Stadler is to invest approx. EUR 35 million in modernising its steel foundry in Biel, Switzerland, where components used in rail vehicles worldwide are manufactured. The project will reduce energy consumption and waste, and will secure the 115 existing jobs in the long term, with the number of employees even set to increase.
Swiss manufacturer Stadler is preparing an investment of 33 million Swiss francs to modernise and expand its steel foundry in Biel, one of the group’s key industrial sites.
Work is scheduled to begin in early 2027, and the new infrastructure is expected to come into operation in 2028. The company Stadler Stahlguss AG, the group’s subsidiary specialising in steel casting, submitted the necessary documentation in July to obtain planning permission.
The project involves the construction of a new dispatch hall, as well as the extension of the existing building on the site at Johann-Renfer-Strasse in Biel.
The foundry is one of Europe’s leading facilities for the production of steel castings, produced both manually and by machine. The components manufactured here are used in rail vehicles operating worldwide.
“The existing facilities no longer meet the long-term requirements of modern, sustainable production. Through the planned modernisation, we are creating the conditions for the foundry to remain competitive in the future, and for jobs and important industrial know-how to remain in Biel,” says Michael Schmitz, Managing Director of Stadler Stahlguss AG.
15% lower energy consumption
The modernisation will also include a significant focus on reducing energy consumption.
Stadler plans to install solar panels covering an area of approximately 8,900 square metres on site, which will enable a significant proportion of the foundry’s electricity requirements to be met with locally generated energy.
Other efficiency measures are expected to reduce total energy consumption by approximately 15 per cent.
The company is also preparing to reuse a much higher proportion of the materials used in the casting process. For example, foundry sand will be recovered and reused more efficiently, which is expected to lead to an reduction of around 80 per cent in the amount of waste produced.
Stadler also wants the thermal energy generated by industrial processes to be supplied in future to the district heating network of the city of Biel/Bienne.
The 115 jobs will be retained
The investment also aims to improve working conditions.
The new equipment and the reorganisation of production processes should reduce physically demanding tasks, improve employee safety and streamline production and logistics flows.
The 115 existing jobs will be safeguarded in the long term, and Stadler expects the workforce to grow by around 5 per cent.
At the same time, the reorganisation of logistics will enable more efficient management of transport flows within the site.
A foundry with a history spanning over 120 years
The Biel foundry was established in 1905 and has been operating at its current site since 1963. Stadler took over the facility in 2004.
The company thus aims to preserve in Biel an industrial activity with a history spanning over a century, along with the specialist expertise associated with the production of steel components for the railway industry.
Part of the site comprises the former foundry hall, designed by the architect Benoît de Montmollin. The building, which is listed as a heritage site, will be preserved and integrated into the modernisation project.
The new infrastructure at the Stadler foundry in Biel is scheduled to come into operation in 2028.
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