Burch mechanical engineering

What Burch mechanical engineering does

Burch Maschinenbau AG is a privately held, family-owned Swiss mechanical engineering firm founded in 1945 by Paul Burch in Gossau, Switzerland, currently led by Bruno Burch (owner/managing director) and Marcel Burch (managing director). The company operates three product divisions: (1) Mechanical Engineering, which produces cheese-making machines (KSB cheese salt/spreading machine, BRB board cleaning, BWM board washing, BTW board drying trolleys) and Superfeeder envelope feeders for printing presses, plus contract manufacturing of machine parts, maintenance, and repairs; (2) Grinding Technology (Schleiftechnik), a portfolio of belt grinding heads (BSK 50/65/80, KLB 250/400, OHB, WLS 11/18.5), vertical grinding machines (VSA 2000), orbital grinders, and floor grinding heads (BOK) for surface finishing and weld seam processing of containers, pressure vessels, tanks, pipes, sheets, rollers, and shafts — a capability absorbed through the 2004 acquisition of SR-Schleiftechnik; and (3) Smoothing Machines (Glätten), covering circular seam (G1500/G2000, RG 2300-H) and longitudinal seam (LG3-1000, LGG-8000, LGO-2000, LGP-700/400) smoothing machines, largely built on the IRLE GmbH production line acquired in 2009.

The company serves tank/container construction, pressure vessel manufacturing, brewery/brewhouse, dairy/cheese-making, and printing industries — primarily via direct sales with custom quote-based pricing, and reaches international markets opportunistically without intermediary distributors. Its revenue model combines one-time capital equipment sales, professional services (maintenance, repair, contract manufacturing), and a small used-machines segment, supported by an in-house 3D CAD design office. With 11–50 employees and three decades of continuous polymechanic apprenticeship training, Burch is a stable niche industrial machinery specialist that has grown primarily through bolt-on product-line acquisitions (SR-Schleiftechnik 2004, IRLE 2009, Superfeeder 2015, Berchtold BWM) rather than organic market expansion. No financial disclosures (revenue, profit, headcount) are publicly available.

Name

Burch mechanical engineering

Legal name

Burch Maschinenbau AG

Website

https://burch.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Burch Maschinenbau AG is a family-owned Swiss mechanical engineering firm (founded 1945, Gossau) that designs and manufactures specialized grinding heads, smoothing machines, cheese-making equipment, and envelope feeders, selling directly via custom quotes to tank-construction, brewery, dairy, and printing customers internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gossau

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, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Machine Manufacturing and Sales: Manufacture and sale of special machines, grinding machines, cheese-making machines, and smoothing machines. One-time purchase model for machine sales.
2. Services (Maintenance and Repair): Maintenance work, repairs of machine parts, machine components, apparatus, and complete machine overhauls. Service and maintenance work performed by the company.
3. Machine Parts Manufacturing: Manufacturing of machine parts according to drawings, sketches, and samples. Contract manufacturing and repair welding services.
4. Special Machine Development: From idea to ready-to-operate machine: planning, design, manufacturing, and automation of special machines and systems according to customer needs.
5. Used Machines: Sale of refurbished and used machines including belt grinding heads and cheese spreading machines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Burch Maschinenbau AG designs, manufactures, and sells custom special machines, belt grinding machines for surface and weld seam processing of containers and pressure vessels, smoothing machines for circular and longitudinal seams, and specialized cheese-making equipment including salting, board cleaning, washing, and drying machines. The company also develops and produces the Superfeeder envelope feeder for printing presses and offers contract machine parts manufacturing, maintenance, and repair services.

