Swiss companies dare to offer unconventional solutions in Singapore

Find out how Swiss companies LAUFEN, Holcim, and Hilti redefine quality, sustainability, and customer service in Singapore.

Since its foundation in 1892, LAUFEN has revolutionized sanitary ware manufacturing. Being the only sanitary ceramic manufacturer producing exclusively in Europe, the company has greatly raised the standards for sanitary products. LAUFEN stands out with its products’ Swiss design that unites emotional Italian design from southern Europe with the north European Germanic tradition of design, precision and clarity.

The Swiss DNA
According to LAUFEN Senior Managing Director Alberto Magrans, design, cutting-edge technology, innovation and internationality are part of LAUFEN’s Swiss DNA. Therefore LAUFEN is constantly working together with internationally renowned architects on many projects and is inspired by the latest trends in architecture.

“We are working very hard to support project planners and architects and have recently established teams for the main centers of architecture, like London, New York and, of course, Singapore. These teams are specialized on questions of this clientele – they speak their language – and are linked directly to Laufen’s factories,” adds Magrans.

LAUFEN aims to achieve utmost competence in technology, service, and design to be the leading bathroom brand within the project business and high-end residential market. Apart from a wide range of products and excellent service, LAUFEN redefines bathrooms from being mere sanitary venues to sophisticated ones by cooperating with great designers. Magrans notes that in the 1990s, LAUFEN brought its first fully equipped designer bathroom onto the market, designed by F. A. Porsche.

“In 2002, we had sensational success with the bathroom concept “ILBAGNOALESSI One” which was developed with the famous Italian design creator Alessi,” reveals Magrans.

LAUFEN’s promise of Swiss quality
The company introduced the Laufen Clean Coat (LCC), a hightech material with unique surface properties developed with ceramic experts and German universities.

“With LCC we have a dirt-repellent surface finish in our range that facilitates the cleaning of sanitary facilities and significantly improves hygiene. Particles of dirt, limescale, grease and bacteria have virtually no chance on this exceptionally smooth surface which saves both time and costs for the user,” says Magrans.

As a manufacturer of holistic bathroom concepts, LAUFEN’s products allow water to be used sparingly - from water saving toilets to energy saving faucets, which proves the company’s commitment to sustainability. Whilst offering excellent customer service and a comprehensive product range, it is evident that Swiss companies put special attention on sustainability.

Another Swiss company, Holcim, one of the world’s leading suppliers of cement and aggregates, also operates under the concept of ‘sustainable construction.’

Holcim’s triple bottom line
Holcim was established in Swiss canton of Aargau in 1912 with a vision of providing foundations for society’s future. Holcim has been actively involved in large and infrastructure projects, including the iconic projects such as Henderson Wave, Reflections by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, and Gardens by the Bay.

Holcim takes a balanced approach in business with the triple bottom line of ‘People, Planet, Profit.’ “With sustainable development strongly embedded in Holcim’s business foundation, the company has been putting continuous effort to implement it across our business operation, like obtaining Green Labels for our products, run zerodischarge plant operations and certifying our office green as well,” says Ghosh.

“Holcim firmly believes that ‘profit’ entails our wholehearted commitment in ‘people’ and ‘planet’. For instance, when we take copper slag –a by-product from ship repairing industry– as substitute for sand, apart from reducing 400,000 tons of potential landfill every year, we are also increasing our resiliency for sand supply disruption,” he adds.

Commitment to sustainable construction
With 50% contribution of the construction industry to global CO2 emissions, the concept of ‘sustainable construction’ has emerged.

According to Dr. Sujit Ghosh, CEO for Holcim (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Holcim’s commitment to Sustainable Development is adopted throughout its global operations in 70 countries. The company was even named as ‘Leader of the Industry’ in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for 9 consecutive years. Holcim Singapore operations has reduced 20% of its carbon emissions in 10 years period, and another 5% reduction targeted by 2015.

“In Singapore, we have pioneered the use of alternative materials such as copper slag sand into our production. The use of washed copper slag as a partial sand substitute is now widely practiced by other concrete suppliers as well and stipulated in the Singapore Standards for concrete production,” adds Ghosh.

Holcim Singapore also has established its Centre of Excellence recently, which will enable further development of value-added solutions in areas of productivity enhancement and resource-efficiency which subsequently help their clients to obtain Green Mark certification and Productivity Improvement Project Scheme of Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

Not only do Swiss companies have special focus on sustainability, they also offer unconventional solutions with matchless added value. One such company is Hilti Group, a small family company that started in 1941, which offers professional innovative solutions to its customers with outstanding added value. Hilti provides leading edge technology to the global construction, oil & gas and mining industries with 20,000 employees in more than 120 countries.

Hilti’s outstanding added value Andrew Hunt, Hilti’s Head of SEA, states, “Every Hilti product is developed to outperform and outlast, which translates into increased productivity for our customers.”

Hilti designs products that revolutionize construction methods for companies to cut costs and time required to finish a project.

For example, Hilti’s TE 3000-AVR electric breaker is able to generate the breaking power of an air tool, without the need for an air compressor. “Imagine the productivity gains in not having to install and move a bulky air compressor around the jobsite, but instead plugging a tool to a normal electric outlet,” explains Hunt.

Apart from innovative products, strong engineering competence has always been one of the key differentiators of Hilti. Twenty highly trained engineers consult and provide solutions to professional engineers.

“Our engineers are available to conduct customized training seminars to consultants on anchoring solutions, Hilti Installation (strut) Systems, passive fire protection and controlled demolition,” adds Hunt.

Safety first for Hilti
As a leading supplier of construction equipment, improving jobsite health and safety has always been a guiding principle for Hilti.Apart from providing free professional training to users as well as health and safety seminars on jobsites, Hilti uses multiple technologies to ensure safety.

Since prolonged exposure to concrete dust leads to irreversible and fatal lung diseases such as silicosis, Hilti has developed a Dust Removal System (DRS) for its tools, which removes up to 98% of harmful dust particles from the workers’ environment minimizing their exposure and enabling increased safe working time – particularly in confined spaces.

Hunt adds that the continuous use of hand-held machinery can cause permanent damage to nerves, joints, and muscles.

“Our Active Vibration Reduction (AVR) technology minimizes the vibration that is transferred from the tool to the hands of the operator improving worker conditions and prolonging work hours.

Staying true to its culture of integrity, courage, teamwork and commitment, Hilti focuses on offering outstanding products to its clients while prioritizing safety and reducing injuries. Going forward, Hilti will continue to innovate, differentiate, and focus on adding value to customers.