Production costs in Switzerland are high. This is of little concern to Peter Hess, because he has proved that there is a market for premium products “Made in Switzerland”. His recipe for success is high quality standards and broad diversification.
The fireplaces and stoves from Hans Greub AG stand for quality and durability. With a price tag of 5,000 to 8,000 Swiss francs, they are not exactly cheap. Imported stoves are available for a fraction of that price, but many see the distinct advantages and are willing to pay the extra for a premium product “Made in Switzerland”.
Managing Director Peter Hess focuses entirely on the Swiss market, whereas Hans Greub AG used to be involved in export as well. In return, the company's range has now become broader: “I wanted to attract new customers in other industries and we have succeeded in doing so,” says Hess. For the past four years, the company has also been operating as a contract manufacturer.
With contract manufacturing, I wanted to acquire new customers in other industries, and we have succeeded in doing so.
Gamechanger Laser cutting
In 2017, Peter Hess took over Hans Greub AG, after having been in charge as workshop manager for six years. Hess was the ideal successor for the founder to lead the company, which was established in 1984, into the future. Not long after, COVID-19 provided an unexpected boost: “The pandemic played into our hands. Suddenly, people were at home a lot. They wanted to make their homes nice and, of course, warm in winter. So many people treated themselves to a new stove.”
Due to the high demand, the idea of purchasing a laser cutting machine matured in Peter Hess. “We bought around half a million francs worth of steel and sheet metal every year, but we didn't have our own cutting machine. We decided on a By Smart Fiber and that was one of the best decisions of my life.” Thanks to the 6-kilowatt laser, all delivery deadlines could be met. At the same time, the machine opened up new business opportunities. Peter Hess began to diversify his range with a wide selection of parts for other sectors, especially the construction and manufacturing industries.
The purchase of the By Smart Fiber was one of the best decisions of my life.
Greater precision at a higher speed
Hans Greub AG has recently started cutting even more efficiently and precisely. As a test customer, the company is among the first to use a new innovation from Bystronic: this not only enables a more precise cut but also shorter processing times. In addition, the company has installed a nitrogen generator that enables the autonomous production of cutting gas and simplifies the cutting of thicker sheets.
These innovations have brought noticeable improvements. “The cut is even cleaner and practically no post-processing is needed,” says Pascal Hess. The 26-year-old recently took over his father's role as workshop manager. After training as a motorcycle mechanic, he completed an additional apprenticeship as a metalworker, giving him the necessary expertise to drive the contract manufacturing business forward. Together, father and son want to expand their second area of business.
The cut is even cleaner and practically no post-processing is required.
The perfect cut
By flexibly adjusting the shape of the laser beam it is easier to handle varying sheet metal qualities and material thicknesses and reduces processing times decisively. The cutting accuracy is twice as high as with a conventional beam shaper, which significantly minimizes the amount of rework. The higher precision also means that better use can be made of the raw sheets and scrap is reduced by 20 to 30 percent.
