Erwin Suter AG Maschinenfabrik Retus

What Erwin Suter AG Maschinenfabrik Retus does

Erwin Suter AG (trade name RETUS) is a Swiss precision metalworking company founded in 1947 and headquartered in Kölliken, Canton Aargau. The firm operates as a contract manufacturer offering CNC turning (5 machines), CNC milling (5–6 machines), laser cutting (Trumpf L 2530), sheet-metal bending and rounding (3 press brakes), welding, and full assembly services. Production tolerances reach 0.05 mm on bending and 0.1 mm on welded constructions, with batch sizes from single prototypes to runs of up to 16,000 units. Customers are industrial buyers across the metalworking, construction, food processing, pharmaceutical, medical, packaging, and railway sectors.

In addition to contract services, RETUS sells two proprietary product lines. Beton-X concrete-wastewater neutralization systems (Mini, Standard, Edi Plus / Cicco, Durchlauf) were developed in 2011 and carry SUVA approval for use on Swiss construction sites. The DORIT butcher-machine line, which RETUS produced for over four decades (1970–2020) with several thousand units in operation worldwide, was suspended in 2024 after the loss of its international distribution channel; spare parts and rebuilding services continue.

RETUS runs a B2B, quote-driven commercial model: customers submit drawings via email or phone and receive an offer within 48 hours. Pricing is per-piece, billed on a pay-as-you-go basis with no public list prices. Distribution is direct to industrial customers with no intermediaries. The company is privately held following the May 2023 acquisition by individual entrepreneur Gery Bärtschi after the death of long-time owner Herbert Suter in 2022. CEO Nedo Markovic leads day-to-day operations supported by five department heads covering turning, milling, laser, welding, and assembly.

Name

Erwin Suter AG Maschinenfabrik Retus

Legal name

Erwin Suter AG Maschinenfabrik RETUS

Website

https://retus.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Erwin Suter AG (RETUS) is a Swiss precision metalworking company founded in 1947 in Kölliken. It delivers CNC turning, milling, laser cutting, bending, welding, and assembly services to industrial customers across manufacturing, construction, food, pharma, medical, packaging, and railway sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kölliken

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Precision Parts Manufacturing: Custom precision parts manufacturing services including CNC turning, CNC milling, laser cutting, bending, welding, and assembly. The company produces individual custom parts and assemblies for industrial customers in batches from single units to 16,000 pieces. Revenue is generated through one-time manufacturing contracts with quotes provided within 48 hours of receiving customer specifications.
2. Beton-X Products: Sale of Beton-X concrete wastewater neutralization systems in various models (Mini, Standard, Edi Plus, continuous flow). The product line serves the construction industry for pH regulation compliance. Replacement parts and spare parts for installed units are also sold.
3. DORIT Butcher Machine Spare Parts: Spare parts, schematics, and manuals for DORIT brand butcher machines. Production of discontinued models as single parts or complete assemblies within 4-10 weeks. This maintains revenue from the existing installed base while new product development continues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Erwin Suter AG (RETUS) is a Swiss precision metalworking manufacturer founded in 1947 and based in Kölliken, Switzerland. The company offers CNC turning, CNC milling, laser cutting, bending and rolling, welding and hard soldering, and assembly services as a contract manufacturer. Additionally, RETUS develops and sells its own proprietary Beton-X wastewater neutralizer product.

Product overview

RETUS (Erwin Suter AG) is a precision metalworking company founded in 1947, offering a comprehensive portfolio of manufacturing services and proprietary products. Core services include CNC turning (5 machines), CNC milling (6 machines), laser cutting (L 2530), bending/rolling, welding (ISO 15085 certified), and assembly. Proprietary products include Beton-X construction wastewater neutralizers (with models Edi Plus, Mini, Standard, and Durchlauf), and the discontinued DORIT line of butcher machines (Tumbler, Pökelmaschine, Filterwagen, PSM-75, Schinkenpresse). The company serves construction, food, pharmaceutical, medical, packaging, and railway industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DORIT: Former brand name under which Metzgereimaschinen (butcher machines) were distributed worldwide for over 40 years (1970-2020).
• Beton-X

Products and services

• CNC Turning
• CNC Milling
• Laser Cutting
• Bending and Rolling
• Welding and Hard Soldering
• Assembly Services
• Beton-X Wastewater Neutralizer

Quantifiable outcome

• 48-hour quote turnaround for custom parts inquiries
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Richard AGminorOthersRichard AG is listed as a related company/link on RETUS website. No specific partnership details are provided beyond the website link connection.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mikron Group: Swiss-headquartered precision machining and components manufacturer. Like RETUS, Mikron serves demanding industrial customers with high-precision, multi-process manufacturing, but at materially greater scale.
• Agathon AG: Swiss precision machine tool and components producer based in the same German-speaking Swiss corridor as RETUS, with overlapping precision-grinding and tooling capabilities.
• Starrag Group: Swiss precision machine tool manufacturer serving aerospace, energy, and transport. Overlaps with RETUS in high-precision Swiss engineering culture and railway/aerospace customer exposure.
• Feintool International Holding AG: Swiss specialist in precision metal forming and parts manufacturing. Comparable to RETUS in serving regulated industrial customers with high-precision metal components, but at a much larger scale.
• Fraisa SA: Swiss precision cutting tool specialist. Comparable in precision-machining heritage and Swiss SME profile, though focused on tooling rather than contract parts manufacturing.
• Tornos SA: Swiss manufacturer of precision turning machines and turned components. Closely comparable to RETUS in heritage (Swiss, family-rooted) and precision turning/milling capability, though much larger and export-driven.

Broad incumbents

• Bystronic Laser AG: Swiss-headquartered global leader in laser cutting and bending systems. Operates in the same laser-cutting and metal-forming technology stack RETUS uses, but as a much larger machine OEM.
• Marel hf: Icelandic-headquartered global leader in food processing equipment. Closely comparable to RETUS's former DORIT butcher-machine product line and food-industry customer base.
• Georg Fischer AG: Swiss industrial conglomerate with precision machining and flow-control capabilities. Comparable Swiss industrial heritage and customer overlap, but at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Emerging players

• Grasselli S.p.A. Italian manufacturer of meat-processing machinery. Directly comparable to RETUS's discontinued DORIT butcher-machine product line, competing for similar European butchery customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erwin-suter-ag-maschinenfabrik-retus

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Erwin Suter AG Maschinenfabrik Retus