply to prototypes, untested technologies, or special operating conditions.
We recommend a consultation to understand your needs and provide the optimal insurance coverage.

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By the way: For mobile technical equipment such as construction cranes and fairground rides, setup, operation, and dismantling—including transport to the destination—are covered under the basic policy.

Mobile and self-propelled machinery and mobile equipment are generally always insured throughout the entire agreed geographical scope of coverage. As a rule, insurance coverage applies in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. If necessary, the scope of coverage can be extended to Europe or virtually the entire world.
Stationary insured machines- such as a CNC machine or an offset printing press - are insured at all of the policyholder’s locations. However, the transport of the machine between locations is not covered.

Yes. The basic coverage includes the costs of restoring or replacing firmware and operating systems. This applies provided that the data loss resulted from damage to or destruction of insured hardware.
You can purchase additional coverage for the restoration of other programs and data. If expenses are incurred for reinstalling additional software due to damage to insured property, the following are also covered:

• manual re-entry from source documents
• automatic re-entry from backup media, and
• the replacement of ready-to-use programs

Restoration costs are also covered even if the damage was caused by a third party, e.g., a service or repair company.
In electronics insurance, the “Plus” supplementary coverage also covers restoration costs resulting from improper operation, magnetic fields, voltage fluctuations, and power outages.

Yes. You can generally choose your deductible freely. Please note, however, that depending on the insured item (e.g., a drill or a hydroelectric power plant), a minimum deductible amount may be specified.
If you choose a deductible that exceeds the specified minimum amount, you will benefit from premium discounts.
If a claim involves multiple items or costs covered under the same policy, the deductible is generally applied only once.

Yes. You can report new machinery, equipment, etc., at any time and have them added to your existing policy.
If you have a large number of machines, you can also send us a list of machinery, which we will include in the policy. Under our property insurance, we can even insure all machinery on a lump-sum basis for the entire business.
If you replace individual insured items with new ones of the same type, the insurance coverage transfers to the new items. The sums insured agreed upon in the contract continue to apply. Please notify Zurich of the items in question by the end of the insurance year at the latest.

Machinery Hull Insurance and Machinery Insurance protect you against financial losses resulting from unforeseeable damage to stationary and mobile machinery, technical equipment, systems, and mechanical installations.
Machinery Hull Insurance covers damage caused by violent external forces, such as collisions, impacts, overturning, falling, and sinking.
Machinery insurance also covers internal operational damage resulting from operational, design, material, or manufacturing defects, as well as damage caused by short circuits, overcurrent, or overvoltage, and by defective safety devices.

You can arrange specific supplementary insurance for your business, e.g.:

• interchangeable tools and molds (e.g., machine tools, injection molding)
• attachments (e.g., agricultural and construction machinery)
• Recovery costs for programs and data
• for movable property affected by machine damage
• Damage resulting from civil unrest
• for mobile items such as equipment, self-propelled and mobile work machines, covering damage caused by fire, natural disasters, and theft
• Loss of earnings and additional costs insurance: If your insured machinery and equipment are out of service as a result of an insured event, business interruption insurance covers your ongoing costs such as wages, rent, interest on capital, etc. Also covered are additional costs to maintain operations, costs to mitigate damage, and the operating profit you can no longer generate. If needed, the additional costs alone can also be insured.

Yes. In machinery insurance, unforeseen and sudden damage or destruction is generally covered. For example, if a CNC machining center insured against machinery breakdown suffers an “internal” collision due to an operator error, or if the gearbox breaks due to a material defect, these incidents are covered. Machinery comprehensive insurance covers external damage and consequential damage resulting from internal operational failures. Example: Gearbox damage is not insured. However, if the excavator subsequently drives into a ditch as a result, the consequential damage is covered. Coverage also applies to comprehensive insurance events resulting from operator error.

Yes, of course. Please note that Zurich:

• In the event of partial damage, reimburses the costs of restoring the affected item to the condition it was in immediately prior to the loss event.
• In the event of a total loss, reimburses the current market value of the insured item immediately prior to the loss event.

In other words, in the event of a claim, the current market value is reimbursed. If the damaged item is repairable, the age of newer or refurbished components is taken into account.
Insurance for older machinery and equipment can be beneficial not only when these items are well-maintained, but also when additional coverage is desired for extra costs incurred to maintain operations in the event of a claim or for loss of income.

If your insured machinery and equipment are out of service as a result of an insured event, business interruption insurance covers your ongoing costs, such as wages, rent, interest on capital, etc. Also covered are additional costs incurred to maintain operations - including the costs of rental equipment or replacement machinery - as well as other costs incurred to mitigate losses and lost operating profits. If desired, only the additional costs can be insured.
If you already have property insurance with additional coverage for technical risks, then leased, rented, borrowed, or temporarily held items are also covered—unless they are insured under a separate policy.

