At the official opening of the new HB-Therm building in St. Gallen, the company and management will also be discussing key issues for the future. This is because the entrepreneurial family wants to continue to successfully shape the coming years for HB-Therm AG and its employees as the market leader in temperature control technology. CEO Reto Zürcher provides important answers to these questions.
In view of the move from the previous company premises to the new company building that has just taken place this summer, what were the decision criteria for selecting the new company location?
We thoroughly scrutinised the question of location at the start of the project. This included very attractive offers from neighbouring countries and the surrounding cantons. However, we knew that the further away the new location would have been from our current location, the more employees we would have lost - but they are the key element of our success story! That's why we focussed our search on a location as close as possible to our current site. In addition, we did not want to separate development and production, as this would have meant losing the unique synergy effects that we greatly value and that characterise our technological leadership. The simple, frequent exchange between production, assembly, customer service and sales is something we experience time and again as an important asset that contributes the decisive added value to a successful product. After all, our DNA lies in Switzerland and very close to our “OLMA bratwurst”, the famous St. Gallen sausage speciality made from veal and typical of our region.
How is it possible to be internationally successful with the location costs of the Swiss?
We have of course looked very closely at the costs. HB-Therm products have to prove themselves in a highly competitive international market. This is only possible if we can differentiate ourselves through technological leadership. This means that we always scrutinise our customers' needs very carefully. We then map these in a lean series product and manufacture it with a high level of vertical integration and the highest degree of automation. The new building offers us enormous opportunities to continue pursuing this strategy.
Can you give an example of what has been realised in the new building?
We have shortened the routes, for example. Previously, the assembly staff collected the material with transport trolleys and travelled through the company as "hunter-gatherers". Currently, a temperature control unit is assembled at a walking distance of eight metres. Over 90% of our production machines now work with robotics in 24/7 operation.
What long-term goals and prospects does the company have for the new location?
First of all, we are aiming for sustainable production, which we will achieve by merging our current four locations in St. Gallen. But we also want to expand, which in this context means that we can take on almost as many employees in addition to our current workforce of around 100 in order to fully utilise the capacity of our new site.
There would also be room for future expansion at the new site. This would allow us to react quickly and flexibly to changing market requirements. In addition, the infrastructural resources at our new domicile are almost perfect: we have a central location, we are very well connected to public transport, and the surrounding infrastructure with Ikea, the St. Gallen stadium, shopping arena, hotels and other companies could not be better.
Will the new premises also have an impact on training?
Of course. With the move to Piccardstrasse, we are offering apprenticeships in 5 different professions: Automation technician, automation fitter, polymechanic, design engineer and application developer! We attach great importance to training and further education and therefore also want to further increase our profile and attractiveness as an employer. To this end, we cooperate with the libs training centre for industrial apprenticeships in Switzerland (www.libs.ch), among others.
How does the new location fit into HB-Therm's overall growth strategy?
By realising the new, central company headquarters, we will further expand our strategy of high in-house production depth and local value creation. This goes hand in hand with further extensive investment in modern production and machinery, a high level of automation and the training of our employees. This basis will enable us to scale our business model and reach new markets.
Our new internal logistics department will take care of the entire flow of goods in future, as we no longer have four production centres, but just one. This makes things a lot easier, but also brings new challenges.
Let's move on to a point that I'm sure you, as CEO, were also very interested in: The architectural design of the new building and its sustainability. Firstly, what considerations went into the architectural design of the new site?
Of course, a building used for industrial purposes must first and foremost be practical and optimally reflect our operational processes. These take top priority. The new building had to be a solid, representative industrial building and reflect our values. However, this also requires beautiful architecture, which is then ultimately reflected in the pleasure of the new home.
And what steps have you taken in terms of sustainability and environmental friendliness?
With the new building on Piccardstrasse, we have set up a highly efficient and sustainable production facility for our temperature control units. With the solar system on the roof, we produce 1/3 of our energy requirements ourselves. The building is heated and cooled using geothermal probes, which greatly reduces our CO2 footprint. To begin with, we did not utilise all possible building areas, but embedded our buildings in the surrounding green spaces, which we "manage" with our sheep as "natural lawnmowers". In this day and age, it almost goes without saying that we have tried to work with the slimmest possible concrete and steel structures in order to minimise our carbon footprint. Parking space management through our own multi-storey car park not only makes things easier for employees, but also for our new surroundings. In addition, we have minimised transport costs, recovered heat from the energy used in production and quality assurance through water temperature control and used modern, energy-efficient machinery. The fact that our building has been awarded the Minergie certificate, which officially confirms that it is an energy-efficient building, proves that we have done a lot of things right.
However, the biggest lever for saving energy is the product itself. With the standard integration of a speed-controlled pump and the Energy Control assistant, energy savings of up to 85 per cent can be achieved.
And what was the reaction of the employees?
The new building is simply a pleasure to work in and shows a strong commitment to the St. Gallen location. I and the entire management team don't have a single office where we can hide away, but instead signalise an open culture in which exchange is important and desired. In the "time-out" meeting zone, all employees meet for a break, lunch or a game of darts or football. That's why I'm certain that the new building unites us as a company and strengthens cohesion and a sense of unity within the team.
Are there any special amenities or services for employees?
To make life in the "time-out" attractive, we offer free coffee with fresh milk and fruit. The employees also use the room for the odd party and on nice summer days the Grill is heated up. There are so many catering options in our immediate vicinity that we have been able to dispense with our own canteen altogether. Säntispark and Kybunpark with their sports and leisure facilities are just as close by as the shopping arena with its shopping facilities and the FC St. Gallen stadium. Our multi-storey car park is available to employees for home matches.
One topic that is currently on everyone's mind is the labour shortage. What is HB-Therm doing about it?
We give all our employees the opportunity for self-realisation. To this end, we cooperate with training centres and support them 100% financially in their further training and also in terms of work through appropriate development plans. In order to stay as close as possible to digitalisation and thus be an attractive, young company, we also take into account the values and preferences of the "digital natives". This includes, for example, the compatibility of work and family and/or hobbies or flexibility in the organisation of work (time, space and tasks). Active contact with applicants takes us away from traditional human resources management and towards people and organisation management. For us, people are not limited to pure resources, but are at the centre of the company. Motto: "One Team, one Goal". This promotes motivation and enthusiasm for HB-Therm right from the start. Just take a look at the social news on our website or at our careers page: the faces of our (anniversary) employees speak volumes ...
And what did you ultimately learn from the challenges during the construction phase? Are there any learning processes that still help you today in your everyday professional and entrepreneurial life?
Well, like other clients, we had to contend with budget adjustments, delays and material shortages. There were also various different regulations that had to be taken into account. But we got round all of these obstacles professionally. And now our new building is up and running. That's a huge relief.
The virtues you need to acquire when realising a major project like this are patience, flexibility and adaptability, otherwise you will fail or at least make things much more difficult. But even with a "senior" like Hans-Peter Zürcher, my father, who helped a lot with the development and planning, you can rely on a "rock in the surf" with a lot of experience and commitment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him sincerely.
What would you do differently in your next new-build project?
Not very much! I would certainly spend a lot more time planning and then start realising it later. We had a lot of excellent planners and contractors on board. We finished on time and only had 2 weeks of planned downtime. That's something to be proud of!
