Business news

Winterthur, ZH — Thomas Schoch is the new chairman of the board of directors of Technopark Winterthur AG. The entrepreneur succeeds Daniel Anderes, who stepped down from the board after six years at the helm. The vice-chairmanship and other positions on the board were also filled by new members.

Freienbach, SZ/San Francisco — Stäubli will showcase its expertise in electrical and fluidic interconnect solutions in mid-October at Semicon West. There, visitors can learn how these solutions help address critical challenges in semiconductor manufacturing.

Kemptthal ZH/Zurich — Planted and SV are temporarily operating VIOLA's Diner Planted Soulfood at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH). From September 15 through October 2, the Tannenbar there will be serving plant-based burgers and sandwiches from the ETH spin-off Planted.

Wädenswil, ZH — The Department of Life Sciences and Facility Management at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) celebrated its move to the historic Shedhallen in Wädenswil. The historic halls house modern laboratories, workspaces, and a library.

Stetten AG - The Exentis Group increased its revenue by 48 percent to just over 25 million Swiss francs in the first half of 2026. Operating income rose disproportionately compared to revenue, reaching 5.2 million Swiss francs. The cooling structures and semiconductors segments were the key drivers of growth.

Zurich/Ostermundingen, Canton of Bern — Kablan AG has installed trackers from the Zurich-based company truvami on its cable drums. This enables the Ostermundingen-based cable and LAN distributor to track the location of its spools digitally and ensure their full reuse.

Bern — Christoph Ammann will chair the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) starting in early May 2027. The current vice chair and former member of the Bern cantonal government was appointed by the Federal Council to succeed Barbara Janom Steiner. Marc Mächler will join the Governing Board as the new vice chair.

Basel — The BaselCircular association is establishing itself as a hub for the circular economy in the Basel region, according to the conclusions of its network meeting. Ongoing activities are at the heart of its work: For example, the Techstars Startup Weekend will enter its third round on September 18; ideas related to the circular economy are welcome.

Bern — In the second quarter of 2026, gross domestic product grew by 1.5 percent, marking the strongest growth since the third quarter of 2021. The chemical and pharmaceutical industry, in particular, served as the main driver of growth, along with the rest of the industrial sector. This is according to data from SECO.

Winterthur/Wikon, Lucerne Canton—Condecta AG opened its new center of excellence for modular construction in Wikon on September 1. The 25 employees of WL Bau AG are also relocating to Wikon. Condecta acquired the modular construction specialist from Weggen, Lucerne Canton, at the end of August.

Limassol/Geneva — Freedom24 views Switzerland as a market of long-term strategic interest. The online broker, which operates throughout Europe, is therefore considering opening a branch in Geneva. To that end, Freedom24 is exploring opportunities in asset management, digital financial infrastructure, and artificial intelligence.

Winterthur/Shanghai/Glyfada - WinGD will build the main engines for twelve VLCC-class oil tankers with a capacity of up to 250,000 metric tons. The order from Dynacom will be fulfilled at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China. The shipyard is a subsidiary of WinGD’s majority shareholder, China State Shipbuilding.

Winterthur — Kistler’s digital structural health monitoring system has been put into actual operation for the first time on a prestressed reinforced concrete frame bridge in Winterthur. Experts can now visit this facility to observe its continuous condition monitoring.

Winterthur/Zurich — A team from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and the University of Zurich (UZH) wants to find out whether a synthetic voice can sound like it comes from specific locations. The goal is to create voices with specific dialects for research and business purposes.

Winterthur/Itaborai — Burckhardt Compression is supplying six PL2 compressors for the Boaventura energy complex for Petrobras. The Brazilian energy producer is using them, among other things, to process natural gas more efficiently.

St. Gallen/Winterthur — For the first time, mobile payments are more popular than cash and debit cards in Swiss stores. At the same time, support for cash is rising significantly. This is shown by the Swiss Payment Monitor 2/2026 from the University of St. Gallen and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

Münchenstein, BL — aventron AG has sold its hydroelectric power assets in Norway. This move is in response to the low electricity prices there. The joint venture between Primeo Energie, Energie Wasser Bern, and Stadtwerk Winterthur is now focusing on Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.

Zurich — Business conditions for Zurich-based companies are as positive as they were in mid-2023. This is shown by the Economic Outlook Report, which is published every six months by the canton, the cantonal bank, and the Zurich Chamber of Commerce. The manufacturing and service sectors are performing well. The tourism sector is lacking international visitors.

Winterthur — Burckhardt Compression is cutting up to 220 jobs, including up to 150 in Winterthur. The company plans to simplify its organizational structure, consolidate functions, optimize processes, and expand its operations in India. The compressor manufacturer aims to save 20 million Swiss francs annually.

Winterthur — A new after-work event from House of Winterthur offers participants the chance to take a guided tour of Winterthur’s Old Town after work. Afterward, everyone is invited to enjoy a drink together to wind down the day. The inaugural event will take place on August 20, 2026. 

Attikon, ZH — Packaging specialist Wegmüller now offers practice-oriented continuing education courses for professionals and managers. These courses provide knowledge on how to optimize packaging processes. Central to this is a holistic approach that gives equal consideration to costs, safety, and sustainability. 

Wädenswil, ZH/Niederbipp, BE — Researchers at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) have developed a biorefinery that produces biomethane, biochar, and process heat from liquid bio-waste. The TELA GmbH paper mill could thus meet 7 percent of its energy needs.

Winterthur/Wallisellen ZH/Lüscherz BE – From September through the end of January, the Casinotheater will be testing a hearing aid from accessify.live. The audio is transmitted to a cell phone, where it can be accessed. This solution complements the existing hearing loop in rows two through eight.

Winterthur — Lionel David has won the sixth call for entries issued by the House of Winterthur for the mural on Bahnmeisterweg. The visual artist from St. Gallen painted his work “Home” on the 11-meter-long wall. It depicts a person blending into a textile landscape.

Zurich/Winterthur — The Cybersecurity Clinic provides companies with free support on digital security issues. Teams of students and faculty members spend three months working on real-world projects. The program, offered by ZHAW and the University of Zurich, will begin its next round in September.

Zurich/Seuzach, ZH — The municipality of Seuzach has commissioned the energy provider Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich (EKZ) to conduct a feasibility study. The study is intended to lay the groundwork for the renovation of the existing power plant and the expansion of the district heating network.

Winterthur — Paved schoolyards create an overheated environment. Researchers at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), led by project manager Anke Domschky, were commissioned by the Building Department of the Canton of Zurich to investigate how outdoor spaces can be made more heat-resistant through the use of greenery and the removal of pavement.

Lucerne/Winterthur — Researchers at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with partners, have developed a green brick facade. GreenBrick is designed to lower the ambient temperature around buildings by up to 4 degrees while also reducing water and resource consumption as well as noise pollution.

Winterthur — The industrial group Sulzer has released its financial results for the first half of 2026. The company increased its revenue by 1.0 percent and improved its profitability, posting an EBITDA margin of 15.5 percent.

Winterthur — The ZHAW School of Engineering is looking for companies that would like to offer internship positions for its practice-integrated bachelor’s program. This is intended to give them the opportunity to meet qualified young talent, provide targeted support, and build long-term relationships with them.