What Fritz Schiess does

Fritz Schiess AG is a privately held Swiss precision manufacturer specializing in fineblanking (Feinschneiden) and downstream metal-forming operations. Founded in 1920 by Fritz Schiess-Forrer — the inventor of the fineblanking process, which was patented by the Deutsche Reichspatentamt in 1922 — the company remains in fourth-generation family ownership under brothers Frédéric Schiess (CEO) and Philippe Schiess (COO). Headquartered in Lichtensteig in the Toggenburg region of eastern Switzerland, the company operates a 7,000 m² production facility with more than 40 fineblanking presses and an additional manufacturing site in Rapperswil-Jona acquired in 2024. Its product portfolio includes gears, narrow webs, semi-shearing features, coining, cranking, bending, finishing (machining), and individual component assemblies — all produced to tight tolerances (e.g., gears up to 4× module thickness in DIN quality class 7) with burr-free sheared surfaces in single-stroke operations.

The firm's underlying technology is a proprietary precision stamping process in which material is restrained during shearing, producing clean, square edges that eliminate secondary machining. Fritz Schiess complements this core process with in-house bending, forming, machining, heat treatment, and final assembly, plus a library of over 6,500 tooling templates that enables efficient custom orders. The company holds IATF 16949 (automotive) and ISO 14001 (environmental) certifications, as well as an ACT climate certificate. Its customer base spans the automotive, electrical, mechanical engineering, and medical technology verticals, served through direct sales in Switzerland and an international representative network covering Germany, Poland, Sweden, Benelux, Italy, Austria, and the United States.

Fritz Schiess generates revenue through project-based B2B manufacturing contracts for custom precision metal components, with quote-based pricing and no public price list. The business model is essentially one-off/prototype-to-series production, anchored by customer-specific tooling that creates repeat-order economics. Sales motion is enterprise field sales with engineering consultation from development through production, supported by regional channel partners abroad. The company has no external investors and is wholly family-owned; recent strategic moves include the 2024 acquisition of Feinstanz AG's Jona business unit, the 2023 acquisition of six fine sanding machines from Amsler Laeppfinish AG, and ongoing investment in modern SCHMID and FEINTOOL fineblanking press technology.

Name

Fritz Schiess

Legal name

Fritz Schiess AG

Website

https://fschiess.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Fritz Schiess AG is a fourth-generation Swiss family-owned precision manufacturer specializing in fineblanking (Feinschneiden) — a proprietary metal stamping process invented by its founder in 1920 — producing burr-free gears, formed components, and assemblies for automotive, electrical, mechanical engineering, and medical technology customers across Europe and North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Metal Stamping & Fineblanking Services

NAICS

Forging and Stamping (3321), Special Die and Tool, Die Set, Jig, and Fixture Manufacturing (333514)

SIC

Metal Forgings & Stampings (3460)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures) (IMAHADAB)

Keywords

• Fineblanking services
• Precision metal stamping
• Custom metal components
• Bending forming machining
• Tool and die making

Headquarters

HQ city

Lichtensteig

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Precision Metal Components Manufacturing: Custom precision metal components produced via fineblanking and secondary operations (bending, forming, machining, heat treatment, assembly). Revenue is generated through project-based manufacturing contracts with industrial customers requiring high-precision stamped parts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Fritz Schiess AG manufactures custom precision metal components via fineblanking (Feinschneiden) — a patented precision stamping process invented by founder Fritz Schiess-Forrer in 1920. The company runs a complete in-house production chain from tool and die making to fineblanking, bending, forming, machining, heat treatment, finishing, and final assembly of component groups. It serves industrial B2B customers requiring burr-free, tight-tolerance, complex-geometry parts in single-stroke operations.

