Company profile
The company
Ever since the company was founded in 1927, Amstein + Walthert has stood for high-quality services in the field of building services engineering. The "Formula A+W" means: hundreds of experts are available as partners. Together with their clients, they are committed to lean technical solutions, the efficient use of energy and optimisation over the entire life cycle. Special attention is paid to the aesthetics and elegance of the solutions.
As a company, Amstein + Walthert is involved in society in many ways. We take responsibility for our employees, our customers and an undamaged environment. We assume this responsibility by getting involved in numerous areas. We have outlined our commitments in a sustainability report in accordance with the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The report serves to provide an overview of our activities in the various areas of sustainability. We use it to identify, create and implement optimisation measures.
Since 2014, Amstein + Walthert has prepared an annual sustainability report. The sustainability reporting includes all companies of the Amstein + Walthert Holding AG. The Amstein + Walthert Group is anchored throughout Switzerland and is also represented in France with its subsidiary in Lyon.
History
2023
The competences of "Real Estate Consulting" will be transferred within the A+W Group to the new company icccon AG.
2020
ALWEOL SA in Geneva is founded under the umbrella of the A+W Group. Its focus is on the digital transformation of building technology.
2018
The companies Arregger Partner AG, Lucerne and Künzle Partner AG, Horw merge under the umbrella of Amstein + Walthert. Amstein + Walthert Lucerne AG is created.
2017
Integration of Enastra AG (former Alpiq EcoServices Ltd.) into the Amstein + Walthert Group.
2015
The Schnyder Engineering Firm is integrated into A+W Holding.
2014
Amstein + Walthert Holding AG establishes a subsidiary in France: Amstein + Walthert SAS with headquarters in Lyon. A+W's lighting design division merges with Reflexion AG under the name of Reflexion AG.
2009
The 34 Amstein + Walthert partners found Amstein + Walthert Holding AG and transfer their shares to the new company. The holding company is now the owner of all of Amstein+Walthert's stakeholdings.
Amstein + Walthert merges the divisions that were responsible for the market segments infrastructure engineering, tunnel installations, intelligent transport systems, railway engineering and risk management under the new company Amstein + Walthert Progress AG.
2008
Amstein+Walthert AG acquires the Basel-based HVAC and plumbing engineering company Landert+Partner GmbH on 1 July 2008.
2007
Integration of Schär AG - Haustechnische Energieprojekte into Amstein + Walthert St. Gallen AG. The Frauenfeld office is made into a subsidiary of Amstein + Walthert AG in Zurich.
2006
Christian Appert is appointed as the new managing director of the Zurich-based company.
1997
The group of shareholders is expanded and the division director and managing director of the A+W Group become partners of Amstein + Walthert AG. A subsidiary is founded in Chur.
1990
The enterprise's management is restructured as R. Amstein retires. Dr. R. Walthert takes over as CEO. The range of services is significantly expanded to include tunnel engineering, building systems engineering, HVAC and plumbing engineering, and the electrical engineering division is strengthened.
1985
The engineering firm is reorganised under the name Amstein + Walthert AG. Subsidiaries are founded in Geneva, Bern and Aarau, and the firm's offices in Lausanne and St. Gallen are expanded.
1975
Reorganisation in the form of a public limited company
1947
E. Brauchli becomes a shareholder in the company and the firm is renamed H.W. Schuler & E. Brauchli.
1927
H.W. Schuler and S.L. Schild found an engineering firm for electrical systems in Zurich.
Facts & figures
Legal form
Public limited company, Holding
Share capital
CHF 1.5 million, 100% owned by employees of the company
Employees
155 electrical engineers
155 HLKS engineers
110 architects and scientists (energy, ecology, building physics, lighting, facility management)
535 planners, technicians, construction experts and assistants
45 ICT, HR, finance, marketing, legal, corporate governance, innovation
100 trainees/apprentices
1100 employees total
Membership in the following associations, among others
SIA, USIC, SWKI, SLG, suissetec, IFMA Switzerland, IHS, Electrosuisse, EIT.swiss, swisscleantech, Swissolar, VSS, FEZ, GNI, KNX Swiss, MeGA, NNBS, Piarc, SGA, swissgee, swissesco, BAUEN DIGITAL SWITZERLAND
Certification
ISO 9001
Insurance
Personal injury and damage to property: CHF 50 million (double guarantee)
Building and property damage: CHF 10 million (double guarantee)
Extended cover for financial losses: CHF 2.0 million (double guarantee)
Employees
Our employees are the cornerstone of our company's success and their well-being is close to our hearts. That is why we try to promote their individual skills in a targeted manner and are committed to providing a motivating and modern working environment.
