The Ramseyer company was founded 80 years ago. A look back at an impressive company history.
On 28 August 1944, in the midst of the turbulent period of the Second World War, André Ramseyer from Heimiswil took a significant step towards independence. He registered the sole proprietorship "André Ramseyer" in the commercial register with the aim of trading in chemical and technical products. The modest company headquarters were located on Zähringerstrasse in Bern, where the company took its first steps. What began as a small company was to develop into a leading player in Swiss security technology over the following decades. Just a few years after the company was founded, André Ramseyer expanded the business area by taking over a bankrupt fittings company. This strategic move marked the company's entry into the fittings business and laid the foundations for its future specialisation.
Another milestone in the company's history was the start of the collaboration with the Hamburg-based company LESER in 1952. This partnership proved to be extremely fruitful and strategically important. It contributed significantly to Ramseyer becoming the Swiss market leader in the field of safety valves over the following decades, while LESER developed into the European market leader.
From the very beginning, André Ramseyer focussed on high quality and the best possible safety - a principle that proved to be absolutely right. This philosophy led to the company being able to supply all nuclear power plants and the most important district heating plants in Switzerland by the 1960s.
In order to meet the increasing demand, the company was converted into a public limited company in 1965 and renamed "André Ramseyer AG, Industriearmaturen". At the same time, the company moved to larger premises in Bern to accommodate its growth.
A good twenty years later, the space available there was also too tight, especially thanks to the fact that Ramseyer had now been officially authorised by the SVDB (later known as SVTI) as a specialist centre for the inspection of safety valves and the workshop required more space. The company moved with its entire workforce, now numbering 18, to Industriestrasse in Flamatt, where it moved into a purpose-built factory building.
The workshop from 1987 presents itself as the heart of the company, equipped with a series of robust workbenches and highly specialised test benches designed specifically for the inspection and maintenance of safety valves. This equipment emphasises the core competence of André Ramseyer AG in the field of safety and industrial valves. Of particular note are the test benches for safety valves, which enable technicians to test, adjust and seal these critical components in accordance with strict guidelines and safety standards.
The company continued to expand. Over time, partnerships followed with PROTEGO (Braunschweiger Flammenfilter), Gestra, Mankenberg and numerous other companies in the field of industrial safety fittings.
Gradually, the premises in Flamatt also became too small. After the company building was extended by one floor in 1993 and most of the offices were moved to the upper floor, the warehouse also had to be extended in the new millennium. Ten years ago, a first storage tower was built, followed six years later by a second one, in order to be able to deliver products and spare parts as quickly as possible.
The quality of the goods sold and the underlying processes have always been emphasised, which was officially certified over 25 years ago with the ISO 9000 certification and has been renewed annually since then. Ramseyer was even the very first fittings company in Switzerland to be certified to ISO 9001:2015 and to fulfil its pioneering role.
Ramseyer has now been successful in the Swiss market for safety and industrial valves for 80 years and has grown from a one-man business to a workforce of over 40.
Find out the details of the anniversary event: ANNIVERSARY SYMPOSIUM 27/28 AUGUST 2024
