Swiss industry is renowned for its precision, efficiency, and highly sophisticated technologies – not only in the fields of fintech (financial technology), medicine, and biotech, but also in mechanical engineering. Yet, technologically prominent automation solutions in panel building and switchgear manufacturing are also interesting, though not as well known. Here, one of the pioneers is W. Althaus AG. The company from Oberaargau has now become Switzerland’s first “Rittal + Eplan Application Center Partner”, and serves as a multiplier for the industry in data-driven industrial automation.
W. Althaus AG, with a Swiss workforce of around 160, is setting standards in innovation, automation, and digitalisation. As a leading specialist in automation technology, the company develops flexible, customer-specific solutions and offers all round expertise in software and hardware engineering, enclosure construction and mechatronics.
Thanks to its comprehensive full-service range, Althaus supports its customers throughout the entire product life cycle, backed by a digital twin for process and automation optimisation. The company is considered a pioneering expert in data-driven industrial automation, both in internal processes and in developing customised automation solutions.
As a long-standing development partner for Rittal Automation Systems’ machines in panel building and switchgear manufaturing, the two companies are currently collaborating on innovative solutions, including the robot-assisted wiring of terminal strips and components.
As a result, it is hardly a surprise that Althaus has also consistently developed its own enclosure construction capability in accordance with the company’s mission statement, “Leading in Automation.” The entire process, from engineering and machining to wiring enclosures, is already fully digital and highly automated, utilising Eplan software, Rittal system technology, and machines from Rittal Automation Systems.
“As the first Rittal + Eplan Application Center partner in Switzerland, we will provide the industry with this expertise even more readily and continue to expand our long-standing collaboration for the benefit of our customers. We are delighted with the confidence that has been shown in us,” says Marco Schneider, CEO of Althaus AG. “Althaus is an ideal partner for our partner network. The company recognised early on how consistent data can drive automation when its quality is already built into the engineering,” says Dr. Marco Litto, Senior Vice President Strategy & Corporate Program at Eplan.
It all depends on practical testing
Jochen Trautmann, Managing Director of Rittal Automation Systems (RAS), explains the concept: “If we want to broaden the use of data-driven automation as the key to industrial competitiveness, each solution must demonstrate its capabilities under practical conditions.” After all, it is seldom a question of simply ‘all or nothing’. Even small steps can have a huge impact on efficiency if they are tailored precisely to individual processes. Interested parties can experience the solutions live in action at Althaus AG and converse with experts about the efficiency benefits they can gain in their workflow through the combination of software and hardware,” Mr. Trautmann explains: “The partner network is not only intended to provide customers with orientation as a seal of quality and expertise. Consequently, the partners in the Application Centers will become cross-company multipliers for digitalisation and automation in the industry.”