Sutter engineering and planning office

What Sutter engineering and planning office does

Sutter Ingenieur- und Planungsbüro AG is a Swiss engineering and planning consultancy headquartered in Arboldswil, Canton Basel-Landschaft, founded in 1971 by Hans and Margrith Sutter. The firm operates five branch offices across Northwestern Switzerland (Arboldswil, Liestal, Laufen, Nunningen, Reinach), each (except the HQ) established through the acquisition of a regional competitor (Itin+Kipfer AG in 1999, Hans Vorburger AG in 2009, Bruno Hänggi AG in 2013, and Peter Jäckle AG in 2018). It employs over 90 staff across multi-disciplinary teams covering surveying, civil and structural engineering, spatial planning, water/wastewater infrastructure, transport engineering, sports facilities, cable car projects, environmental protection, and construction law. Sutter serves municipalities, the cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Solothurn (where it holds official surveying certifications), and private clients under a one-stop-shop model ("planen, messen, umsetzen"), with service delivery spanning project planning, surveying, permitting, project and construction management.

The firm's service portfolio is organized into four primary lines: Surveying and Geodata (official cadastral surveying, construction and engineering surveying, geodata management via the proprietary GISmo Web-GIS platform); Transport Infrastructure and Utilities (water and wastewater, traffic and civil engineering); Spatial Planning and Construction Law (zoning, environment, permits, legal advisory); and Structural and Special Construction (structural engineering, sports facilities, cable car projects). Technology stack includes drone surveying fleets (MikroKopter, DJI Phantom 4 Pro, DJI Mavic Pro, Sensefly Ebee X) with multispectral and thermal sensors, 3D laser scanning, BIM-based workflows, and the in-house GISmo geodata management system supporting Web-GIS, infrastructure data management, and integration with external WMS, WMTS, and WFS sources. The company holds ISO 9001 certification since 1996 and is owned by senior and long-tenured employees, with Johannes Sutter serving as CEO and President of the Board of Directors.

The business model is professional services-based, generating revenue through project fees for engineering studies, surveying, construction supervision, permits, and expert opinions, plus government-contracted official surveying services. GTM is direct field sales through the five regional offices, supported by a website, newsletter, Facebook presence, and industry event participation. Pricing is project-based, individually quoted, and not publicly disclosed. Customers are predominantly public-sector (Swiss municipalities and cantons), with selective private-sector engagements including a 35 million CHF Eggishorn cable car project, a 3+ MW photovoltaic installation for IWB at the KELSAG site in Liesberg, and the Gemeinde Frenkendorf village center renovation. Geographic focus is Northwestern Switzerland (cantons Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Aargau, Solothurn), with select engagements reaching into Valais.

Name

Sutter engineering and planning office

Legal name

Sutter Ingenieur- und Planungsbüro AG

Website

https://sutter-ag.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sutter Ingenieur- und Planungsbüro AG is a Swiss engineering and planning consultancy founded in 1971, serving municipalities, cantons, and private clients across Northwestern Switzerland with surveying, civil engineering, spatial planning, and infrastructure services from five branch offices with 90+ employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering & Planning Consultancy

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

EIA/ESIA Documentation & Technical Studies (Air/Water/Noise/Traffic) (EUAHAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Analytics (Satellite/UAV/LiDAR, Image Processing) (EUAHAKAD), Environmental Reporting, Dashboards & Regulatory Submittals (Automated Reports, e-Reporting) (EUAHAKAL), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Engineering planning services
• Cadastral surveying services
• Geodata management services
• Spatial planning consulting
• Civil structural engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Waldenburg

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Planning Services: Project-based professional services including planning, surveying, consulting, and project management for construction projects. Revenue generated through fees for engineering studies, construction supervision, permits, and expert opinions.
2. Official Surveying Services: Government-contracted official surveying services for cantons Basel-Landschaft and Solothurn, including cadastral surveying and land management.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sutter Ingenieur- und Planungsbüro AG provides integrated surveying, civil and structural engineering, spatial planning, water/wastewater, traffic and infrastructure, permit handling, and construction-law advisory services for municipalities, cantons, and private clients. The firm combines field surveying (including drone and 3D laser scanning), geodata management via its GISmo Web-GIS platform, BIM-based structural design, and regulatory expertise to deliver end-to-end engineering mandates across Northwestern Switzerland.

