Amstutz Holzenergie

What Amstutz Holzenergie does

Amstutz Holzenergie AG is a Swiss renewable wood energy company headquartered in Emmen, Canton of Lucerne, founded in 1987 by Albert (Bärti) Amstutz and led, since January 2025, by second-generation co-CEOs Dany Amstutz and Michèle Amstutz. The company plans, builds, and operates wood-fired district heating systems (Fernwärme) for Swiss municipalities, commercial enterprises, and industrial customers, with a workforce of over 40 specialists across two locations (Emmen and Hindelbank).

Its technical platform centers on proprietary equipment and integrated services: the AmStat district heating transfer station and AmSys control/remote-monitoring system for connecting and managing heating networks; in-house-built mobile wood chippers (Grosshacker, seven units to date); and proprietary ash collection systems (Aschensauger, Systembehälter, Systemcontainer). Underlying operations span forest-to-heat vertical integration, including wood procurement from regional forestry cooperatives, mobile chipping with company-owned equipment, fuel logistics with specialized transport vehicles (incl. pump systems for hard-to-reach bunkers), 24/7 service operation with a guaranteed 2-hour response time, and 100% ash recycling into JURA CEMENT's cement production (Wildegg facility).

The business model combines professional services (project planning, construction, commissioning), managed services (operations, maintenance, contracting), hardware sales (proprietary transfer stations, ash systems, custom machinery), and fuel sales (Holzschnitzel wood chips and DIN EN 1177-certified Spielplatzschnitzel playground chips). Customers include anchor industrial accounts such as Emmi AG (3,200 kW heating plant at Emmen, >80% of process energy from Amstutz's wood-chip plant), SBB Goldau (700 kW conversion), municipal district heating operators (Gemeinde Eschenbach, Gemeinde Hochdorf, Ruswil, Willisau-West, Unterägeri), the wholly-owned subsidiary EVB Eschenbach AG, and forestry cooperatives supplying wood.

Name

Amstutz Holzenergie

Legal name

Amstutz Holzenergie AG

Website

https://amstutzholzenergie.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Amstutz Holzenergie AG plans, builds, and operates wood-fired district heating systems and proprietary transfer/control equipment for Swiss municipalities, commercial enterprises, and industrial customers, with full-service forestry-to-heat vertical integration including ash recycling.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wood Energy / District Heating Services

NAICS

Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414), Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (221330)

SIC

Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Steam & Air-Conditioning Supply (4961)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomass Heating Systems (Commercial/Institutional Boilers) (EUAAAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomass Plant Operations, Maintenance & Performance Services (O&M) (EUAAAGAI), Chillers, Boilers & Central Plant Operations (BPABACAG), Boiler & Hydronic Heating Repair & Service (HSAOAHAG)

Keywords

• Wood energy heating
• District heating systems
• Biomass heating plants
• Wood chip supply
• Ash management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Emmen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. District Heating System Construction & Project Services: Full-service provider offering planning, construction, and operation of wood-fired heating plants and district heating networks for municipalities and commercial customers.
2. Operation & Maintenance Services: Ongoing operation, maintenance, monitoring, and optimization of heating plants. Includes 24/7 on-call service with 2-hour response time. Operating contracting services available.
3. Wood Chip Supply: Production and delivery of wood chips from regional forests. Includes wood purchasing from forest owners, chipping with company-owned mobile chippers, and transport to heating plants.
4. Ash Management & Recycling: Collection and recycling of wood ash through proprietary ash suction systems. Ash is transported to JURA CEMENT for use in cement production (100% material recycling).
5. Equipment Manufacturing & Sales: Manufacturing of custom machinery including ash containers, ash suction equipment, heating transfer stations, and specialized vehicles for the wood energy sector.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Amstutz Holzenergie AG is a full-service provider of wood-fired heating plants and district heating (Fernwärme) networks. It plans, constructs, operates and maintains renewable wood-chip-based heating infrastructure for municipalities and commercial/industrial customers across Switzerland, complemented by proprietary equipment (AmStat transfer stations, AmSys control systems, ash management solutions), wood chip supply, and 100% wood ash recycling via JURA CEMENT.