Product overview

Burch Maschinenbau AG operates three main divisions: (1) Mechanical Engineering for custom special machines and cheese-making equipment including KSB cheese salt/spreading machines, BRB/BWM board cleaning and washing machines, BTW drying trolleys, and Superfeeder envelope feeders; (2) Grinding Technology featuring belt grinding heads (BSK, KLB, OHB series), multi grinding heads (WLS), vertical grinding machines (VSA 2000), orbital grinders, floor grinding heads (BOK), and pipe/sheet grinding systems; and (3) Smoothing Machines for weld seam processing including circular seam (G1500/G2000/RG 2300-H) and longitudinal seam (LG3-1000/LGG/LGO/LGP series) machines, plus accessories (ZS-1, RO-1). The company also offers used machines and provides services including machine parts manufacturing, engineering, repairs, metalworking, keyway grooving, and chain wheel trading.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BSK Belt Grinding Heads (Series 50/65/80) Standard belt grinding heads for surface grinding of containers and round/longitudinal weld seams, inside and outside, available in various sizes (50, 65, 80).
• KLB 400 Belt Grinding Head Belt grinding head for grinding inner surfaces of containers from Ø 250mm, suitable for grinding inside small containers.
• OHB Belt Grinding Head Grinding head for grinding the lid and frame of lauter tuns (brewery bonnets), available in stationary and mobile versions. Designed for brewery brewhouse bonnets with diameters of 2.5-15m.
• WLS 11/18.5 Multi Grinding Head Multi grinding head for grinding root position and seam surface of longitudinal and circumferential seams on pressure vessels. Attachable to machine carriers for versatile use.
• ASM-WLS11-M External Grinding Machine External grinding machine for grinding root and welding seam surface on pressure vessels.
• BSK-100 FL External Grinding Head External grinding head for deep-gap root grinding, weld seam surface grinding, and polishing on pressure vessels.
• BOK Floor Grinding Heads (BOK-I and BOK-II) Belt sanding heads for grinding surfaces of container bottoms, both inside and outside, available in two model sizes.
• Orbital Grinder (Orbitalschleifgerät) Device for grinding weld seam surfaces on pressure pipes, attached to the pipe at the construction site.
• VSA 2000 Vertical Grinding Machine Vertical grinding machine for grinding vertical weld seam protrusions on the inside of container shots. Equipped with belt grinding head and rotor grinding head, with a process time of approximately 5 minutes for 1.5m seam.
• ASK Grinding Head Grinding head attachment for lathes for fine grinding of roller and shaft surfaces.
• RBSK Belt Grinding Unit Belt grinding unit for grinding edge zones of longitudinal edges of sheet metal plates for clean seam connection in pipe and sheet applications.
• RE-SA Pipe End Grinding Machine Pipe end grinding machine for grinding longitudinal weld seams inside and outside at the end of a pipe.
• G1500/G2000 Circular Seam Smoothing Machine Smoothing machine for butt-welded frames with frame height 1500 mm and 2000 mm, container diameter 1.2-4 m, material thickness 2-6 mm, contact pressure 1-10t.
• RG 2300-H Circular Seam Smoothing Machine Circular seam smoothing machine with frame length 2000 mm, container diameter 800mm-2500m, material thickness 2-8 mm.
• LG3-1000 Longitudinal Seam Smoothing Machine Smoothing machine for butt-welded pipes with pipe length max. 1000 mm, pipe diameter 200-1200 mm, material thickness 1-6 mm.
• LGG-8000 Closed Longitudinal Seam Smoothing Machine Smoothing machine for butt-welded sheets in closed version, with sheet width max. 8000 mm and sheet thickness max. 8 mm.
• LGO-2000 Open Longitudinal Seam Smoothing Machine Smoothing machine for butt-welded sheets in open version, with sheet width max. 2000 mm and sheet thickness max. 8 mm.
• LGP-700/400 Longitudinal Seam Smoothing Machine Longitudinal seam smoothing machine for tubes with tube length max. 700 mm, tube diameter 150-400 mm.
• KSB Cheese Salt/Spreading Machine Machine for simultaneous salting of two cheese wheels. Includes electrical diagrams (48V and 400V) and spare parts list. Designed for cheese producers.
• BRB Cheese Board Cleaning Machine Board cleaning machine that cleans cheese boards with rotating brushes and fresh water. Handles boards up to 40 mm thick and 400 mm wide.
• BWM Cheese Board Washing Machine Board washing machine with automatic feed for cleaning cheese boards with rotating brushes and fresh water. Maximum board thickness 22mm, board width 350mm.
• BTW Cheese Board Drying Trolley Mobile storage racks for storing and drying cheese boards. Available in hot-dip galvanised or stainless steel versions.
• Superfeeder Envelope Feeder Versatile envelope feeder tailored to envelope printing needs. Features a sophisticated adjustment system for easy adaptation to rapidly changing jobs.
• Used and Refurbished Machines Sale of refurbished and used machines including belt grinding heads and cheese spreading machines, available from the Gossau warehouse.
• Custom Special Machine Development and Manufacturing From idea to ready-to-operate machine: planning, design, manufacturing, and automation of special machines and systems according to customer needs, including complete machine overhauls.
• Machine Parts Manufacturing and Repair Services Manufacturing of machine parts according to drawings, sketches, and samples; maintenance work; repairs of machine parts, machine components, apparatus; contract manufacturing and repair welding services.
• Drive Chain and Sprocket Trading Trading of drive chains and sprockets in cooperation with Kremos-Ketten AG, including reworking of sprockets and manufacturing of special sprockets, served from the Gossau warehouse.

