At the beginning of this year we interviewed Patrick Villiger, CEO of Aluminium-Laufen AG, and talked about individual customer requirements, digitalisation and investments in the future.

Mr Villiger, what does Aluminium-Laufen AG offer its customers?

Our credo is to rapidly ensure technical expertise, comprehensive service as well as customer-specific additional offers. We thus consistently pursue our mission «customer needs come first».

This is why we are the ideal partner for individual customer requirements, especially in the mechanical engineering, energy supply, electronics technology, architecture, engineering, façade/window and door construction, construction industry in general and, of course, also automotive suppliers, aviation, passenger transport, food industry, household goods, optics, photonics, analytical and medical technology sectors. 

What do you mean by individual requirements? Can you give us a few examples?

I will describe a few customer orders to you:

• For the automotive supply industry, we are producing new profiles for rollover protection systems, which are used for convertibles. To meet these customer requirements, an alloy with special properties was needed: we modified an existing alloy so that the desired profile properties could be guaranteed. Conclusion: We received this order because, in addition to our service, we were also able to offer our expertise in materials technology. This is one of our advantages as an SME; we can react agilely to customer requirements.
• Thanks to our broad product portfolio and know-how, we are also involved in the public transport sector. We recently received an order from Germany for profiles that are used for train interiors.
• We recently produced a large order in the foundry for side panels for a medical facility, which will eventually be used in the USA.
• Last but not least, we successfully carried out casting trials of façade cladding with rough surfaces for a large public building in Basel for one of our customers. The experts know: this is a challenge.

Our technical know-how in the development of special profiles and our many years of experience in casting enable us to meet - and even exceed - a wide variety of customer requirements. To give a few figures: Last year we produced over 4.5 million pcs. aluminium products from castings and extruded profiles and manufactured 700 new tools.

In summary, Aluminium-Laufen manufactures precision profiles and customised castings.....

Not only that. We also offer CNC machining up to 10 m in length, anodising, powder and wet paint coating and pre-assembly. Since last year, we also offer in-house roll bending of profiles up to 12.6 m in length. This wide range of additional services saves the customer time, he has less coordination effort as there is only one contact person, fewer transport routes are needed and the waiting time of the aluminium parts from one production is shortened and they can be further processed at the optimal time. Since we produce the alloy in our recycling centre and have our own toolmaking shop, we guarantee a high level of supply security and can deliver quickly.

You operate a foundry in Tunisia and one in Liesberg. Why does Aluminium-Laufen need two foundries?

A large part of our business is price-driven. That's why we entered into a joint venture in 2018 and founded Aluminium-Laufen SA Tunis to respond to this development. With around 30 employees, our site in Tunis manufactures cost-effective cast parts in permanent mould and low-pressure die casting processes on an area of around 2,400 m² . In Liesberg, on the other hand, we focus on sophisticated and ready-to-install cast components. This enables us to supply major customers with simple/low-cost as well as highly complex castings and to keep up with the international market.

How "digital" is Aluminium Laufen on the way today?

Software-assisted design and simulations have been standard for us for years. Of course, we have modern production and processing facilities. For almost two years now, we have also been offering profile customers an online customer portal. Customers can use it to carry out a feasibility check incl. indicative price within seconds and free of charge, for example, on the basis of a technical drawing. In addition, existing profiles can be reordered directly in the e-shop. Customers have an overview of all the profiles they have created so far and can see all activities, contract statistics, daily prices and much more in real time.

Are you planning further projects in the uncertainty of Corona's times?  

In 2021, we will spend a sum in the mid-single-digit million amount on several projects. We are currently investing in modernisation and automation, on the one hand, and in the training and further education of our approximately 250 employees, on the other. It is important to us that our employees maintain their specialist knowledge with internal and external training courses.

I would like to briefly introduce two projects.

• A major reconstruction project is planned in the production plant. We are expanding and modernising our unmanned intra-logistics system on an area of over 2,000 m² . With an automatic crane, six machining centres can now be automatically supplied with profiles. The new intra-logistics system will go into operation at the end of 2021.
• For the second project, we are currently evaluating a fourth packing station. This is fully automated and has integrated surface inspection. The first tests with the new surface testing device started at the beginning of January.

For the implementation of all projects, we can count on committed employees throughout the company who, in addition to their daily work, are also involved in the planning and implementation and therefore influence the ongoing projects directly. In all projects, it is my personal goal that we keep the balance between improving the current and implementing the innovative at the same time.

What does the future hold for Aluminium Laufen? How do you assess the long-term perspective?

When I observe the market development in Europe and Switzerland, it will remain ambitious and challenging to succeed in the market. The regular investments in the further training of our employees, the modernisation of our machinery and the spirit at Aluminium Laufen make me look positively to the future. Aluminium Laufen will continue to be an industrial partner with a high level of expertise in Europe and an attractive employer in the Laufen region.

Thank you for this interview, Mr Villiger.