Product overview

Amstutz Holzenergie AG is a full-service provider for wood energy, offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for district heating with wood. The core products include: AmStat district heating transfer stations (with AmSys control systems for network management), ash collection systems (Systembehälter, Systemcontainer, and Aschensauger ash vacuum), wood chips (Holzschnitzel/Hackschnitzel) as fuel, and certified playground chips (Spielplatzschnitzel) as a consumer product. These products are complemented by end-to-end services covering consulting, planning, construction/implementation, maintenance, logistics, ash management, and custom machine building. The company operates its own fleet of mobile wood chippers (Grosshacker) and transport vehicles, enabling complete vertical integration from forest wood chipping to ash recycling in cement production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AmStat: Intelligent heating: Fernwärme-Übergabestation (district heating transfer station) with smart control system for heat transfer from district heating networks to building systems.
• AmSys
• Aschensauger

Products and services

• AmStat Fernwärme-Übergabestation Intelligent Swiss-made district heating transfer station connecting a district heating network to a building's heating system; features modern control technology with intuitive operation, remote monitoring and app-based access. Sold to commercial and residential customers connecting to district heating networks.
• AmSys Fernwärme Leitsystem Proprietary control system for district heating networks providing functional and status overview of heating plants and connected transfer stations; features visual and object-related remote maintenance with automatic alerts on threshold violations or alarms. Used by operators of district heating networks.
• Aschen Systembehälter Designed ash container for wood heating systems; accommodates ash from multiple boilers and includes filters with level monitoring that alert when emptying is required. Ash can be vacuumed directly at the container or via fixed suction lines. Sold to operators of wood heating plants.
• Aschen Systemcontainer Larger ash container solution for wood heating systems; offers space for all ash fractions with level monitoring and automatic alerts for collection. Available as a rental container with complete logistics included. Sold or rented to operators of large wood heating plants.
• Aschensauger Vacuum system for dry and dust-free ash collection directly at heating plants; payload capacity up to 16 tons; can vacuum ash from small or large containers. Sold or used in Amstutz's own ash logistics service to wood heating plant operators.
• Holzschnitzel (Hackschnitzel) High-quality wood chips for wood heating systems, produced from untreated wood from regional forests, landscape maintenance, gardening and sawmills using the company's own large chippers. Sold as fuel to operators of wood-fired heating plants.
• Spielplatzschnitzel (Fallschutz) Certified playground wood chips according to DIN EN 1177 (certificate AP-20-197), serving as natural shock-absorbing surfaces for playgrounds. Made from natural Swiss wood from Central Swiss forests. Sold to municipalities, schools and playground operators.
• Beratung, Planung und Realisierung von Holzheizungen und Fernwärme End-to-end consulting, planning and realization services for wood-fired heating plants and district heating networks, from feasibility studies through construction and commissioning. Provided to municipalities, commercial enterprises and industrial customers.
• Unterhalt und Betrieb von Holzheizungen Ongoing operation, maintenance, monitoring and optimization of wood heating plants, including a 24/7 on-call Pikett service with a 2-hour guaranteed response time. Operating contracting services available. Provided to operators of Amstutz-built and third-party heating plants.
• Holzlogistik (Holzbeschaffung, Hacken und Transport) Forest wood purchasing, mobile chipping with self-built Grosshacker machines, and transport of wood chips to heating plant bunkers via company fleet including specialized pump systems for hard-to-reach locations. Provided to heating plant operators and forest owners.
• Aschenmanagement und Holzaschen-Verwertung Collection and recycling of wood ash from customer heating plants using proprietary Aschensauger vacuum systems, with ash transported to JURA CEMENT for 100% material recycling in cement production. Compliant with LRV air-pollution-control requirements. Provided to operators of wood-fired heating plants.
• Maschinenbau (Mobile Grosshacker und Spezialmaschinen) In-house design, construction and sale of mobile wood chippers (Grosshacker) and other specialty machinery for the wood energy sector. The 7th self-built Grosshacker was commissioned in January 2023 after 8,400 hours of work. Provided to internal operations and external customers in the wood energy industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% CO2-neutral energy production from wood
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Genossenschaft Energie RuswilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Partnership with local energy cooperative for the Ruswil village district heating project. The cooperative handles ownership and operation of the district heating network while Amstutz provides overall planning and construction services.
• Gemeinde HochdorfmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026Partnership with municipality of Hochdorf to develop the next project phase of district heating. Amstutz will serve as practice partner with technical expertise, project experience, and network.
• Emil GloggnerminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Construction partner for civil engineering work on the Ruswil district heating project.
• Amrein BauminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Construction partner for deep civil engineering and pipeline construction on the Ruswil district heating project.
• JURA CEMENTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2023Partnership for 100% material recycling of wood ash. Holzaschen from customer heating plants are collected and transported to JURA CEMENT's Wildegg facility for use in cement production, replacing limestone and marl. This innovative solution closes the material cycle and reduces natural resource extraction.
• Wald- und Holzgenossenschaft Rottal und Sempachersee WestcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Wood supply partnership for the Ruswil project. Regional forestry cooperative supplying approximately 8,000 cubic meters of wood chips annually from local forests.
• EVB Eschenbach AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Joint venture/subsidiary company for the Eschenbach district heating project. Amstutz founded this company with partners to operate the heating plant supplying the municipality with renewable heat.
• Korporation AeschmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership with the Aesch forest owners corporation for the district heating project utilizing their own forest wood for sustainable energy production.
• Emmi AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Expanded partnership for renewable energy at Emmi's Emmen facility. Over 80% of process energy from Amstutz's wood chip plant. Additional 1,435 PV modules installed on Amstutz buildings via convoltas AG.
• Schmid EnergycoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial Schmid partner for maintenance of wood boilers throughout Switzerland. Provides brand-compliant, professional maintenance services for Schmid wood-fired heating systems.
• Korporation UnterägerimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for planning and construction management of the Rain heating center in Unterägeri. The heating center is integrated into the commercial building of the corporation.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Viessmann Climate Solutions: Major German heating, industrial and refrigeration systems manufacturer. Operates broadly across HVAC and renewable heat including biomass, but as part of a much larger portfolio rather than specializing in the wood-chip district heating niche that Amstutz serves.
• Bosch Thermotechnology (including Froling competitor lines): Large established heating equipment manufacturer with broad HVAC and renewable heat portfolio. Comparable capability space (boilers, heating systems) but much larger scale and broader product mix than Amstutz's specialist biomass focus.