Amstein + Walthert regularly performs very well in employee surveys on the best employers in Switzerland.
Our company has been growing continuously since it was founded in 1927. Since 2005, the number of employees has more than tripled. As of 31.12.2021, the companies of the Amstein + Walthert Group employed 1,118 people (around 1,000 full-time equivalents). Compared to the previous year, the number of employees fell slightly by 1%. The proportion of women was 20%, virtually unchanged from 2005.
So far, the Corona crisis had hardly affected the number of employees, but also Amstein + Walthert had to take advantage of short time work for a short period to avoid layoffs.
Fluctuation
In 2021, we were able to welcome 173 new colleagues. A fifth of them were women. Staff turnover was 12% (calculated according to the BDA formula). This value is slightly above the four-year average.
Our employees are almost exclusively employed on permanent contracts. Only our trainees (21 people) and apprentices (94 people) are employed on fixed-term contracts. They complete part of their training with us.
Employment rate
75% of our employees worked full-time in 2021. A good 18% of our male employees were employed on a part-time basis. The proportion of female part-time employees was around 52% in 2021. The proportion of part-time employees has thus increased by 4.5% since 2017.
Market environment
Markets
There is still strong market fragmentation and intense competition, which has a negative impact on margins. A good reputation, quality awareness and strong networking with clients are important prerequisites for being able to operate successfully in the market.
The construction industry was relatively little affected by the strong fluctuations due to the Corona process. The market development in the areas of new construction and renovation was regionally dependent, but mostly declining. Despite the availability of financial resources, many investors are cautious, especially in renovation and conversion projects. The highly competitive market demands correspondingly great efforts in the area of key account management.
Due to the interruption of supply chains, construction prices and delivery dates fluctuated considerably, e.g. for steel, copper or timber. Accordingly, the specification of costs and delivery dates had to be handled with great care, as A+W could be held liable in the event of deviations without appropriate communication and protection.
The increase in energy prices was also exceptional, especially for fossil fuels, where price increases were observed as last seen at the turn of the millennium.
In 2021, two important votes took place with regard to sustainability. On the one hand, the CO2 law for the reduction of greenhouse gases was rejected in June, and on the other hand, the revision of the cantonal energy law in Zurich was accepted, which requires, among other things, the replacement of oil and gas heating systems at the end of their service life with environmentally friendly heating solutions.
This environment stimulates demand for innovative solutions, integrated planning methods such as BIM (Building Information Modelling) and tailor-made services for promising fields of application such as renewable energies, energy efficiency, renovation planning or flexible utilisation concepts. Thanks to its comprehensive service expertise, A+W is well established in the market and serves a broad customer segment. We are constantly pushing ahead with our research and development activities. Since 2017, we have had permanent commissions for the three strategic focus areas of energy, innovation and digitalisation.
With our internal innovation management, we have established channels and processes to promote innovative work. In five phases, employees are supported in developing and implementing their ideas. In 2021, 186 ideas were generated by 114 active innovation enthusiasts, which were pursued in 27 projects within the framework of innovation management. They cover a wide range of topics from the further development of internal processes to the opening up of new business areas. For example, service development for and with energy supply companies was carried out for the first time as part of a pilot programme, or existing projects in the areas of indoor climate, BIM synergies, simulations for performance optimisation, digitalisation or operational optimisation were continued.
Competency
A significant proportion of our services lies in the areas of building services engineering HVAC, electrical engineering and building automation. But we also know how to impress in the fields of energy, building ecology, sustainability, building physics, acoustics, facility management, security and automation. We also make an important contribution to research and development. This broad range of competencies allows us to develop integrated solutions and to respond to the diverse needs of our customers.
Economic performance
Managing a company in a sustainable way also means ensuring the long-term continuation of the business. Healthy growth enables continuous development and creates secure and attractive jobs. With our strategy focused on "sustainability and technology" in construction, we have a long-term perspective that enables us to compete successfully. At the same time, we are also able to react flexibly to the market environment. An important success factor is that our company is organised as a public limited company. The share capital is 100% owned by employees. They are thus involved in the further development of the company and contribute to its long-term continuation in the market.