Quantifiable outcome

• Process time of approximately 5 minutes for 1.5m weld seam grinding with VSA 2000 vertical grinding machine

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kremos-Ketten AGminorOthersPartnership for trading in drive chains and sprockets. Burch Maschinenbau AG trades these products in cooperation with Kremos-Ketten AG, primarily serving customers from their warehouse in Gossau. They are also competent in reworking sprockets and manufacturing special sprockets.
• Berchtold companyminorOthersBurch Maschinenbau AG took over the board washing machine (BWM) product line from the Berchtold company and now produces and distributes this machine.
• SR-SchleiftechnikcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurch Maschinenbau AG initially built grinding systems for SR-Schleiftechnik, then acquired the company in 2004. This acquisition provided the company with extensive know-how and competence for surface grinding and pre/post-processing of weld seams.
• IRLE GmbHminorOthersIn 2009, Burch Maschinenbau AG took over the production and service of smoothing machines from IRLE GmbH, expanding their product portfolio.
• swissmechanic St. GallenminorOthersTraining partner for apprenticeship education. Apprentices attend inter-company courses at the swissmechanic training centre in St. Gallen, a Swiss mechanical industry training organization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• GEA Group: Global food processing machinery conglomerate with broad portfolio spanning dairy, brewing, and food equipment. Overlaps with Burch's cheese-making and brewery bonnet grinding verticals but at corporate scale with extensive R&D and global service network.
• Tetra Pak: Global dairy and food processing equipment giant. Overlaps with Burch's cheese-making machinery division (KSB salting, BRB/BWM board cleaning) but operates at vastly larger scale with full-line processing capabilities rather than niche specialty equipment.

Direct peers

• C. & E. Fein GmbH: German manufacturer of grinding, polishing, and surface finishing machines with strong industrial customer base. Direct comparable on grinding/surface finishing technology portfolio and metalworking customer overlap.
• Lissmac Maschinenbau GmbH: German special machine builder with overlapping product lines in container/tank construction machinery and surface finishing/grinding equipment. Closest direct comparable to Burch's grinding technology division in terms of customer base, product scope, and niche specialization.
• SUHNER Otto AG: Swiss maker of industrial grinding machines, abrasive drives, and special machinery. Direct comparable on Swiss heritage, family-run profile, niche grinding focus, and similar customer verticals (tank/container manufacturing, general metalworking).

Regional players

• Mikron Group: Swiss special machinery builder (Mikron Machining, Mikron Automation). Comparable on Swiss heritage, family-adjacent mid-market positioning, and special machine construction expertise, though broader in scope (automotive, semiconductor, watchmaking) than Burch's niches.

Others

• Klingspor Schleiftechnik: German manufacturer of abrasives and grinding accessories. Ecosystem player supplying consumables to Burch's grinding machine customers rather than competing directly, but adjacent in the surface finishing value chain.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burch-maschinenbau-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Burch mechanical engineering