Development and production of electrical controls and automation solutions with control panel manufacturing 4.0 in Switzerland.
W. Althaus AG
Aarwangen (Headquarters, Jurastrasse 12) · Aarwangen (Production, Industriering 2)New on Amplifa
About us – Swiss family-owned company since 1968
W. Althaus AG is a Swiss family-owned company founded in 1968 in Aarwangen in the canton of Bern. Its core competence lies in the development and production of electrical controls up to complex automation solutions. The full-service offering includes concept consulting, hardware and software engineering (EPLAN P8/Pro Panel, E3, PLC/Motion, HMI/SCADA), control panel manufacturing 4.0, terminal strip production, sub-assembly assembly, assembly support, commissioning and training. Production is highly automated: this includes automated sheet-metal processing, wire-processing machines, a proprietary terminal-loading machine (Athex), a fully automatic testing system (PanelScout) and the development of a collaborative wiring robot system. With over 160 employees at two locations and 6'000 m² of production space, the company manufactures more than 10'000 control panels per year, from a quantity of 1 up to series production – 100% in Switzerland. Customers come from mechanical and plant engineering, medical technology, energy & infrastructure, the food industry, transport & mobility and renewable energies.
- Site
- Aarwangen
- Processes
- Control panel manufacturing, Sub-assembly assembly, Terminal strip production / terminal rail manufacturing (Athex), Hardware engineering (electrical planning, control panel design), Software engineering (PLC/Motion, HMI/SCADA, SQL), On-site assembly at the customer's premises (on-site assembly), UL/CSA testing and certification, Commissioning, training, assembly support
- Materials
- Hardware engineering (EPLAN P8, EPLAN Pro Panel, E3), Software engineering (PLC/Motion, HMI/SCADA, SQL apps), Terminal strip/terminal rail production (Athex), Test control system (PanelScout), Collaborative wiring robot system, UL/CSA certification
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, EcoVadis Sustainability Rating, UL/CSA (product testing)
- Founded
- 1968
- Employees
- 160+
- Industries
- Mechanical and plant engineering, Medical technology, Energy & Infrastructure, Food industry, Transport & Mobility, Renewable energies
- 01
Requirements analysis & concept consulting
- 02
Functional specification & project management
- 03
Hardware engineering (ECAD, digital twin)
- 04
Software engineering (PLC, HMI/SCADA)
- 05
Control panel manufacturing & terminal strip production (Athex)
- 06
Sub-assembly assembly
- 07
Testing (PanelScout)
- 08
On-site assembly, commissioning & training
- 09
Remote service & monitoring
Processes & Systems
Hardware engineering (EPLAN P8, EPLAN Pro Panel, E3)
Computer-aided electrical planning with a digital twin as the data basis for automated production.
Software engineering (PLC/Motion, HMI/SCADA, SQL apps)
Control-related software, intuitive user interfaces and database applications up to virtual commissioning.
Terminal strip/terminal rail production (Athex)
In-house development for automated loading of terminal rails in control panel manufacturing.
Test control system (PanelScout)
Fully automatic testing system for standardized and automated quality inspections of control panels.
Collaborative wiring robot system
Robotics solution developed since 2018 for automated wiring in control panel manufacturing.
UL/CSA certification
Testing and certification support for delivery to the North American market.
Locations
Aarwangen – Headquarters
CHOffices, administration, engineering
Aarwangen – Production
CHControl panel manufacturing, sub-assembly assembly, testing (6'000 m²)
- Lot size
- Prototype to series production (from a quantity of 1)
- Sheet-metal processing systems (automated)
- Wire-processing machine
- Terminal-loading machine Athex (in-house development, 2008)
- Fully automatic testing system PanelScout (1998)
- Collaborative wiring robot system (under development since 2018)
Components & Solutions
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control panel manufacturingAssembly | – | – | – | Quantity 1 – Series production | – |
| Sub-assembly assemblyAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Terminal strip production / terminal rail manufacturing (Athex)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hardware engineering (electrical planning, control panel design)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Software engineering (PLC/Motion, HMI/SCADA, SQL)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| On-site assembly at the customer's premises (on-site assembly)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| UL/CSA testing and certificationTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Commissioning, training, assembly supportEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Test control system (PanelScout, fully automatic testing system for control panels)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
5 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal-loading machine | W. Althaus AG (in-house development) | 1 | – | 2008 | Aarwangen |
| Wiring robot (collaborative) | – | – | – | – | Aarwangen |
| Wire-processing machine | – | – | – | – | Aarwangen |
| Fully automatic testing system for control panels | – | – | – | 1998 | Aarwangen |
| Sheet-metal processing systems (machine-assisted, automated) | – | – | – | – | Aarwangen |
Additional services
Quality & Certifications
W. Althaus AG operates a management system certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 (SQS, Reg. No. 42399). Since 1998, a fully automatic testing system for control panels (PanelScout) has been in use; UL/CSA testing safeguards deliveries for the North American market.
| Evidence | Aarwangen |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |
| ISO 14001:2015 | |
| UL/CSA (product testing) |
Company History
- 1968
Founded by Walter Althaus Sen. in Aarwangen as a sole proprietorship
- 1970er
Start of control panel production
- 1980er
Expansion of production space at Jurastrasse from 400 to 800 m²; entry into ECAD
- 1990er
Construction of a second floor, introduction of EPLAN, wire-processing machines; in the mid-1990s Walter Althaus Jun. takes over the management
- 1998
First fully automatic testing system for control panels
- 2000er
Automation of sheet-metal processing; relocation of production to the industrial zone, 2007–2011 four additional halls
- 2005
Entry into 3D engineering
- 2008
Development of the first proprietary terminal-loading machine
- 2010er
Investments in automation and digitalization
- 2018
Start of development of a collaborative wiring robot system
- 2020er
Growth to over 160 employees; Marco Schneider takes over as managing director
- 2025
Recognized as the first Rittal + Eplan Application Center Partner in Switzerland