Who hasn't seen the striking inclined elevator in Zurich's main station? Very few people know that it is a lift made entirely in Switzerland. Let's delve into the history of EMCH Aufzüge AG, which has been run by the same family for four generations. With a vision for innovation, the company has developed into the leading manufacturer of customized elevators in Switzerland and Europe.

Soon to be 150 years of company tradition

To mark the 50th anniversary of the site in Bern-Bümpliz in 2018, EMCH Aufzüge AG created a special technical and non-fiction book and published it with Bern-based publisher Stämpfli Verlag: «Liftfahrt - eine Zeitreise». Not only those interested in technology will learn how versatile vertical access can be and how elements such as worm gears, belt and hydraulic drives work in elevators and elevators. It is undisputed that EMCH elevators are characterized by elegance and timeless aesthetics, with which the company from the city of Bern has been doing pioneering work for 146 years.

The move to Bern Bümpliz in 1968 marks the beginning of a new era for the company. Production is now developed further under more favorable conditions and with completely renewed machinery. Jürg Emch set himself the goal of equipping all passenger elevators with automatic car and landing doors. Different floor heights require special control of the individual entrances. When the office building was later extended by two floors, the floor plan of the in-house elevator was enlarged with a glass construction and glass doors. The elevator was now also wheelchair-accessible and the building was accessible for the disabled.

«Agile and customized action»

Mr. Emch, the start of large orders was in 1970, shortly before your father Jürg took over the company at the age of 36. In the same year, EMCH Aufzüge also installed its 1000th lift. What are your father's other outstanding skills, achievements and milestones? Bernhard Emch: Our father not only set standards as a managing director, but also as a person and engineer. From an early age, our parents taught us values such as respect, honesty, perseverance, self-discipline, hard work and courage - and it was precisely these principles that our father consistently brought into the company. As an outstanding engineer, he was often ahead of his time and was quick to develop innovative solutions for elevators that did not yet exist.

24 years ago, with the support of your brother Hansjürg, you took over the family business from your father Jürg. Despite the national economic downturn, you then managed to increase turnover by over 50 percent and create 100 additional jobs. What were the basis and reasons for this good start and the subsequent very successful period up to the present day?

Bernhard Emch: One decisive factor was certainly the fact that we continued to pursue the strategy established by our father of consistently focusing on the niche market with the quality of Swiss production. This enabled us to clearly differentiate ourselves from the existing competition and address specific customer needs in a targeted manner. This specialization also allowed us to expand our market area - initially from Bern to the whole of Switzerland and then increasingly abroad. What are the strengths of EMCH Aufzüge? And: does the niche focus on the special in terms of planning, processes and procedures also pose special challenges? Our strength is that we have the entire value chain on site in Berne. This gives us the necessary flexibility to respond individually to all customer requirements. This proximity to development, production and customers is a decisive advantage, especially in the niche sector. It enables us to offer innovative solutions and act in an agile and customized manner, even for complex projects. The sale of individual systems also requires special know-how, which we have been acquiring for almost 150 years.

From Bümpliz into the wide world

To this day, EMCH Aufzüge fills a typical Swiss niche in the international economic area, namely that of a reliable partner that is always innovative. Head Bernhard Emch: «We have become an international company that still produces everything here on Fellerstrasse in Bern-Bümpliz. From Bümpliz to the rest of the world.» The local roots and international orientation thus merge to form a modern company with traditional values. The CEO emphasizes: «We don't just focus on quality, people are just as important to us. This starts first and foremost with our employees, their training and further education and thus also the dual education system. In other words: people instead of pure management - humanity instead of a one-sided power imbalance.»

Employee training minimizes skills shortage

And when it comes to the shortage of skilled workers, Bernhard Emch is clear: «A company must provide training and opportunities. We are tackling the skills shortage with our own approaches and solutions.» And they are quite something: «We regularly organize parent events where we not only introduce ourselves, but also show what we can do and what we train. Many parents still believe that only a university degree will get their child through life. I always ask how many of our 250 employees have an academic degree. The answers are always between 25 and 30. The parents are then amazed when I tell them it's just four.» Emch's aim is to demonstrate and internalize the fact that the Swiss teaching and training system is internationally top class. Bernhard Emch concludes his plea for the successful Swiss career path, which must be preserved and nurtured, with the words: «Without this dual education system, which is still successful today, our company would not be where it is today.»

As already mentioned, internationalization did not stop at EMCH. The company boss is particularly fond of French-speaking Switzerland and France. French is often spoken at the company headquarters in Bümpliz. EMCH could probably sell twice as much in France if capacity allowed. Bernhard Emch knows why: «There are almost only large corporations left in France. You look in vain for specialized companies that offer individual solutions. That's why many rely on us.» EMCH Aufzüge took a bold step in the middle of the pandemic and opened a subsidiary in Paris. This was triggered not least by the order for a spectacular elevator in Paris's 16th arrondissement - where the rooftop elevator simply travels on, pierces the roof surface and comes to a halt in the open air. With a unique view of the city, something like ‚Over the rooftops of Paris‘.

International markets and two special elevators

The «Space Eye» observatory, built three years ago, stands ten kilometers south of Bern in the hilly landscape at an altitude of almost 1,000 meters above sea level with its striking 12-meter-high, elliptical tower - designed by Mario Botta. White, horizontally jagged concrete elements surround the tower, which can be seen from afar, with its planetarium sphere on the roof, which contains the largest telescope in Switzerland. The publicly accessible observatory for space and the environment also has a very special elevator from EMCH: a retractable elevator that brings the shaft with it. Bernhard Emch on the two extraordinary elevators in Paris and the Space Eye: «A particular challenge in these projects was to design a lift in which the lift shaft at the top is only temporary. This is particularly important for Botta's ‚Space Eye‘ observatory, where an unrestricted all-round view is essential for the telescope. We found an innovative solution in which the elevator remains invisible when retracted.»

«Engineering blood flows through our veins»

In every family business, sooner or later the question arises: will the next generation carry on? Bernhard Emch already knew during his studies that he would one day take over from his father Jürg. And what was it like for you, Hansjürg Emch? Hansjürg Emch: We, my brother Bernhard and I, both became engineers, and that was no coincidence. Engineering blood has flowed through our veins for generations. I looked at different fields of study: History and philosophy. Then I read Max Frisch's «Homo faber» and found it fascinating to become an engineer. You can travel all over the world and solve problems. I also had to go to Zurich to study, so I was away from home.

An often-heard reason for the failure of family successions is that the selected or chosen successor is often overwhelmed by the role of boss. What was it like for you, Bernhard Emch? Bernhard Emch: I was cautious and gradually approached the big new task. First, I set up the project management and worked alongside my father for a while. That was a test run to see whether I was at all suitable to continue running the company successfully. Another advantage was that I already knew many of the employees.

If you look at the family photo in the anniversary volume, you don't have to worry about the succession into the fifth generation, do you? Bernhard Emch: We'll see. There are a total of ten children from the fourth generation. It remains to be seen who will eventually take over and who has the necessary qualifications.

Book Tip:

«Liftfahrt - eine Zeitreise» by Simone Bammatter, Stämpfli Verlag Bern, 59 francs, or directly from EMCH Aufzüge AG, Bern-Bümpliz.

 

Author

Angelo Zoppet-Betschart is a freelance journalist specializing in construction and architecture.