Gritec
Variety as a business model
Rigid job descriptions? Not here.
The company’s 85 creative minds tend to step in when others cannot move fast enough. As a technology partner, the team defines itself through its promise to find a high-tech solution to any problem in the shortest possible time, whether in medical technology, electronics or consumer products. With different clients and requirements, “employees take a flexible approach to their job descriptions”, explains simulation and design engineer Florian Bärtsch. “Although I’m a mechanical engineer, I also programme robots and lead creative brainstorming sessions.”
New project, new team
Unconstrained by traditional structures, teams are assembled afresh for every project. Young and old, software engineers and apprentices “work together as equals”, as electrical designer Reto Gubser puts it. Differences are celebrated and strengths combined, with the client at the heart of every project. Lone wolves and solitary workers? Gritec is probably not their ideal setting. “Working alone slows you down,” says 21-year-old mechanical design technician Robin Graf, reflecting on his first year. He has also discovered that he is much more than “the new guy” at the engineering consultancy. “From the outset, I was able to contribute my CAD expertise to developing a prototype. If the skills are available in-house, they are put to use.”
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Confident enough to ask questions and make decisions
Ask for a software application for an entire industrial installation today, and it can feel as though a complete solution arrives tomorrow. How is that possible? Quick decision-making. Only one person stands between electrical designer Reto Gubser and senior management, even though he describes himself as “right at the bottom of the food chain”. The 55-year-old previously spent 30 years with the same company. But at an age when others might be thinking about slowing down, Reto Gubser made a fresh start. “Here, I get exactly what I was looking for: adventure, freedom and, above all, pace.” The speed at which the team turns ideas into reality is impressive. If engineer Florian Bärtsch cannot get his robot working, a specialist will quickly spare ten minutes to explain the problem. “That helps me get up to speed in no time, so I can then carry on independently.”
Eager to learn, happy to share talent
These “technology scouts” need to stay up to date to engage with their specialist clients as equals. Webinars and workshops help them quickly master a wide range of digital tools. Or, like Jann Egli, Head of Business Unit Product & Process Development, they might set aside half a day to read the latest research papers. An insatiable thirst for knowledge is one of the qualities Gritec employees share, the systems engineer observes: “Even over drinks, people from very different departments enthusiastically discuss the latest technology trends.”
Sharing is caring also applies to the team’s expertise. Through Gritec’s engineering services, its technology specialists work with other companies for periods ranging from a few weeks to several years. Just a few months after joining, mechanical design technician Robin Graf had the opportunity to support an external client. He spent six weeks contributing his expertise to a mechanical engineering company. “The placement benefits the client, but it also inspires me to pick up some of their techniques and incorporate them into my own work.”
A building that adapts to every technical need
As you might expect, there are no fixed desks. Instead, the workshop and the electronics and software laboratory are practically next door to one another. “That’s pretty impressive,” says Florian Bärtsch. “Previously, I was used to all the technical facilities being kept separate.” Down in the vast assembly hall, things may look chaotic at first, but the generous space enables Gritec’s characteristic flexibility. “Outside, we even have a container, our mini assembly hall, for when we want to move equipment out of the main building. It holds our experimental setups and everything we need for a particular project.” Once the project is finished, the container can disappear in the blink of an eye. And there is more: to help shape the future of technology with bold ideas, the building is currently being expanded, including its assembly hall and offices.
From the assembly hall at the bottom to the “Innovation Pavilion” at the top, you can feel the energy flowing through the building and into its projects. You might even encounter a developer in the stairwell wearing a futuristic HoloLens and gesturing in mid-air. Chances are, they are explaining tomorrow’s technology to someone elsewhere in the world as they walk. Typical Gritec.
