Expansion and innovation at INTEGRA Biosciences in the face of global challenges
New high tech production facility in operation
Our new INTEGRA Campus is one of the most modern and innovative high tech industrial production facilities in Switzerland. In the future, we will produce pipette tips on the new, highly automated production lines and export them from Zizers to the rest of the world. The aim is to increase production over the next few years with additional production lines. We are also taking care of the wellbeing of our employees, with new creative and multifunctional workspaces and our staff restaurant, ‘La Pipetta’.
Despite challenges – such as supply bottlenecks and the pandemic – the campus was completed on time and on budget after just 2 years of construction, thanks to our partnership with the Chur-based architectural firm Fanzun AG.
We started using our first modern production facilities as planned at the end of last year, with state-of-the-art injection molding capabilities and a fully automated high bay warehouse among the highlights.
"Our vision was to produce competitively priced pipette tips for global customers on an industrial scale in Graubünden. We believe our success in doing so represents a major milestone for our company," explained Alex Studer, CTO and Senior Vice President of Marketing and Innovation at INTEGRA.
In order to make production as energy efficient as possible, a large photovoltaic system generates the majority of the energy required. Additional energy comes from renewable sources. The extensions will make it possible to cover growth in capacity in the coming years, and further expansion is already in the pipeline.
INTEGRA remains a top employer
Sales for 2023 amounted to CHF 157 million, and were therefore down from the previous year's good result. This is due to the fact that the previous year was still influenced by increased demand as a result of the pandemic. Nevertheless, sales are more than twice as high as before the pandemic, demonstrating successful and sustainable growth.
The number of employees worldwide increased to a total of 573 people on December 31, 2023. There are currently 234 employees in Zizers, which represents growth of around 30 new jobs, mainly in the high tech sector.
"We are delighted that we have been able to expand our teams with well-qualified employees, despite the shortage of skilled workers," said Azra Wiesner, Head of Global Human Resources. “In order to counteract the industry-wide shortage of skilled workers, we are training 15 apprentices in various areas, and further job profiles are constantly being added.”
Strengthening market presence
In March 2023, we completed the successful acquisition of Miroculus. Miroculus is a California-based company specializing in the development of automation solutions for next generation sequencing sample preparation, to make genomic research more efficient and accessible.
This strategic acquisition underlines and strengthens INTEGRA's long-term vision and consolidates its position in the global biotech market. Despite global challenges, the outlook for the future remains positive. Exciting research initiatives continue to offer many opportunities, especially for innovative, special laboratory solutions such as ours.
Ireland, Sweden and Denmark were all successfully integrated into our direct sales network in 2023, and this year we are planning to enter 4 more markets and further expand our product range.
Strong commitment to Graubünden
"By onshoring – relocating part of our production from the USA to Switzerland – we are showing our commitment to Switzerland as a competitive production location and, in particular, to Graubünden as an innovative business canton," said Urs Hartmann, CEO of INTEGRA. “This strengthens the local economy in Switzerland and creates attractive jobs.”
Hartmann summarized: "Overall, we can look back on a challenging but successful 2023, and look forward to the opportunities that await us in the years to come. INTEGRA will continue to drive innovation in the future, making a valuable contribution to science and research worldwide. We would like to thank all our employees, customers and partners for their great cooperation."