Product overview

Sutter Ingenieur- und Planungsbüro AG is an engineering and planning consultancy based in northern Switzerland offering a broad, integrated portfolio of civil engineering, surveying, spatial planning, and structural engineering services. The company operates five branch offices and employs over 90 staff. Its service portfolio is organized into four main categories: Vermessung und Geodaten (Surveying and Geodata — comprising Amtliche Vermessung, Bau- und Ingenieurvermessung, and Geodatenmanagement); Verkehrsanlagen und Werke (Transport Infrastructure and Utilities — covering Wasser und Abwasser and Verkehr und Tiefbau); Raumplanung und Baurecht (Spatial Planning and Construction Law — including Raum und Umwelt, Bewilligungen, and Rechtsberatung); and Hochbau und Spezialbauwerke (Structural and Special Construction — encompassing Konstruktiver Hochbau, Sportanlagen, and Seilbahnprojekte). A specialized offering, Drohnenvermessung (Drone Surveying), supports multiple service areas with aerial data capture. The company also provides project implementation services (site management, overall project leadership) and advisory services across its domains. The firm operates on a one-stop-shop model, delivering most client needs from a single source across its multi-disciplinary teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Amtliche Vermessung (Official Cadastral Surveying) Official cadastral surveying to update land-register and parcel-boundary data on behalf of municipalities, cantons, and federal cadastral authorities, in line with Swiss official-survey standards.
• Bau- und Ingenieurvermessung (Construction and Engineering Surveying) Construction and engineering surveying services using terrestrial and 3D laser-scanning methods, supporting builders, engineers, and infrastructure projects with accurate on-site measurements and deformation monitoring.
• Geodatenmanagement (Geodata Management / GISmo Web-GIS) Geodata management service delivered through the proprietary GISmo Web-GIS platform, enabling municipalities to capture, maintain, and publish parcel, utility, and infrastructure geodata in line with Interlis standards.
• Verkehr und Tiefbau (Traffic and Civil Engineering) Civil and traffic engineering services for cantonal, municipal, and private clients, covering road, bridge, and underground-infrastructure projects including Kantonstrasse assignments.
• Wasser und Abwasser (Water and Wastewater) Planning, design, and project-management services for municipal water-supply and wastewater-disposal infrastructure, including general drainage planning (Generelle Entwässerungsplanung, GEP).
• Raum und Umwelt (Spatial Planning and Environment) Spatial-planning, land-use, and environmental planning services for municipalities, cantons, and private clients, covering zoning, Nutzungsplanung, and environmental coordination.
• Bewilligungen (Building Permits) End-to-end building-permit handling for municipalities and applicants, supported by the GemDat digital permit-management workflow.
• Rechtsberatung (Legal Advice in Construction and Planning Law) Specialist legal advice on construction, planning, and administrative law, supporting municipalities, cantons, and private clients with regulatory compliance and proceedings.
• Konstruktiver Hochbau (Structural Engineering) Structural-engineering services for buildings and infrastructure, including BIM-based design and modeling for new builds and renovations.
• Sportanlagen (Sports Facilities) Engineering, planning, and project-management services for sports and leisure facilities, including synthetic-turf fields, athletics infrastructure, and ancillary works.
• Seilbahn- und Bergbahnprojekte (Cable Car and Mountain Railway Projects) Engineering and planning services for cable cars and mountain railways, including the Eggishorn cable car mandate, serving alpine transport operators.
• Drohnenvermessung (Drone Surveying) Aerial drone-based surveying for terrain, construction-site, and infrastructure mapping, providing orthophotos, point clouds, and digital surface models for engineering projects.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.

• Agrarpiloten GmbHsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for drone surveying services. Sutter collaborates with Agrarpiloten GmbH based in Hellsau for aerial surveying operations, combining Sutter's analysis capabilities with Agrarpiloten's flight operations.
• Projekt Venice GmbHsupportingTechnology or IntegrationWebsite design, programming and realization partner for Sutter AG's corporate website (www.sutter-ag.ch)
• GemDatsupportingTechnology or IntegrationLeading construction administration software used by Sutter for municipalities in Aargau and Solothurn cantons. Sutter implements and configures GemDat for clients, offering software purchase or rental options.
• BDFSmart GmbHsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDigital communication platform provider used by Sutter for the Frenkendorf village center renovation project to provide targeted, real-time information to residents during construction phases.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AFRY: International engineering consultancy (formerly Pöyry/ÅF) with substantial Swiss operations. Competes for larger infrastructure, water, and environmental projects with greater resources and broader geographic reach than regional peers.
• Ernst Basler + Partner (EBP): Swiss engineering and consulting firm with broader national footprint in infrastructure, environment, and risk management. Overlaps with Sutter on environmental consulting and infrastructure planning but at significantly larger scale.
• Sweco: European engineering consultancy with Swiss operations providing similar surveying, water, environment, and infrastructure services at larger scale. Represents competitive pressure for larger project tenders in the Swiss market.
• Amstein + Walthert AG: Established Swiss engineering firm focused on building services, energy, and infrastructure. Larger scale and broader geographic reach; competes on energy infrastructure projects including photovoltaic installations similar to Sutter's 3+ MW Liesberg PV work.

Direct peers

• Gruner AG: Swiss engineering firm based in Basel with multi-disciplinary services including civil, structural, and environmental engineering. Similar integrated service model and regional Northwestern Switzerland presence.
• Holinger AG: Swiss engineering firm specializing in water, environment, and infrastructure with similar service mix to Sutter, particularly in water/wastewater engineering. Comparable size, multi-office footprint, and municipal/cantonal client base.
• Basler & Hofmann AG: Established Swiss engineering consultancy offering civil, structural, environmental, and planning services with a comparable one-stop-shop model. Larger scale but operates on similar integrated project delivery principles serving public and private clients.
• Emch+Berger Ingenieure AG: Similar-size Swiss engineering firm with broad civil engineering, surveying, and infrastructure planning services across multiple locations. Comparable one-stop-shop service model serving municipalities and private clients in the German-speaking Swiss market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Sutter engineering and planning office