Business news

Winterthur – The Winterthur City Council is proposing a framework credit of 100 million Swiss francs for the expansion of the district heating networks. The aim is to drive the expansion forward over the next ten years. Voters will vote on the proposal in 2027.

Winterthur/Antwerp – Belgian shipping company Exmar has put the “Antwerp” into service, the world’s first ocean-going vessel powered by ammonia. The engine was developed by WinGD and tested by the Korean company HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. Forty additional orders have already been placed.

Zurich/Spreitenbach, Switzerland – Students from several universities are participating in a competition for emerging talent in marketing communications. This year’s competition is sponsored by Zweifel Chips & Snacks AG. The final round will take place on June 16.

Winterthur – The City Association "Junge Altstadt Winterthur," the City of Winterthur, and House of Winterthur plan to jointly establish a city management program for the Old Town. Following the example of other cities, a pilot project will initially run for three years with the aim of enhancing the appeal of the downtown area.

Winterthur – In June 2026, leadership of Frutiger Company will pass from Urs Frutiger to his son Mark. The Winterthur-based company, which specializes in automated tire-washing systems, will celebrate this transition from the second to the third generation from June 19 to 22.

Winterthur – Burckhardt Compression reported a net profit of 110 million Swiss francs in 2025. Revenue remained nearly flat at 1,057 million Swiss francs. Order intake plummeted by 32 percent to 784 million Swiss francs. The compressor manufacturer is feeling the effects of geopolitical tensions.

Tokyo – Swiss space companies and organizations promoted themselves and the country’s innovative space ecosystem at a booth at the Space Business Expo Japan 2026. Cooperation was also a focus at a well-attended reception at the Swiss Embassy in Tokyo.

Winterthur – House of Winterthur is offering a new themed city tour that focuses on biodiversity in the city. In addition to individuals and schools, the tours are also aimed at companies, which can book a city-themed group event through this program.

Winterthur/Stuttgart – Autoneum will showcase its portfolio of battery housing components for electric vehicles at the Battery Show Europe in Stuttgart from June 9 to 11. At the event, the automotive supplier will publicly unveil a prototype of a multifunctional battery cover for the first time. It is 30 percent lighter than conventional production models.

Los Angeles/Winterthur/Biel – This year, 65 startups are participating in MedTech Innovator’s accelerator program. They are also listed in the new MTI Index, a platform that recognizes medtech innovations. Among them are Medyria from Winterthur and OrthoSens from Biel.

Winterthur – The Lake Constance region should collaborate more closely on implementing a circular economy in the construction sector. This was discussed at the 65th session of the International Parliamentary Conference on Lake Constance. Currently, the supply of recyclable materials already exceeds demand.

Winterthur – The 5th Digital Night 2026, organized by the Digital Winterthur association and ZHAW, demonstrated that there is considerable interest and many questions surrounding the topics of agent-based and physical artificial intelligence (AI). Experts provided insights into how far AI and robotics have actually come today and where their limitations lie.

Frauenfeld/Baden AG/Winterthur – The Twerenbold Reisen Group has broken ground on a new travel terminal in Frauenfeld. Starting in 2028, the new building will also serve as the new headquarters for the employees of Excellence Cruises – Reisebüro Mittelthurgau.

Winterthur/Dietikon, Canton of Zurich – Wallee, a payment provider based in Winterthur, and avolut, a data intelligence specialist, have developed a dashboard that converts anonymized credit and debit card data into customer insights. This enables retailers to better understand their customers’ purchasing behavior.

Winterthur – In addition to the waste-to-energy plant, the Winterthur City Council plans to establish a new recycling center by 2028 to accept recyclables from private households. To this end, it has approved a loan of 500,000 Swiss francs. Maag Recycling AG will be responsible for the recycling operations.

Winterthur – The Swiss innovation agency Innosuisse has classified heyPatient AG as a startup with particularly high growth potential. As a result, the Winterthur-based company has received the Innosuisse Scale-up Program Award and has been accepted into the second phase of the scale-up program.

Winterthur – The Department of Nuclear Medicine at Winterthur Cantonal Hospital has been recognized as a Level 1 qualified theranostics center of excellence. Theranostics can help identify and treat a patient’s specific tumor cells in a targeted manner.

Winterthur – The fairmieten association has been founded in Winterthur. Its goal is to introduce clearer standards and greater fairness to the Swiss rental market through a code of conduct. The Raiffeisen Pension Fund Cooperative and the Rivora Collective Foundation are already on board.

Winterthur – The Café Restaurant Obergass in Winterthur’s Old Town has won the 16th KMU-MAX award. The prize is presented by the Winterthur and Surrounding Area SME Association. The finalists also included Küng & Co AG and Selzam AG.

Winterthur – Researchers at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) have studied the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the workplace. While the use of AI is viewed positively, it can also create additional pressure to increase productivity.

Winterthur/Dietikon, Canton of Zurich – Oxara and the Winterthur Building Authority are organizing a professional event on natural building materials at the Winterthur Grüze Innovation Lab. On June 9, four experts will present their projects and discuss how the use of traditional materials can be reimagined for the modern era.

Winterthur/Traversetolo – Burckhardt Compression is acquiring the Italian company Fornovo Gas, which specializes in the development and production of gas-powered reciprocating compressors. With this move, Burckhardt Compression aims to strengthen its position in the market for biogas and compressed natural gas (CNG).

Winterthur – In fiscal year 2025, Stadtwerk Winterthur generated 36 million Swiss francs, approximately 10 million Swiss francs more than in the previous year. This is attributed to low temperatures and favorable energy procurement. Meanwhile, the expansion of renewable energy is moving forward. 

Winterthur – In its new economic strategy, which includes 22 measures, the city of Winterthur is focusing on innovation, technology, and collaboration. The goal is to strengthen the environment for technology-oriented companies and startups and to better connect business, education, and research.

Winterthur – DESIGNGUT a new home: After 16 years at Casinotheater , the sustainable design fair is moving to the Lagerplatz in the Sulzer-Areal Stadtmitte. In addition, the new organizing team has moved the event from early November to the spring.

Winterthur – The Winterthur Cantonal Hospital (KSW) is leasing the space vacated by the Lindberg Private Clinic, which is set to close in late June. Starting in 2027, the KSW plans to house its acute geriatric and palliative care units at the new location. The KSW will also take on the private clinic’s apprentices.

Winterthur – Kistler has introduced several new software solutions for quality assurance in the injection molding of medical devices. The ComoNeo 9.0 and AkvisIO 9.0 software solutions offer expanded standardization capabilities and improved user-friendliness.

Aarau/Lindau/Illnau-Effretikon, Canton of Zurich – The sustainable clothing brand Nikin and the tent manufacturer Spatz have collaborated to create the Nikin x Spatz collection. It includes T-shirts, caps, bags, and a poncho that can be turned into a tent—all featuring or made from the original brown tent fabric.

Winterthur – The Rivora Collective Foundation received the awards for Best Residential Properties 2026 and Best Pension Fund in 2026. The awards are presented by IAZI in Zurich. Rivora is a long-standing partner of Auwiesen Immobilien AG.

Winterthur – Désirée Keller and Céline Küng have joined the Board of Directors of the PAWI Group. The two daughters of company owner and Chairman of the Board Andreas Keller are expected to strengthen the long-term strategic direction of the family-run packaging specialist.