Product overview

Fritz Schiess AG is a precision fineblanking (Feinschneiden) company offering a complete manufacturing chain from fineblanking, bending and forming, to machining and heat treatment, up to final assembly. The company operates over 40 fineblanking presses and maintains an in-house tool and die making shop. The product portfolio includes Gears, Narrow Webs, Semi-Shearing, Coining, Cranking, Bending, Finishing, and Individual Components/Assemblies. With more than 6,500 templates and custom solutions, the company serves industries including automotive, electrical, mechanical engineering, and medical technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gears (Zahnräder/Zahnstangen) Fineblanked gears and racks with straight teeth produced up to a thickness of 4 x module in DIN 3962/63/64 quality class 7, delivering precise, square, and immaculately sheared surfaces without secondary operations; for industrial customers requiring precision mechanical components.
• Narrow Webs (Schmale Stege) High-precision narrow webs and small-diameter holes produced using advanced fineblanking machines for industrial customers pushing the limits of the fineblanking process.
• Semi-Shearing (Durchsetzungen) Three-dimensional features such as shoulders, nipples, and countersinkings generated in a single stroke by displacing material without changing workpiece volume, providing a highly economical solution for industrial customers.
• Coining (Prägungen) Geometry changes accomplished in combination with coining and extrusion using compound or progressive dies depending on complexity, producing optimal fineblanked components for industrial customers.
• Cranking (Kröpfungen) Double bends integrated into fineblanking dies, where shearing and bending occur in one operation, ensuring component accuracy and coherent pitch tolerance between holes for industrial customers.
• Bending (Biegungen) Shearing and bending performed in a single operation, ensuring component accuracy coherent with drawing tolerances for optimal results in a single working stroke, for industrial customers needing formed precision components.
• Finishing / Machining (Weiterverarbeitung) Precision machining services including specially drilled holes and complex milling features, supplying fineblanked parts accurately machined and ready to install using state-of-the-art equipment for industrial customers.
• Individual Components / Assemblies (Baugruppen) Complex assemblies made from accurate individual fineblanked precision components, inspected for functional integrity before leaving the facility, supplied to industrial customers as ready-to-install assemblies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gears can be fineblanked up to thickness of 4 x module in quality class 7 (DIN 3962/63/72)

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DDBconnectionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional representative for Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg). Located at Pastoor Kannelaan 17, 3648 XW Wilnis, Netherlands. Contact: [email protected], Tel. +31 613 61 39 69
• K F Brodbeck GmbHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional representative for Southern Germany. Located at Max-Eyth-Str. 1, 72379 Hechingen. Contact: [email protected], www.technica-partner.de
• Panzer GmbHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional representative for Western Germany. Located at Herscheider Strasse 30, 58840 Plettenberg. Contact: [email protected]
• BEJ-POLminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional representative for Poland. Located at ul. A. Mickiewicza 3, 98-400 Wieruszow. Contact: [email protected], www.bejpol.pl
• ESMA Försäljnings ABminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional representative for Sweden. Located at BOX 8027, 163 08 Spånga. Contact: [email protected], www.esma.se
• Turner & CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional representative for USA. Located at 20630 Harper Ave, Suite 201, Harper Woods, MI 48225. Contact: [email protected]
• Feinstanz AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness unit acquisition in Jona in 2024. This acquisition represents a significant step in the long-term planned growth strategy and strengthens Fritz Schiess AG's position as an innovation leader.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Mikron Holding AG: Swiss precision machining specialist (Mikron Machining) producing high-precision metal and plastic components for automotive, medical, and industrial customers. Comparable to Fritz Schiess in Swiss precision manufacturing heritage and shared automotive/medical customer overlap.
• Tornos SA: Swiss manufacturer of precision turning machines and turned components for watchmaking, medical, automotive, and electronics. Comparable to Fritz Schiess as a Swiss precision metal components manufacturer serving overlapping B2B industrial customer segments.

Direct peers

• FRÖMAG (Friedrich Mödder GmbH & Co. KG): German precision metal forming specialist producing cold-formed and stamped components for automotive and industrial applications. Comparable to Fritz Schiess in B2B custom precision stamped parts serving automotive customers in the DACH region.
• Hatebur Umformtechnik AG: Swiss specialist in cold forming and hot forging presses and parts production, serving automotive and industrial markets with precision-formed metal components. Comparable to Fritz Schiess in Swiss specialty forming heritage and B2B precision metal components supply.
• Heinrich Schmid Maschinenbau (SCHMID): Manufacturer of fineblanking presses (SCHMID X-TRA series) used by Fritz Schiess and the broader fineblanking industry. Comparable as a specialized fineblanking press maker driving the same technology ecosystem, though positioned upstream as equipment supplier rather than parts maker.
• LASCO Umformtechnik GmbH: German manufacturer of forming equipment (forging, extrusion, die forging presses) supplying automotive and industrial metal forming customers. Comparable to Fritz Schiess in metal forming tooling and press-based manufacturing, though with different process specializations.
• Feintool Technology Holding AG: Swiss-based global leader in fineblanking technology, both as a press manufacturer (competing with SCHMID) and as a producer of fineblanked components for automotive and industrial customers. Most direct comparable to Fritz Schiess in process technology, customer base, and Swiss heritage.

Broad incumbents

• Schuler Group (SCHULER AG): German-owned global incumbent in metal forming, operating presses, tooling, and digital manufacturing services across automotive, industrial, and aerospace. Comparable to Fritz Schiess as a broader metal forming and stamping player with overlapping automotive customers, though much larger and not Swiss.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Fritz Schiess