The 82nd meeting welcomed 34 members and friends of the Swiss Section of the Manchester Institute. It took place in Oberkulm (AG). Chairman Dr. Johannes Bruske welcomed the visitors and expressed his thanks to the hosting company Tissa Glasweberei AG (Tissa) for the opportunity to visit the company and to have the autumn event at their facilities.
Mr. Edwin Schneeberger, owner and CEO of Tissa has given a detailed presentation of his company.
Tissa today is a family run company in the fourth generation. The roots go back to 1872 when the business started as multi-colour weaving mill, and even earlier with a narrow weaving mill.
Already in 1963 Tissa switched to glass weaving which is still the core activity.
Today, the industrial setup consists of weaving preparation, weaving, finishing (phenol resin coating) and confection. Main products are customized glass fabric products for all technical applications as e.g. sporttech, mobiletech, indutech, and others with a focus on composite products (prepregs, organo sheets, moulding products), as well specialized grinding discs, for which the automated confection is a core business.
Beside glass, other non-elastic yarn materials as e.g. carbon, basalt or shale are operated. Commodity products are out of focus. Strengths are based on specific needs of customers, which cannot be met by commodity products. Each product is developed and produced on specific customer needs and has therefore always to be seen as a project. Within certain projects there are also contacts with university institutions like ETH, EMPA, or others.
Tissa consists of two production plants, one located in Switzerland (about 25 employees) and a second one (since 2015) located in Bosnia Herzegovina (about 13 employees). Staff is trained in the own company, since working tasks are rather company specific.
Challenges are the lack of specialists, customs or standards.
Mr. Schneeberger afterwards guided the group through his production facilities and explained in detail specific processes. Some machines were covered with spreads due to secret project activities (not suitable for visitors eyes), however the audience got a deep impression of a highly specialized and very technical textile business activity.
At the end of the event, the audience enjoyed Tissa’s hospitality and profited of networking opportunities.
The next company visits of the Swiss Section will take place on March 12 (including AGM) and October 22, 2019.
More on Tissa
Obliged by tradition! Tissa Glasweberei AG has been producing sophisticated technical fabrics in Oberkulm since 1963. The roots of the firm stretch back to the times of budding industrialsation, when the hydropower originally used by grain mills was gradually deployed for other purposes. The company’s premises are still located amidst the beautiful landscape of southern Aargau in the direct vicinity of the Wyna river. The company has been in the hands of Schneeberger family since it was founded.
Drawing on the strengths of its employees, most of whom come from the surrounding area, and taking advantage of universities of applied sciences and technology centres in the canton, which focus on the plastics industry, the company has carved out a strong position and today is well anchored in the region. In this respect, Tissa Glasweberei AG is considered a genuine pioneer in fibreglass textiles. Thanks not least to the many years of experience with technical fabrics the company has a track record of continuous innovations and developing future-oriented, technical fabrics. Tissa Glasweberei AG is a leading expert in the field of textile reinforcing plastics. In addition to its high production flexibility and customer proximity, this competence is valued by a growing base of demanding clients from the most diverse segments of industry.