Welti Furrer

What Welti Furrer does

Welti-Furrer AG is a privately held Swiss logistics provider founded in 1838 in Zurich and now operating as a subsidiary of the Knecht Group (acquired 1993). Its core offerings span six business lines: residential moving (Privatumzüge), business removals (Geschäftsumzüge) covering offices, hospitals, schools, libraries, and laboratories, fine art logistics (Kunstlogistik), storage services (self-storage, pallet, file, container, art, heavy goods), heavy lift and crane operations (Schwergutlogistik) with mobile cranes up to 600t and air-film transport up to 900t, and construction site logistics (Baulogistik). The company is structured around three wholly-owned operating subsidiaries — Welti-Furrer Fine Art AG, Welti-Furrer Pneukran und Spezialtransporte AG, and Welti-Furrer Immobilien AG — and serves both B2C (private individuals) and B2B (enterprises, institutions, galleries, museums, government) clients across German-speaking Switzerland with extensions into European and global relocations via the ICEFAT network.

Technically and operationally the business is built on specialised physical assets and certified processes rather than software platforms. The Dielsdorf facility (opened 2018) provides a GRASP-certified, biometric-secured, climate-stable fine art warehouse with an in-house carpentry workshop for custom crating and one of Switzerland's largest nitrogen pest-treatment chambers. The fleet comprises mobile cranes up to 600t, truck-mounted cranes from 14 to 165 mto, assembly cranes for confined spaces, and air-film transport systems up to 900t, supplemented by Euro 6 vehicles and hybrid propulsion (the first Mercedes hybrid removal truck in Switzerland, 2011). The company carries an unusually dense compliance stack: ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, GRASP, FAIMPlus, AEO, Regulated Agent (FOCA), ASTAG-Plus, and ICEFAT membership, each of which lowers friction in regulated workflows (customs, air freight, road escort, museum handling).

Commercial mechanics are predominantly project-quoted across all service lines; the company explicitly does not publish standard pricing and routes both online quote requests and inbound phone/email enquiries to dedicated project managers. Revenue streams blend one-time project fees (moves, crane operations, industrial relocations) with recurring storage contracts (self-storage, file storage, pallet, art storage) and emergency/pandemic warehousing programmes. Distribution runs through 10+ directly operated regional branches (Zurich, Dielsdorf, Bern, Basel, Windisch, Zug, Wil/SG, Bubendorf) with field-based enterprise sales, while customer acquisition relies on brand reputation, the website quote funnel, an art-logistics newsletter, and direct outreach to specialised verticals. Marketing language emphasises 185 years of heritage and end-to-end handling from packing to installation, with headcount stated in the 51-100 range.

Name

Welti Furrer

Legal name

Welti-Furrer AG

Website

https://welti-furrer.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1838

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Welti-Furrer AG is a 185-year-old Swiss logistics provider, owned by the Knecht Group, offering residential and business moving, fine art logistics, storage, heavy-lift crane operations, and construction site logistics across German-speaking Switzerland via 10+ branch offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Moving and relocation services: One-time services for residential and business relocations including packing, transport, unpacking, and reassembly. Pricing based on scope, distance, and services required.
2. Storage services: Recurring storage services including self-storage, container storage, pallet storage, file storage, art storage, and heavy goods storage. Revenue generated from monthly/periodic storage fees.
3. Crane and heavy lift services: Mobile crane operations, special transport, and industrial relocations. Services include equipment rental with operators, route planning, and transport studies.
4. Fine art logistics: Specialized art transport, storage, exhibition setup, and pest treatment services for galleries, museums, auction houses, and private collectors.
5. Construction logistics: Central construction site logistics, coordination services, disposal logistics, and site infrastructure provisioning for construction projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Welti-Furrer AG is a Swiss moving, transport, and storage specialist offering residential and commercial relocations, fine art transport and high-security storage, heavy-lift crane operations, construction site logistics, and storage services (self-storage, file, container, pallet, emergency). Services are delivered through wholly-owned subsidiaries—Welti-Furrer Fine Art AG, Welti-Furrer Pneukran und Spezialtransporte AG, and Welti-Furrer Immobilien AG—across 10+ branch offices in German-speaking Switzerland.

Product overview

Welti Furrer is a Swiss logistics and moving company founded in 1838, operating as a group of subsidiaries offering comprehensive relocation, storage, and specialized logistics services. The portfolio consists of core service divisions: Privatumzüge (residential moving), Geschäftsumzüge (business removals including office, library, school, hospital, laboratory, and nursing home moves), Kunstlogistik/Fine Art (art transportation and high-security storage), Lagerung (storage services including self-storage, file storage, container storage, and pallet storage), Schwergutlogistik (heavy cargo logistics with cranes and special transport), and Baulogistik (construction logistics). The group includes subsidiaries Welti-Furrer Fine Art AG (fine art logistics) and Welti-Furrer Pneukran und Spezialtransporte AG (pneumatic crane and special transport services), along with Welti-Furrer Immobilien AG (real estate). Services are delivered through multiple locations across German-speaking Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Welti-Furrer Fine Art: Specialized art logistics division handling transport, storage, installation and conservation of artworks of various sizes and types
• Welti-Furrer Pneukran und Spezialtransporte

