A Land of Specialists

Everyone’s talking about MEM, the abbreviation for the machinery, electrical, and metal industry sector that’s one of Switzerland’s biggest industry employers. After the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, MEM is the nation’s second-largest export sector. Mechanical engineering is the most significant area of the MEM industry. Its roots date to early-19th-century textile production, which became mechanized in stages to remain globally competitive. Since then, mechanical engineering has become increasingly specialized in a number of ways: after all, almost all industries rely on machines.

Our region produces one-of-a-kind equipment. Willy A. Bachofen in Muttenz, for example, is a machinery manufacturer and undisputed expert in flow chemistry, wet grinding, and dry mixing technology. Their product list alone will spark your curiosity. What in the world is an agitator bead mill? a 3D shaker mixer? And how does an inductively heated agitator bead mill reactor look? Industry Night is the place to get answers to all your questions. First, you’ll be surprised by the major role Willy A. Bachofen plays in producing such everyday goods as chocolate, lipsticks, and car batteries.

Major pharmaceuticals supplier SKAN also boasts a broad array of machines, with over 1,000 employees worldwide. Visit their labs in Allschwil to take a peek into an isolator, a machine that’s vital for manufacturing vaccines.

The Swiss Economic Archives (SWA) are the destination of choice for anyone interested in Swiss industrial history. The SWA screen historical industry films which illuminate such topics as the manufacture of aluminium 80 years ago. Those seeking to immerse themselves in the topic can join a torchlight tour through the stacks and discover priceless treasures. You’ll find historical photographs, advertising materials, and letters: it’s a highlight for young and old alike.

Endress+Hauser in Reinach is another world-class specialist in their field whom you’ll find at Industry Night. The firm’s measurement technologies and devices are used worldwide, making it possible to keep milk fresh longer, ensure clean drinking water, manufacture effective cough syrups, and inform the fire department quickly in case of flooding. In our daily lives, we often encounter the company’s precision measurement tools without realizing it. Industry Night lets you delve into the multifaceted world of measurement technology. The company will host ten activities, including live experiments using sensors.

Just along the road, Neoperl produces small components with a major impact. Their water-and-energy-saving products are vital for ensuring water flows from our taps and showerheads in a perfect stream. The company develops and produces components for sanitary fittings, including aerators, flow regulators, backflow preventers, and connection and shower hoses. There is a good chance that your household already has one or two aerators from Neoperl installed. At Industry Night, you’ll find specific case studies of how to save water and energy in your daily life using their products. You can even create your own sustainable water-saving product for your bathroom in the DIY workshop to take home.

At IWB, you’ll learn about how drinking water reaches your household in the first place. During the tour of Lange Erlen pumping station, you’ll discover how UV disinfection works, how drinking water quality is monitored, and how it actually reaches your household.