NEWS
At its new site in Frauenfeld, the medtech company Bentley Switzerland, formerly Qmedics, now has significantly more space, both in the cleanroom and in office space. Thus, the company is well prepared for future growth.
New location for Bentley Switzerland enables further strong growth
Frauenfeld (Switzerland), October 11th, 2024. Employees and guests celebrated Bentley Switzerland AG's move to its new home in Frauenfeld at a lavish party in true "Bentley Style". With over 4600 square metres of office and production space, the new site has plenty of room for future growth. The company formerly known as Qmedics AG was acquired in 2023 by Bentley Edovascular Group AB, a leading manufacturer of balloon-expandable covered stents.
Bentley Switzerland AG supplies balloon catheters to its global sister company Bentley InnoMed GmbH, based in Hechingen. These key components allow for the minimally invasive insertion of Bentley stents, which are used in patients with aneurysms (i.e. pathological dilations of the vessel wall) or problems with narrowing of the coronary vessels, or in the case of arteriosclerotically inhibited peripheral blood supply. In extreme cases, such as impaired blood flow to the legs, the stents can prevent amputations, or they can even save lives. The balloon catheters manufactured in Frauenfeld are high-tech products that need to be extremely flexible and highly resilient to make sure that the stents can reach the affected area of the artery without any problems. The stent is positioned on the balloon and the surgeon then moves it to the correct location via a small access point in the artery, using a guide wire and X-ray images for support. When the balloon reaches the correct location, it is inflated with salt water solution at a very high pressure, which fixes the stent in place. Once the balloon has been inflated, it is withdrawn through the sheath. This requires utmost precision and an extremely high level of expertise on the part of the employees involved in the balloon catheter production, and by acquiring one of its most important suppliers, Bentley has managed to guarantee both. After all, the seamless availability of key components is a pre-requisite in satisfying the rapidly growing demand for Bentley stents.
"By moving from Flurlingen to Frauenfeld, we have easily doubled the production capacity of Bentley Switzerland AG and have created even better working conditions for our employees", reports Swiss Managing Director Armin Kiser. Since being appointed to the role in November 2023, Kiser has worked with his team to successfully complete the restructuring of the balloon catheter specialist, which was previously in a challenging economic situation. By streamlining the product range and introducing an initiative for operational excellence, the path has now been set for profitable growth.
The 75 employees currently working at Bentley Switzerland AG will not just get to enjoy state-of-the-art workplaces at Frauenfeld, but will also be able to relax during their breaks on a Mediterranean-style roof terrace – perhaps while tucking into a delicious lunch from the canteen for the unbelievably affordable price of CHF 3.90.
“‘Bentley Style’ – this also means creating meeting places and communicating with transparency across all hierarchy levels so that all employees can work together towards the company's success. It's fantastic to see that not only has our Swiss team already implemented the strong Bentley Corporate Design, as we can see perfectly right here in the new building, but that it also embodies our open corporate culture and that we have quickly grown into a united team," said Bentley CEO Sebastian Büchert, who travelled to the official site opening with his entire management team from Hechingen, Germany. Something that's really helping to ensure quick internal communication is the mobile employee app "OurBentley". Employees in Switzerland can now also use this app to access news and important information relating to Bentley Switzerland and the global Bentley Group on their private smartphones. Among other things, the app provides information on the terms and conditions for the planned employee share program called “BeShareholder”, which Bentley intends to set up in the course of its planned IPO. "It is particularly important to us that the same conditions apply for all Bentley employees at all the different locations, starting with competitive salaries, targeted support programs for professional and personal development, and of course their participation in the company's success. Within the “BeShareholder” employee share program, Bentley intends to grant Bentley shares to its employees upon IPO. The scope of the share packages will be calculated based on length of service. For employees of Bentley Switzerland AG, the starting point refers to the date when Bentley had fully taken over the predecessor company Qmedics in July 2023", explains Group CEO Büchert.
The day ended with a very special party – in the customary "Bentley Style", of course.
About Bentley
Founded as a start-up in 2009 by Lars Sunnanväder and Miko Obradovic, the medical technology company Bentley InnoMed GmbH is based in the medical technology stronghold of Hechingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company develops, produces and distributes implants and catheters for the minimally invasive treatment of peripheral vascular and aortic diseases and has grown into one of the world's leading manufacturers, and the European market leader, for balloon-expandable covered stents. It is part of the Bentley Endovascular Group AB based in Sweden. Around 440 employees work for the company with its thriving culture of innovation. Bentley is therefore one of the most important employers in the Zollernalbkreis and throughout the region. The company operates in over 80 countries worldwide. With its product innovation and drive to tap into new markets, Bentley is on a course of healthy, dynamic growth.
About Bentley Switzerland AG
Bentley Switzerland AG emerged from predecessor company Qmedics AG, which was acquired by Bentley in 2023 before undergoing a restructuring process. As a specialist in dilation balloons, the Swiss subsidiary of the Bentley Group is a key supplier of essential components for Bentley's product portfolio.
At its new site in Frauenfeld, the medtech company Bentley Switzerland, formerly Qmedics, now has significantly more space, both in the cleanroom and in office space. Thus, the company is well prepared for future growth.
A view of the clean room at Bentley Switzerland AG - part of the production area, which has roughly doubled with the move to Frauenfeld.