Products and services

• Privatumzüge (Residential Moving) Door-to-door moving services for private households, including apartments, villas, and senior relocations, both domestically within Switzerland and internationally (Europe and overseas). Services include packing, transport, unpacking, and optional storage.
• Geschäftsumzüge (Business Removals) End-to-end relocation services for corporate and institutional clients, including office moves, library relocations, school moves, hospital and laboratory relocations, nursing home relocations, and gastronomy logistics, designed to minimize business disruption.
• Kunstlogistik (Fine Art Logistics) Specialized transport, installation, climate-controlled storage, exhibition logistics, art-fair support, museum on demand, and pest treatment for galleries, auction houses, museums, and private collectors. Operated by the Welti-Furrer Fine Art AG subsidiary.
• Lagerung (Storage Services) Recurring storage services including self-storage units at multiple locations, file/akten storage, storage containers, pallet storage (3,500 pallet spaces at Zurich-Dielsdorf), heavy goods storage, and emergency or pandemic warehouse logistics including procurement, customs clearance, and distribution.
• Schwergutlogistik (Heavy Cargo Logistics) Heavy-lift logistics including mobile cranes (up to 600t), truck-mounted cranes (14–165 mto), assembly cranes for confined spaces, air-film transport systems (AFTS) up to 900t, exceptional transport escort (ATB), industrial relocations, lifting plans, and transport studies. Operated by Welti-Furrer Pneukran und Spezialtransporte AG.
• Baulogistik (Construction Logistics) Construction site logistics including concept and planning, construction site infrastructure, central on-site logistics coordination, resource coordination, disposal logistics, construction cleaning, and occupational safety and fire protection controls.

Quantifiable outcome

• One of the most modern fine art storage facilities in the world with GRASP certification
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ICEFATcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Long-standing membership in ICEFAT, a global network of art logistics specialists. In 33 countries, 73 companies comply with rigorous standards for responsible and careful handling of cultural assets being stored and transported.
• ASTAG (Swiss Commercial Vehicle Association)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership with ASTAG for exceptional transport escort (ATB) services. Since April 2017, cantons have outsourced exceptional transport escorts to private parties including Welti-Farrer.
• myclimatecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Partnership with the non-profit myclimate organization since 2011 for effective climate protection through CO2 offsetting. As part of environmental commitment, the company offsets carbon emissions generated by operations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Crown Relocations: Global relocation and moving services company with corporate, government, and private moving services. Overlaps with Welti-Furrer's residential and business moving divisions, but at a much larger international scale.
• Mammoet: Global heavy-lift and engineered transport leader with a much larger fleet and project portfolio. Overlaps with Welti-Furrer's heavy-lift and industrial relocation business at the high end of capacity, but operates at a far larger scale.
• Kühne + Nagel: Swiss-headquartered global logistics incumbent with fine art, contract logistics, and relocations divisions. Larger, broader competitor that overlaps with Welti-Furrer on art logistics, storage, and business removals but operates globally.
• DB Schenker: Deutsche Bahn-owned global logistics provider with European land transport, special transport, and contract logistics capabilities. Broad incumbent whose special transport and contract logistics overlap with Welti-Furrer's heavy-lift, construction logistics, and storage services.

Direct peers

• Umzug Rüegg AG: Swiss moving and relocation company with a comparable private and business customer base in German-speaking Switzerland. Closest Swiss head-to-head competitor on residential and corporate moves.
• Hasenkamp Group: German family-owned fine art logistics specialist offering art transport, climate-controlled storage, and exhibition logistics across Europe. Closest direct peer to Welti-Furrer Fine Art — comparable services, ICEFAT membership, and European art collector base.
• Cadogan Tate Group: UK-based fine art logistics specialist with storage, transport, and installation services for galleries, auction houses, museums, and collectors. Direct peer to Welti-Furrer's Fine Art division, with overlapping client base and similar GRASP/FAIM-style credentials.
• Gander & White: British fine art transport and storage specialist serving collectors, dealers, and museums. Comparable in scope to Welti-Furrer Fine Art, with strong international art-fair and exhibition logistics capability.
• Crozier (Iron Mountain Artservices): US-focused fine art logistics provider (now part of Iron Mountain) offering storage, transport, installation, and conservation services. Direct competitor in the art logistics vertical and a natural scale benchmark for a multi-regional specialist like Welti-Furrer.
• Felbermayr Transport und Hebetechnik: Austrian heavy-lift and crane specialist with a similar model to Welti-Furrer Pneukran und Spezialtransporte — mobile cranes, special transport, and industrial relocations across the DACH region. Direct peer on the heavy-lift side.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/weltifurrer

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 Welti Furrer