Design and engineering - interlocked and market-oriented

According to Curdegn Bandli, customers often become aware of the company because of these awards and then find out more details on the website and in the media. "We sell about the quality.

Mr Bandli, what exactly do your customers want?
They want a prototype that doesn't cause them any problems during production. That's why we started early on to also supply the solution for the production of the product. We recognized issues that only arise in day-to-day production. For example, what difference does it make whether a few or many pieces are produced (scaling). This has two positive effects: firstly, if desired, we can not only supply the design, but also solve the production problem for the customer. Secondly, thinking in terms of production processes has given us a huge wealth of experience over the last fifteen years. Today, we develop in a completely different way than we did in the first phase of our activity. The desire to apply this know-how to our own product gradually germinated. The own brand Rotauf forces us to take the hurdles in marketing and sales ourselves. Development, production, marketing/sales - these three steps close our circle of tasks. We now have fifteen years of experience in development, ten years in production and five years in marketing. And that's not all: our developers not only keep an eye on the appearance and function of the product, but also on the expected marketable manufacturing price.

How did the business idea come about?
The idea came from a personal interest. Business partner Remo Frei and I have known each other since we were in high school with our Matura C. He studied design in Zurich, I studied mechanical engineering at the ETH. He studied design in Zurich and I studied mechanical engineering at the ETH. We soon found out that our solutions work best when we exchange ideas with each other. We subsequently did our diploma thesis together - a drilling machine for Bosch.

This work provided the impetus for what we do today. Our first customer ordered a backpack and we received a first price for it. After that, more customers came step by step. The start-up financing for the GmbH was no problem. The backpack received two well-funded prizes. Then there was the Swiss Design Prize. Together with a good licensing agreement, we were able to finance ourselves well over the first four to five years. After that, further projects broadened the basis.

What do you do for customers, for example?
The first is always the most important customer. Ergon brought our Ruck sack system onto the market. We then received orders for further models, so that we had a basic stock of orders at the start. A second example is the compact Skross travel adapters. They show what can be achieved when designers and developers work very closely together. Today, these plugs are very well known, as they are available at every airport worldwide. The third example is the Geberit welding device for E-sleeves or thermo-sleeves for the connection of pipes. We realized this order together with the company Grossenbacher, St. Gallen. They did the electronics, we created the design and the mechanical components. In this triangular relationship, we first created the concept. And we thought about how the whole thing could be produced.

A look into the near future ...
We have two companies - Flink with a focus on development and Flink production for the production of customer projects. We are interesting for customers when we can offer our entire know-how along the "design, development, production" chain. Certification now also opens up opportunities for us in the medical sector.

They created and produce their own product - jackets of the brand Rotauf ...
Yes, the Rotauf brand has developed and provided a solid range of products. Rotauf jackets are top in everyday use. There are eight products in many variants (three designs, two colours, five sizes, ladies and men), so one product in sixty variants. Our concern is to produce here in Switzerland and still earn something. That is a big challenge.

How do you launch a product in such a highly competitive market?
Rotauf has trump cards that the competition cannot play. Firstly, over 90 % of the production steps are carried out in Switzerland: Yarn, fabric, dyeing, sewing. Secondly, Rotauf has been completely PFC-free since 2014. The situation is different abroad: in order to make the production of the fabrics faster and cheaper, chemicals are used there that are washed out again before sale. This protects the wearer, but not the environment. Reliable producers are particularly important to us. In our sector, there are only a few of these in Switzerland. Our website contains a map showing what is made where and by whom. This creates a unique transparency.

Who buys the jackets?
Normal people who are interested in a healthy clothing climate. There are three categories: 1) Underwear in merino wool. 2) Insulation layer jackets with Bündner sheep's wool. 3) Three-layer jackets with a third layer whose waterproof middle layer still comes from Taiwan or Korea. Rotauf managing director Oliver Gross is not looking for sponsored VIP wearers for our jackets, because we follow a minimal marketing philosophy. Everything is invested in the quality of the product. The jackets become known via the Internet and word-of-mouth. Potential customers approach us because they rely on our USP.

What is the USP of Rotauf?

• Ecology: no use of environmentally harmful chemicals
• Swiss Made: 90 % to 100 % depending on the garment.
• Fair prices: Despite Swiss Made, the end customer hardly pays more at Rotauf than for big brands from a low-wage country production.

They are SQS certified ...
I had ISO 9001 certification in mind early on. But the impetus to implement it got stuck in the day-to-day business. The acquisition of a customer in the medical sector finally gave me the impetus to tackle the issue. Certification has an impact. Whereas I used to have all the development and production processes in my memory, now everything is documented. Delegating becomes easier, and I gain freedom for new things. After a certain size, you need that to be able to manage efficiently. The system was the solution for us. The customers benefit.