Christoph Ruetschi
MBA Boston University
Who are the people that drive Ruetschi? Learn more about our history, find out who we are and how to connect with us.
It all started in 1959 when Charles Ruetschi was approached by a watch dial manufacturer that encouraged him to start his own business. In the Swiss town of La-Chaux-de-Fonds, the heart of the Swiss watch industry, Charles began with the development and production of dial welding machines.
The entrepreneurial spirit was great, but money was scarce. The assembled welding machines did not fit through the door of the small building. Therefore, after a first production test, they were dismantled again, reassembled on the sidewalk - and could only be delivered when the weather was good.
It seems it rarely rained, and heaven meant well with Charles. Because 12 years later he could move into his newly built company building in Yverdon-les-Bains. The company diversified into the production of components for the watch industry, automotive, electronics (including parts for hard disc drives) and others. At the end of the 70s, the first CNC parts for the medical device market were produced. In order to better serve this promising market, Charles decided to build another factory in Muntelier, Switzerland. Unfortunately, four years later he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and his health declined rapidly.
After a transition phase during the 90s, when Charles' wife Heidi ran the company, her son Christoph took over the management in 2002. He quickly realized that the company needed to return to its roots, in terms of innovation and R&D, but not in terms of products. Christoph decided to divest the mechanical engineering and automation business. At the same time, the research and development department was strengthened and the company increasingly focused on medical products.
In 2006, Ruetschi acquired André Gueissaz SA, a company that was found in 1848(!) and had its heritage in the manufacture of mechanical music boxes. Since the late sixties, Gueissaz was focusing on injection molding. This acquisition proofed to be a breakthrough in the strategic development of Ruetschi Technology: Because of the joined forces, Ruetschi was no longer a pure supplier of metal components and implants but could now offer medical devices combining metal and plastics. Shortly afterwards, the first clean room was built to produce the first sterile products.
The company developed fast but saw a significant fallback during the years following the financial crises in 2008 and the strong increase of the Swiss Franc in the following years. Once again, Ruetschi Technology had to reconsider its strategic positioning. In order to absorb the currency risk, a subsidiary was founded in Renquishausen (D). At the same time, Ruetschi Technology focused more and more on the design, development and production of Procedure-Kits.
The focus on Procedure-Kits, which include both implants and single patient instruments in sterile packaging, proved to be an ideal business area for Ruetschi. Since 2014, the company is growing with double digits. Today, we have about 200 employees and are the leading contract manufacturer for Procedure-Kits in the orthopedic, spine, and dental markets. The company is still a family-owned business, led by the two brothers-in-law Christian Moser and Christoph Ruetschi, but has a diverse, competent and, complementary management team.
Who is Ruetschi? We are a medium-sized company, striving to be the most professional and reliable partner our customers can expect. We aim for excellence but know that we are far from perfect. We are honest and genuine and try to learn from our mistakes and failures. We want to be profitable, but not at the expense of the weaker. We strive for growth but are responsible with our resources and the environment. We believe in Swiss precision and quality but are proud to employ people of 26 different nationalities. We aim for them to come to work with a smile on their face – because they feel happy and appreciated and because they know that what we do is for a good cause!
We make innovative products that increase the quality of life and are aligned with our ultimate goal:
Improving Patient Safety!
We strive for growth but are responsible with our resources and the environment. It is important for us to support organizations that share our view of helping the ones in need.
Quality certificate documents ready for download
Come work with us and grow in a friendly workplace!
We are a socially responsible company with a clear strategy and ambitious goals.
Our employees are the crucial long-term factor for success, whom we support and encourage to perform at their best.
Here is your chance to do something meaningful. We are looking for competent and motivated employees to strengthen our team.
We look forward to receiving spontaneous applications. Please send them to hr@ruetschi.com.
All our press releases ready for download
Improving Patient Safety together - contact us or visit us at our premises.
Tel. +41 58 400 95 00