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SWISS BUSINESS NEWS

 

 

SUMMER 2009

 

 

Top of the News

 

European countries where regions have more powers and responsibilities in terms of taxation, legislation and education policies tend to do better economically than centralized ones, a Swiss study entitled 'The Impact of Decentralization on Economic Growth' shows.

 

The study, developed by the Swiss-based BAK research center, measures the impact of decentralization on the economy, as well as the quality of education and innovation in 26 European countries, including non-EU members Switzerland, Norway and Croatia and excluding Luxembourg, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta because of their small size.

 

The country ranking as most centralized was EU newcomer Bulgaria, followed by the Baltic states, Greece, Croatia, Norway, Ireland, Denmark and France.

 

At the other end of the scale, Switzerland – famous for deciding almost everything by referendum - ranked first, followed by Germany, Belgium, Spain, Austria and Italy.

 

 

Wins and Updates

 

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, a California-based provider of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring, has announced the opening of its new regional headquarters in Nyon.  The facility will serve Edwards' growing Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) operations from a more central location, and features a training facility where physicians can educate their peers on new technologies and techniques that have the potential to drive better outcomes and lower costs. In addition to an advanced training center, the facility features an upgraded environment for more than 100 employees.  Edwards has a manufacturing facility in Horw.

 

Space Energy Group, with plans to commercialize space-based solar power (SBSP), has opened its international headquarters in Switzerland, Locally hired multilingual staffing at the new facilities in Schaffhausen is expected to reach 20 – 25 to support the corporate key structure including group accounting and auditing, and will be responsible for licensing all non-US agreements. The company’s technology center is in Irvine, CA.

 

New Jersey-based medical technology company ConvaTec Inc has announced the opening of its new European headquarters in Schaffhausen to coordinate European distribution activities and corporate functions such as marketing, purchasing and finance. The office is expected to be fully operational by the autumn of 2009. The company expects to create 40 new jobs by the end of 2010.

 

Also from New Jersey full service international event management agency WorldEvents has announced the launch of an office in Zurich to spearhead the company’s growth in Switzerland as well as working closely with the agency’s satellite office in Germany.

 

McDonald’s Europe, the regional wing of the Illinois-headquartered fast food chain, is moving into new executive headquarters in Geneva at the end of the year. New positions will be created to support administrative functions of the office. The new office will bring together senior management now operating in various locations such as Paris, London, Munich and Vienna.

 

Geneva is also the headquarters site for California-based Stratus Media Group Inc, a live entertainment company, to address the live entertainment markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  The Geneva office will focus on business development, acquisitions, sponsorship sales, media sales and the management and marketing of events. In the fourth quarter of 2009 the company intends to expand this office to address the European market for its Stratus Rewards Visa White Card program.

 

Bombardier Transportation Switzerland, part of the Quebec-based transport equipment firm Bombardier Inc, has opened its new Mitrac Powerlab at its site in Zurich-Oerlikon. The new development and test lab is the core competence center for locomotive and powerhead high power propulsion technology. Mitrac's technology is not only used in Bombardier’s power trains in Switzerland, but also by other manufacturers worldwide.

 

Illinois-headquartered Intelestream Inc, the specialist in Open Source CRM Consulting, has announced the company has expanded its global operations by opening an office in Zurich. The office serves primarily as a regional base for the company's professional services, support, and sales teams.

 

As reported in the "Tribune de Genève", The Economist at the end of July moved its European headquarters from London to Geneva. Staffing is expected to be 30-40 employees.  

 

Recent investments in the Basel area include a European sales office for Saladax, a Bethlehem PA-based personalized medicine diagnostics company; financial analysis software company Vallstein and ATS Medical, a Minneapolis-based specialist in cardiac surgery products.

 

Also in the city on the Rhine, Actelion, one of Europe’s largest biotech companies is in the early stages of establishing a new headquarters campus in Allschwil, Canton Baselland.  A new office building complex designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron to house about 400 persons is scheduled for completion by 2010. Two years later, a new research and development facility providing work space for an additional 300 scientists is scheduled for completion.

 

Louisville, Kentucky based Beacon Enterprise Solutions Group, a global leader in advanced IT solutions announced its intention to buy SymbioTec Solution AG, based in Siebnen, near Zurich.

 

Reverse Investments

 

Flowserve Corporation, a global leader in fluid motion and control technology based in Irving, Texas, announced that it has acquired Calder AG, based in Egliswil.  The Swiss company specializes in the design, engineering and supply of energy recovery equipment for the reverse osmosis process used in desalination plants.

 

Already Cambridge, Massachusetts’ largest employer, Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG is planning to build a new facility close to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  Although a research facility is likely, no final decisions for the use of the space have been made.