Profitability
In the 2021 business year, the Corona pandemic was again the predominant topic and influenced all areas of society, politics and the economy on a daily basis. Throughout most of the year, strict measures were imposed on companies, such as the obligation to have a home office, which made operations more difficult. Compared to the beginning of the pandemic, however, many companies had adapted their processes and internal communication, so that the effects were not as great, and in some cases even minor. The construction industry developed extremely positively in the year 2021 - also thanks to Corona catch-up effects - which was reflected in the company figures of the A+W Group.
The Group can look back on a good financial year and, thanks to organic growth, increased its net income by 7.6%.
Deadline pressure and rapid construction times remain characteristics of today's building industry. Prices are settling at a low level. Amstein + Walthert is well positioned in the market thanks to its comprehensive and diversified service expertise and serves a broad customer segment.
The Amstein + Walthert Group is not subject to any disclosure requirements. For competitive reasons, it was therefore decided not to publish absolute figures on economic performance.
Cost structure
As a service company, personnel expenses are of particular importance. They are responsible for around 80% of our costs. A further large proportion is caused by external services such as commissioned work from sub-planners. The remaining costs are distributed among IT, additional project costs, room costs, other operating costs and taxes.
Supply chain
We provide our services in close cooperation with our customers. We advise and support them throughout the entire process and develop analyses, concepts and solutions taking into account the entire life cycle.
Subplanners and partners
In selected projects, we work together with subplanners and partners. We maintain long-term relationships with these partners and attach great importance to a constructive exchange. In this way we can ensure that their work meets our high standards.
Suppliers
As a service provider, we hardly purchase any goods compared to industrial and manufacturing companies. The corresponding costs are therefore only responsible for a small part of our expenses (further information under Economic Performance). A large part of our procurement is for IT hardware and software, office materials and building equipment.
Customers
We offer our services throughout Switzerland and France. Our clients include private companies, the public sector, hospitals and homes, educational and research institutions, transport companies and private individuals.
Customer satisfaction
We want to offer our customers tailor-made services so that they can cover their needs for consulting and engineering services with only one partner. In order to check whether we meet the high demands of our customers, we regularly collect and implement feedback. For this purpose, each site and each department is required to obtain at least 2 feedbacks per year.
The term "customer" is not limited to just one kind of person but is defined more broadly. By customer we mean:
- Client or contractual partner, usually the building owner
- Person who led the building process, e.g. the architect
- Person who makes fundamental decisions, e.g. the head of the company
The feedback is an important instrument for us to receive feedback on our services, to identify areas for improvement and to initiate optimisation measures. In addition, we maintain a continuous dialogue with our clients in order to be able to respond to feedback in the projects on an ongoing basis.
Our responsibility
Laws and standards
Legislation regulates essential aspects of our society and defines them in a binding manner. It is therefore natural that we comply with all applicable laws and regulations. We also take into account all relevant standards and norms in our field of activity (e.g. SIA, DIN, SN EN). If standards are adapted or newly created, we train our employees* and thus ensure that they are taken into account in the work process. Amstein + Walthert is also involved in the development of new or the updating of existing standards. We actively contribute our know-how, be it in the participating in a consultation process or in the writing of standards. With our commitment, we want to contribute to ensuring that relevant standards are based on the latest state of the art and can also be implemented in practice.
The companies of the Amstein + Walthert Group did not have to pay any fines or other non-monetary penalties for non-compliance with laws and regulations in 2021. Nor have any complaints been received regarding anti-competitive behaviour or the formation of cartels and monopolies.
The protection of our customers' data and privacy is a central concern of ours. All customer documents are treated with the necessary care and confidentiality, regardless of whether they are in electronic or printed form. This is one of the reasons why no complaints regarding the protection of our customers' privacy or the violation of data protection were received in 2021.
Quality management
The quality policy is an integral part of our corporate objectives. The management runs and maintains a quality management system (QM system) in accordance with the ISO 9001:2015 standard. The system is adapted to the character of the service company Amstein + Walthert and is based on defined processes. Since 2019, the QL Conference exists as a platform to strengthen the exchange among the certified sites of the Amstein + Walthert Group and to improve the coordination of activities.
Amstein + Walthert AG has achieved ISO 50001 certification for the energy management of the Andreasstrasse 5 site in Zurich. The general objective of the ISO 50001 standard is the continuous improvement of the energy performance of the company.