Aerni

What Aerni does

Aerni AG is a privately held Swiss contract manufacturer founded in 1957 in Pratteln by Alfons Aerni and now led in its second generation by sole shareholder Bernhard Aerni. The company operates from a single production site of approximately 40 employees and runs three integrated business divisions: (1) Apparatus Construction and Sheet Metal Processing — custom pressure vessels up to 3,000 litres in 316/316L stainless steel and Hastelloy, bioreactors, kneading reactors, agitator vessels, tube-bundle heat exchangers (up to 20 m² cooling surface), and full contract manufacturing including laser cutting (fiber laser up to 6m × 2m), CNC bending (up to 6m / 600 tonnes), TIG/MIG/MAG/spot/stud welding, and CNC turning/milling; (2) Barrier Systems — thermosiphon and forced-circulation pressure vessels, sterile vessels with Ra 0.6 µm electropolished interiors, and an in-house developed manual refill pump, used to maintain seal integrity in chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food processing; and (3) Wine Storage Systems — steel wine racks for original Bordeaux and Magnum cases used by luxury hotels, châteaux, vinotheques, and restaurants.

The business model is project-based B2B contract manufacturing with quote-based pricing determined per job. Sales are conducted exclusively through direct consultation with four named sales contacts (Martin Markus for apparatus construction/contract manufacturing, Markus Gloor for apparatus and grinding sales, Jean-Claude Thomas for sheet metal processing, and Daniel Müller for barrier systems). GTM is sales-led and enterprise-focused, supported by a bilingual website with downloadable technical PDFs and customer testimonials such as Debrunner Acifer. Pricing is non-public and tied to specifications, materials, and certifications required.

Revenue streams are diversified across four service lines: contract manufacturing services, apparatus/plant construction, barrier systems, and wine storage systems. The customer base spans chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, luxury hospitality, and wine production verticals. Aerni holds a notably broad set of certifications — ASME U/UM-Stamp, NBBI R-Stamp, PED 2014/68/EU Modules H/H1, ISO 9001:2015, EN 1090-2, AD 2000-HP0, Germanischer Lloyd, and a Chinese Manufacture License — enabling deliveries to Switzerland, the EU, the US, and China. The company has been entirely self-funded since inception, with no external investors, and most recently divested its window/metalworking unit in 2017 and added ASME/US market access via certifications in 2025.

Name

Aerni

Legal name

Aerni AG

Website

https://aerni.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aerni AG is a Swiss family-owned contract manufacturer founded in 1957 in Pratteln, operating three divisions — apparatus construction, barrier systems, and wine storage systems — serving B2B clients in chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, and luxury hospitality industries with certified custom metal fabrication.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pratteln

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Manufacturing Services: Custom manufacturing services including sheet metal processing (laser cutting, bending, rolling), mechanical processing (turning, milling), welding, and grinding. Billed per project based on specifications and materials.
2. Apparatus and Plant Construction: Custom design and manufacture of pressure vessels, bioreactors, kneading reactors, agitator vessels, heat exchangers, and complete plants. Revenue generated through project-based contracts with engineering and fabrication services.
3. Barrier Systems: Manufacturing and supply of barrier pressure vessels, sterile vessels, and accessories (manual refill pumps, sealing systems). Standard and custom configurations for chemical, pharmaceutical, biotech, food, and cosmetics industries.
4. Wine Storage Systems: Sale of wine storage racks and systems. Includes standard models (Type M, Type G, Type MG) and custom configurations. Optional accessories include drawers, LED lighting, and wine coolers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aerni AG is a Swiss family-owned contract manufacturer that designs and fabricates custom stainless steel apparatus, pressure vessels, bioreactors, kneading reactors, agitator vessels, heat exchangers, and barrier pressure vessels for chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries. The company also produces premium wine storage racks for luxury hospitality and private collectors, and offers in-house contract manufacturing services including laser cutting, CNC bending, welding, and mechanical processing.

Product overview

Aerni AG is a Swiss family-owned manufacturing company (founded 1957) offering three interconnected product lines: (1) Apparatus Construction and Sheet Metal Processing – pressure vessels, bioreactors, kneading reactors, agitator vessels, heat exchangers, and contract manufacturing with laser cutting, bending, welding, grinding, and machining services; (2) Barrier Systems – pressure barrier vessels and sealing systems for chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries, featuring thermosiphon and forced circulation technologies; and (3) Wine Storage Systems – premium wine racks and storage solutions for Bordeaux/Magnum cases. The company operates from Pratteln, Switzerland with approximately 40 employees and serves international clients across process industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Pressure vessels up to 3000 litres capacity in stainless steel 316/316L
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Debrunner AciferminorOthersDebrunner Acifer, a Swiss construction and installation materials distributor, featured Aerni AG in a customer reportage/blog post about steel construction projects using Aerni's wine storage rack systems made from structural steel tubes and steel sheets.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rosenmund (GMM Pfaudler): Swiss-based manufacturer of pressure vessels, filters, dryers, and process equipment for pharmaceutical and fine-chemical applications. Closely matches Aerni in geographic origin (Switzerland), customer focus on pharma/chemical, and specialization in sterile and pressure-rated custom apparatus.
• Ekato Group: German manufacturer of industrial agitators, mixing technology, and complete process reactors for chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotech applications. Comparable on agitator vessel engineering and stainless/Hastelloy process-equipment fabrication for the same regulated customer base.
• List AG: Swiss manufacturer of agitated thin-film and short-path evaporation/drying equipment, kneader reactors, and process plants for chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries. Comparable Swiss-based process-equipment manufacturer with overlapping customer base in kneading reactors and high-vacuum/pressure apparatus.
• Ziemann Holvrieka: Dutch manufacturer of stainless-steel process tanks and vessels for brewing, food, pharmaceutical, and chemical customers. Directly comparable in stainless-steel pressure-vessel fabrication, sterile/aseptic design, and multi-jurisdiction (ASME, PED) certification scope.
• Pfaudler: US-headquartered, globally operating manufacturer of glass-lined reactors, columns, and pressure vessels for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Closely matches Aerni's core custom pressure-vessel and reactor business for chemically aggressive service, with comparable ASME/PED certification portfolio.
• De Dietrich Process Systems: French-German manufacturer of glass-lined and stainless-steel reactors, vessels, dryers, and filtration equipment for the pharmaceutical, chemical, and agrochemical industries. Directly comparable as a custom apparatus-builder serving the same regulated process industries with comparable certification requirements (ASME, PED).
• Buss-SMS: Swiss-based process-equipment manufacturer specializing in thin-film evaporation, drying, and high-viscosity processing for chemical and pharmaceutical applications. Directly comparable as a Switzerland-based custom apparatus-builder serving regulated process industries.

Broad incumbents

• SPX FLOW: US-based global supplier of process equipment including mixing, heat transfer, and separation technologies for food, beverage, and industrial markets. Comparable in custom stainless-steel process equipment and pressure-vessel work, but with broader geographic footprint and product range.
• Alfa Laval: Swedish global incumbent in heat exchangers, tanks, pumps, and process equipment across food, dairy, pharma, chemical, and energy. Overlaps with Aerni on heat-exchanger fabrication and pharma/food process equipment, but operates a much broader portfolio and far larger scale.
• GEA Group: German global supplier of process technology and components for food, dairy, beverage, pharma, and chemical industries. Comparable in food/pharma process equipment and bioreactor capability, but serves customers at a much larger scale through a broad product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aerni-ag

Compliance14 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 Aerni