 

Elixir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Cambridge has reportedly entered into an option agreement to be acquired by Novartis. The deal value was reported to exceed $500 million including additional regulatory and earnout payments.

 

Swiss food manufacturer Nestle has announced a 200,000 square foot expansion of its existing facility in Anderson, Indiana.  The facility upgrade is expected to create around 100 jobs in the region.

 

Aquiline capital Partners LLC, a New York-based private equity investor bought the insurance asset management services Conning & Company, from Swiss Re for an undisclosed sum.

 

Basle based Syngenta AG, the Swiss pesticides and fertilizers group, has bought Circle One Global, Inc., the Cuthbert, Georgia-based pesticides manufacturer.

 

Oettinger-Davidoff Group, the cigar manufacturer and wholesaler, also based in Basle, has acquired Cusano Cigars, the Bradenton, Florida situated cigar manufacturer.

 

 

From The Foreign Desk

 

Lufthansa Technik Switzerland, part of the Germany-based airline Deutsche Lufthansa, has opened its new executive/VIP cabin interior facility directly adjoining the company’s aircraft maintenance hangar in Basel.

 

German IT company Raynet GmbH is opening a branch in Zurich to be closer to manufacturers such as Microsoft and Hewlett Packard.  The company added that Zurich with its financial institutions is an ideal match for its service offerings.

 

Also from Germany chemicals company BASF is set to locate its European business unit for plastic additives and the global units for technology management, along with the restructured pigment business, at the former headquarters of Ciba Holding in Basel.  The company is establishing a new business center for Switzerland in Basel to provide a platform for sales as well as finance and personnel functions. Basel will likewise be home to a BASF research center focusing on plastics, coatings and paper.

 

Lindab, the Swedish producer of ventilation equipment and building components, plans to relocate its subsidiary Spiro Development from Grevie, Sweden, to Switzerland as a cost reduction measure. The 15 employees at the plant in Grevie have been offered to transfer to the Switzerland operation. Spiro manufactures machinery for ventilation.

 

Bulgarian software company Bianor has established a subsidiary in Switzerland as part of its expansion plans.  

 

 

Other News

 

In the 2009 World Competitiveness Yearbook published by the Institute for Management Development Switzerland retains its 4th place ranking globally and 1st in Europe among the world’s 57 most competitive countries.  IMD has added a new measurement “The Stress Test on Competitiveness” in its 2009 report in which Switzerland ranks 6th globally and 2nd in Europe after Denmark.  The test is an analysis of which countries are better equipped to fare through the financial crisis and improve their competitiveness in the near future.

 

The E&Y 2009 Country Attractiveness Survey reports that Switzerland scored 125 projects creating 1996 jobs in 2008 noting that there were positive or relatively stable trends in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy and Ireland. Separately the Economist Intelligence Unit places Switzerland 6th, 2nd in Europe after Finland, in its Global Business Environment ranking.

 

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Livability Ranking, part of the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, assesses living conditions in 140 cities around the world by assigning a rating of relative comfort for over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education, and infrastructure.  Zurich and Geneva follow Vienna and Helsinki among the most livable destinations in Europe.

 

On July 10 Switzerland Trade & Investment Promotion announced a new program promoting green technologies from Switzerland in the United States under the brand Swiss Greentech.  The initiative was announced at the “Green Tech in a Global Marketplace” seminar in San Francisco organized by STIP and swissnex.  Federal Councilor Doris Leuthard, Vice President of the Swiss Confederation and Head of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Economic Affairs, who opened the seminar, remarked that Swiss Greentech will eventually be more aggressively promoted worldwide.

 

Sensimed, a Swiss company focused on the design, development and commercialization of integrated micro-systems for medical devices, has received the Red Herring 100 Europe 2009 Award.  The award is given each year to the top 100 private technology companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

 

Swiss life sciences solutions firm Lonza has been contracted by US biotech group Elusys Therapeutics to produce Anthim, its late stage treatment for anthrax infection.  Under the terms of the deal, Lonza will provide manufacturing process development services and eventually produce the drug.

 

Periodic Company/Country Ranking Update

 

Financial Times’ Global 500 for 2009 ranked by market value lists 10 Swiss companies starting with Nestle at 15 and ending with Synthes at 380.

 

The Forbes Global 2000 for 2009 based on market value lists 45 Swiss companies starting with Nestle at 32 and ending with Lindt & Sprungli at 1975.

 

The Fortune Global 500 for 2009 based on revenues lists 15 Swiss companies (up from 14 in 2008) starting with Nestle at 48 through Tyco International at 433.

 

 

 

News from Location Promotion Switzerland