CEDES
Imagined, expressed, achieved
A lift built for experimentation
Once you know the story of CEDES, you understand why the high-tech company has retained its creative and sometimes “chaotic” approach, as Head of Application Engineering Peter Grüninger likes to describe it. The original spark of inspiration came at the kitchen table, and the first photoelectric sensor was assembled in the basement. Today, the Landquart innovation hub has grown into a major player with more than 200 “Sensor Pioneers”, developing Swiss sensors for international customers including Amazon.
The recipe for success? State-of-the-art infrastructure combined with the inventive spirit of those basement days. “That includes the test lift, which was originally installed out of necessity,” explains master inventor Peter Grüninger. “The former owner had lost a contract because he hadn’t been able to test the sensors thoroughly enough beforehand. He’d had enough and said: ‘Right, we’re building a lift tower. I don’t want to make that mistake again.’ That simple thought led him to take a step in 2006 that has opened many doors for us and will continue to do so.”
From the lab to the test facilities and back
Making the trip from the lab to the test facilities is “almost always” worthwhile, says photonics engineer and master’s student Chris Linvers. “Our labs have state-of-the-art equipment, but you can never recreate everything you encounter in the field.” The engineers mainly head to the test lift to troubleshoot problems. Even what they have learnt at the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons is put to the test. “If the theory I’ve learnt during my studies doesn’t work on the test rig, I refine it and try again, and again, and again.”
More about CEDES
Where enjoying your work comes first
Alongside the test sites, the workspace shared by Peter Grüninger and his “boys” reflects their unconventional approach. “My lab is my source of inspiration, and it captures exactly how our department works. We’re the ones with Nerf guns under the desks and party lights in the drawer. I believe people only do good work when they enjoy the unexpected.” This inventive environment brings more than a sense of fun: above all, it helps the team achieve the best possible results in the shortest possible time. Chris Linvers says they can build a prototype in one to three weeks. “That’s only possible because we can so easily bounce ideas off other teams and test them out in the building itself.”
A spirit of experimentation that reaches beyond engineering
The drive to find alternative solutions improves the working atmosphere across every floor and inspires people throughout the company to look at everyday challenges differently. Before joining, Claudia Forrer from HR knew CEDES only for the enormous lift tower rising above Landquart. She stayed for something else. “The building is buzzing with creativity. Although perhaps that noise is just Peter sitting on top of the lift again.” She regularly finds that her own determination grows with every floor she visits. “When I take something to another department and see an engineer completely absorbed in their work, it inspires me to keep going too.” Because the engineers sometimes become so engrossed that they forget about the indoor environment, they promptly installed sensors to measure air quality. Whenever it gets too stuffy, a red light comes on to remind the inventors that it is time for some fresh air.
Who feels at home at CEDES? People who dare to find solutions through experimentation, and who are prepared to do more than press a button on the lift to reach their goal. While the daily schedule may seem flexible and fluid, there is one exception: Friday beers in the park at three. That is fixed. Everyone agrees that the park is the place to meet new people, soak up the sun and take in the views. “The counterpart to the lift shaft, you could say,” Peter Grüninger adds with a smile.
