Plastics in perfection is the motto of Riwisa AG in Hägglingen. More than 300 employees produce plastics products for industry, medical technology and consumer goods. Riwisa is regarded as a proven expert in plastics solutions and today numbers among Europe's leading suppliers of the plastics processing industry.
Riwisa is an expert in plastics solutions. What are your specialities?
We manufacture thermoplastic components - another word for plastics - using an injection moulding process for the international market. Our company is currently divided into three divisions: industry, medical and consumer.
In practical terms, we produce for third party companies only and specialise in product design and development, project management, tools and equipment design, production of prototypes and quality control, right through to series production of the products which have been developed. The disposable cups are the only product our company produces on its own account.
What distinguishes Riwisa as compared with other plastics producers?
We develop for and with our customers tailor-made, innovative product solutions which meet their individual needs and also comply with the most stringent quality and regulatory requirements.
At the same time, we also succeed in being cost-effective. In addition, our solutions mean that our customers are able to simplify their processes and thus optimise their costs.
Is production in the medical area not subject to very stringent conditions?
Yes, above all with regard to hygiene, permanent monitoring of the production areas and seamless traceability of raw materials used right up to the finished packaged product. In the last twelve years, we have for this area alone invested in two large new production halls with class C clean rooms.
We have even also integrated a special high-bay storage system in the clean room, as certain products have to remain in quarantine for a defined period of time after the injection moulding process and stored prior to further processing. The medical area today is our strongest area of growth. It is also the most highly automated area.
Why do you still need 300 employees when you have so many fully automated facilities?
They operate, monitor and programme the machines. We have highly trained specialists and process engineers in the plastics injection area. Our development department also has a team of experienced and competent employees.
Above all in the medical and food products area, quality control and validation are of great importance, which means that a team of qualified professionals works in this area, too. I feel proud to be able to say that we are using all our staff to capacity and frequently operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Is it hard to find qualified employees?
We procure the majority of our qualified employees from our own region, as Freiamt is home to a great many plastics producers.
We also use cross-border workers from Germany. Something we are particularly happy with: specialist staff who have worked for our company for many years and reach retirement age continue to work for us part-time until a suitable replacement can be found.
So is Hägglingen the ideal location for your company?
Yes, absolutely. Not only because we can find specialist personnel here but also because we are perfectly situated for distribution of our products.
The canton of Aargau is a very good location for industry, and we can always find professional contacts within the cantonal authorities.
