Hunziker, Zarn & Partner

What Hunziker, Zarn & Partner does

Hunziker, Zarn & Partner AG is a Swiss engineering consultancy headquartered in Aarau with a second office in Domat/Ems (Graubünden). The firm specializes in river engineering and hydraulic engineering (Fluss- und Wasserbau) and operates exclusively in Switzerland. Its service portfolio spans the full project lifecycle — studies, project planning, execution, and consulting — across specialized disciplines including hydrology, hydraulics, sediment transport, morphology, natural hazards, flood protection, river revitalization, and construction management. The firm also delivers drone-based aerial photography and terrestrial surveying, including georeferenced orthophoto generation and the proprietary GRAINet methodology for spatially extensive grain-size distribution analysis on riverbeds. The firm has completed nearly 60 documented projects over approximately 15 years across multiple disciplines and clients.

The firm's customer base is overwhelmingly Swiss public-sector: federal agencies (notably ASTRA for ecological compensation works tied to highway expansion), cantonal agencies (Solothurn AfU, Aargau ALG, Luzern vif, Graubünden ANU), municipal authorities, and waterway management entities (Linthverwaltung). It also serves private-sector clients in adjacent verticals such as hydropower operators (Groupe E SA at Rossens dam). The business model is project-based consulting with direct engagement from clients; pricing is not publicly disclosed and there are no distribution partners, marketplaces, or indirect channels. Marketing is light, relying on a corporate website and a LinkedIn corporate page as the principal presence.

Ownership is private; the company is incorporated as an Aktiengesellschaft under Swiss law. No external investors, parent company, funding rounds, M&A activity, leadership changes, or regulatory actions are disclosed in the available data. The firm appears to be partner-owned with a stable, narrow ownership structure consistent with a long-established specialist practice.

Name

Hunziker, Zarn & Partner

Legal name

Hunziker, Zarn & Partner AG

Website

https://hzp.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hunziker, Zarn & Partner AG is a Swiss engineering consultancy headquartered in Aarau, specializing in river and hydraulic engineering — flood protection, river revitalization, sediment transport analysis, and natural hazard assessment — for Swiss federal, cantonal, and municipal government clients, plus select hydropower operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydraulic Engineering Consultancy

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Quality & Watershed/Hydrologic Modeling (SWMM/HEC-RAS, Flood/Runoff/Nutrient) (EUAHAKAF), Water & Wastewater Infrastructure Asset Management (EUAEAMAH)

Keywords

• River engineering consultancy
• Hydraulic engineering services
• Flood protection engineering
• River revitalization services
• Sediment transport analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarau

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Hunziker, Zarn & Partner AG provides specialized engineering consultancy services for river and hydraulic engineering projects in Switzerland, covering the full lifecycle from studies and project planning through execution and consulting. Their offerings span hydrology, hydraulics, sediment transport, morphology, natural hazard assessment, flood protection, river revitalization, and construction management, supported by modern surveying capabilities including drone-based aerial photography, GPS surveying, georeferenced orthophotos, and GIS analysis.

Product overview

Hunziker, Zarn & Partner AG is an engineering consultancy firm specializing in river and hydraulic engineering. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of services organized into four main categories (Studies, Project Planning, Execution, and Consulting) across multiple specialized technical areas including hydrology, hydraulics, sediment transport, morphology, natural hazards, flood protection, revitalization, and construction management. The firm also provides drone photography and terrestrial surveying services for project documentation and monitoring. The offering represents a unified service model rather than a software product platform, delivering professional engineering services primarily to cantonal and municipal government clients in Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• The GRAINet methodology enables analysis of over 500 grain distribution curves and spatial variability of mean grain diameter per monitoring event, compared to limited traditional sampling methods.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Arge WiKo AargauminorStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Gutzwiller Kommunikation und Design AGminorOthers

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Holinger AG: Swiss engineering consultancy specialized in water, wastewater, hydraulic engineering and environmental planning — directly comparable service mix and Swiss public-sector client base to Hunziker, Zarn & Partner.
• Basler & Hofmann AG: Swiss engineering firm with established water, hydraulic and environmental engineering practices serving cantonal and federal clients — directly comparable Swiss water-engineering competitor.
• Stucky Ltd (Gruner): Swiss hydraulic engineering consultancy (now part of Gruner) with deep expertise in dams, hydropower, flood protection and river engineering — directly comparable to HZP's hydraulic engineering core.
• IUB Engineering AG: Swiss engineering consultancy covering water, environment, hydraulics and infrastructure — comparable Swiss public-sector water-engineering competitor.

Broad incumbents

• AFRY (formerly Pöyry / AF-Colenco): Global engineering consultancy with strong Swiss heritage (AF-Colenco) covering hydropower, water and environmental engineering — broader portfolio but overlapping Swiss water-engineering mandates.
• Tractebel (ENGIE): International engineering consultancy with significant water, hydraulic and infrastructure practices including Swiss-domiciled work — broader incumbent in the same engineering category.
• ILF Consulting Engineers: International engineering consultancy active in water, hydropower and environmental infrastructure — overlaps HZP on hydraulic and water-engineering mandates with a broader geographic footprint.
• WSP in Switzerland: Global professional services firm with water and environment practices serving Swiss public-sector clients — broader incumbent operating in adjacent water-engineering services.

Regional players

• Schälchli & Partner (now part of IUB): Swiss water-engineering consultancy with focus on hydraulics, river morphology and revitalization — highly comparable niche focus to HZP, operating in overlapping Swiss regions.

Emerging players

• Walo Bertschinger AG: Swiss construction and infrastructure firm active in hydraulic and water-engineering projects — comparable execution/Bauleitung overlap though broader construction scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hunziker-zarn-&-partner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hunziker, Zarn & Partner