• Operational Damage to Machinery, Equipment, and Devices

Example of damage caused by a programming error:
Due to a programming error, the tool of a CNC milling machine collides with the workpiece. The spindle and bearings are damaged and must be replaced.
Zurich machinery insurance covers the repair costs and, thanks to the additional coverage, also compensates for the damaged tool and the loss of earnings resulting from the damage.

Example: Bearing failure in a printing press
Due to a bearing failure in a printing press, bearing balls pass through the printing area and damage various cylinders.
Zurich machinery insurance covers the repair costs, including replacement of the bearing and cylinders, as well as the additional costs for outsourcing the job to another facility.

Example: Gearbox damage on a mobile crane:
A gearbox failure occurs on the slewing ring of an older mobile crane due to a fatigue fracture. To minimize downtime, the gearbox is replaced over the weekend. Zurich compensates for the technical current market value of the gearbox and, under the selected supplementary coverage, for the expedited repair.

• Comprehensive insurance claims involving mobile machinery

Example: Collision involving a truck-mounted loading crane:
A truck-mounted loading crane collides with an underpass. The loading crane is severely damaged. A mobile crane must be deployed for recovery. The recovery costs and the repair of the loading crane are covered by Zurich’s machinery comprehensive insurance.

Example: Total loss of a wheel loader:
An older wheel loader falls into a gravel pit. The chassis, arm system, and cylinders are so badly bent that the machine is considered an economic total loss.
Two mobile cranes are required for recovery. The recovery costs are sufficiently covered by the machinery comprehensive insurance. Zurich compensates for the technical current market value of the wheel loader and, under the current market value supplement coverage, 20% of the sum insured for the purchase of a new machine.

Example: Lifting platform failure:
A support on a lifting platform breaks, causing the platform to collapse. The broken support would be covered under the machinery insurance as “internal operational damage.” The machinery comprehensive insurance covers the consequential damage to the work basket and the scissor mechanism.

The following applies to all cases mentioned:
In coordination with property insurance, the following can be included in the coverage for all mobile and self-propelled work machines and mobile equipment:

• Fire damage
• Natural hazards (e.g., flooding)
• Theft

Businesses and institutions with IT systems, electronic office and retail equipment, electronic devices, apparatus, or vending machines, as well as audio, video, measurement, and testing equipment, benefit from electronics insurance. This insurance covers financial losses resulting from damage caused by violent external forces. This includes, for example, human error, collisions, falling objects, power surges, as well as fire, natural disaster, theft, and water damage. Also covered are damages (for IT equipment only by special agreement) resulting from design, material, or manufacturing defects, as well as damages caused by short circuits, overcurrent, and power surges, and by defective safety devices. You can arrange specific supplementary insurance for your business, e.g.: reimbursement of costs for restoring damaged or destroyed data and programs resulting from damage, theft, or lightning strikes to data storage media; data recovery costs due to operational errors, magnetic fields, voltage fluctuations, and power outages; reimbursement of additional costs for continuing IT operations if operations are fully or partially interrupted as a result of an insured event.

In the event of a failure of IT equipment or electronics

Example: Server blackout:
A power surge damages the data storage unit in the server. The component, which has a long lead time, must be replaced.
The costs for the new storage unit, for data recovery from the backup, and for the rented components needed to maintain operations are covered by electronics insurance.
Example: Air conditioning unit failure:
The air conditioning unit in the server room fails over the weekend; the central processing units overheat and become unusable.
The costs for the new computer modules as well as the data recovery costs are reimbursed by Zurich electronics Insurance.
If the air conditioning unit is also covered, this damage is also covered.
Example: Damage to a laser scanner:
During a 3D survey of construction progress, the laser scanner falls to the floor below due to carelessness. Although no external damage is visible, the device no longer functions reliably. Various components are replaced by the manufacturer. The repair costs and the additional costs for a replacement device are covered by Zurich electronics insurance.

Yes. Recovery costs are covered in the event of damage to or destruction of the data storage medium, i.e., expenses for restoring programs and data are covered. Recovery costs are incurred in particular for

• manual re-entry from source documents
• automated re-entry from backup media
• if required due to the damage, the replacement of operational programs

Restoration costs can also be insured if they are necessary without damage to data storage media. Specifically, due to:

• erroneous operation, clumsiness, negligence, including incorrect use of programs
• electrostatic charge, magnetic fields
• voltage fluctuations