Direct peers

• ENERPOT / Polytechnik Biomass Energy: Austrian specialist in biomass combustion plants and CHP for industrial and district heating use. Directly comparable as a turnkey biomass heat/CHP plant provider serving municipal and industrial customers in the DACH region.
• Hargassner Heiztechnik: Austrian family-owned manufacturer of wood-chip and pellet heating systems up to multi-megawatt scale. Comparable as a vertically integrated European wood-boiler specialist serving commercial, municipal, and district heating customers.
• Windhager Zentralheizung Technik: Austrian family-owned manufacturer of biomass and pellet heating systems serving residential through commercial/municipal customers. Overlaps with Amstutz in the wood-chip/pellet heating plant category and European DACH-market customer base.
• Schmid Energy Solutions: Swiss manufacturer of wood-fired heating plants and boilers. Closest comparable in the Swiss wood-energy space — Amstutz is an official Schmid service partner, indicating overlapping customer base, equipment, and services in biomass heating plant construction and O&M.
• Fröling Heizkessel- und Behälterbau: Austrian manufacturer of biomass heating systems (wood chips, pellets, log wood) for residential, commercial, and district heating. Comparable product portfolio and target segments in biomass boiler and plant engineering.
• KWB - Kraft und Wärme aus Biomasse: Austrian biomass heating specialist offering wood-chip and pellet plants from domestic to industrial/district heating scale. Directly comparable in biomass boiler manufacturing and renewable heat plant delivery.

Others

• Holzenergie Schweiz (industry association): Swiss industry association for wood energy. Not a competitor but a relevant ecosystem participant — sets standards, lobbies for the sector, and lists peer contractors and plant builders including biomass heating specialists like Amstutz.

Regional players

• Energie Service Biel/Bienne (ESB) / local Swiss district heating utilities: Swiss municipal/regional utility operating district heating networks. Comparable in operating district heating infrastructure and supplying heat to commercial/residential customers, though typically larger and fossil/nuclear-mixed rather than wood-energy specialists like Amstutz.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amstutz-holzenergie-ag
• Instagraminstagram.com/amstutzholzenergie

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Amstutz Holzenergie