Walter Looser

What Walter Looser does

Walter Looser AG is a Swiss manufacturer and supplier of bronze and plain bearings, founded in Zürich in 1929 and now operating as a subsidiary of Brütsch/Rüegger Metals AG following a full acquisition on July 1, 2023. The company specializes in bronze and copper alloy materials science, offering a portfolio of 18 distinct alloy families organized into semi-finished products (tubes, rods, sheets, and profiles in round, flat, square, and hexagonal forms) and finished plain bearings. Its proprietary product line includes the Looser Bronze branded alloy series (Looser Bronze 50, 55, 65, 66, 68), Aluminiumbronze 72-79 series, Lead Bronze 80-85 series, and Special Brass 22-27 series, alongside distributed third-party brands such as Métafram sintered bearings, Wieland-B09 rolled tin bronze bushes, and Permaglide plain bearings. The company catalogs 2,313 products through its Bronzeshop e-commerce platform and claims Swiss market leadership with 95% availability and fast delivery ratings.

The company's go-to-market is a sales-led B2B model combining direct sales targeting Swiss industrial customers with an account-based e-commerce storefront (Bronzeshop) and an in-house Cutting Service Center that delivers custom-machined bronze components on short notice. Pricing is quoted in CHF, excluding VAT, with prices fluctuating based on metal and exchange rates; customers must register for dedicated account pricing. Revenue is generated through one-time sales of semi-finished products and finished bearings, supplemented by professional services for custom fabrication, cutting, and parts manufactured to customer drawings. The company also offers lead-free alloy variants compliant with EU ELV and RoHS directives, addressing regulatory-driven demand from manufacturers in the automotive and electronics sectors.

Walter Looser serves industrial customers across three primary segments: industrial manufacturing requiring bronze and copper alloy materials; precision turning operations requiring precision-tolerance ground round bars and pre-turned components; and mechanical engineering firms requiring self-lubricating plain bearings and maintenance-free bearing solutions. The company holds ISO 9001 quality management certification since 2003 and ISO 14001 environmental management certification since April 2018, both issued by SQS. Its registered office relocated to Althardstrasse 83, CH-8105 Regensdorf on November 17, 2025, from its prior Zürich location. Technology infrastructure is built on standard commercial platforms including Abacus Research AG for e-commerce, CleverReach for email marketing, Google Analytics for web analytics, and Kreativ Media GmbH for web hosting.

Name

Walter Looser

Legal name

Walter Looser AG

Website

https://bronze.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Walter Looser AG is a Swiss bronze and plain bearing manufacturer and supplier, serving industrial manufacturing, precision turning, and mechanical engineering customers through an 18-alloy, 2,313-SKU catalog sold via direct sales and e-commerce, now operating as a subsidiary of Brütsch/Rüegger Metals AG.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Semi-finished Bronze Products: Sale of bronze and copper alloy semi-finished products including tubes, rods, sheets, and profiles in various alloy compositions
2. Finished Plain Bearings: Sale of finished products including Looser plain bearings, Métafram sintered bearings, Wieland-B09, and Permaglide bearings
3. Custom Fabrication Services: Custom cutting, machining, and fabrication services for customer-specific requirements including parts according to drawing

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Walter Looser AG manufactures and supplies semi-finished bronze and copper alloy products (tubes, rods, sheets, profiles in round, flat, square, and hexagonal forms) and finished plain bearings for industrial applications. The company also operates an in-house Cutting Service Center and provides custom fabrication of parts to customer drawings, with over 2,300 catalog items available via its Bronzeshop e-commerce platform.

Product overview

Walter Looser AG operates as a Swiss market leader in bronze materials, offering a comprehensive portfolio of bronze and copper alloy products. The core offering consists of 18 distinct alloy families organized into semi-finished products (tubes, rods, sheets, profiles in round, flat, square, and hexagonal forms) and finished products (plain bearings). The semi-finished products portfolio includes Looser Bronze brand tin bronzes (Looser Bronze 50, 50 Pb-free, 55, 65, 66, 68, Caro Bronze), aluminium bronzes (Looser Aluminiumbronze 72-79 series, Wotan Bronze AKS 59), lead bronzes (Looser Lead Bronze 80-85), special brasses (Looser Special Brass 22-27), and low-alloy wrought copper alloys (Lobrudur 18, Electrode Materials CuCrZr and CuCo2Be). The finished products include proprietary plain bearings such as Métafram sintered bearings, Wieland-B09 rolled tin bronze bushes, Looser plain bearing LG 41, Permaglide, and Metagliss sliding plates. The company also provides customization services through its Cutting Service Center and manufactures custom parts according to customer drawings. Products are available through the Bronze Shop e-commerce platform cataloging over 2,300 items.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Multi-material Tin Bronzes Multi-material tin bronze alloys including proprietary Looser Bronze 50 (CuSn7Zn4Pb7-C-GC), 50 Pb-free, 55, 65 (CuSn12-C-GC), 66 (CuSn11Pb2-C-GC), 68 (CuSn12Ni2-C-GC) and Caro Bronze (CuSn8P), sold as tubes, rods, sheets, and profiles for industrial bearing applications.
• Tin Bronzes Tin bronze alloys for general industrial use, supplied as semi-finished products (tubes, rods, sheets, profiles) for bearings and mechanical components.
• Aluminium Bronzes Aluminium bronze alloys including Looser Aluminiumbronze 72, 72-1, 75 (CuAl10Ni5Fe4), 75-1 (CuAl10Fe5Ni5-C-GC), 78 (CuAl11Fe6Ni6), 78-1, 79 and Wotan Bronze AKS 59 (CuAl9Fe4Ni1), available in rolled and centrifugal-cast forms for applications requiring high strength and corrosion resistance.
• Lead Bronzes Lead bronze alloys including Looser Lead Bronze 80 (CuSn7Pb15-C-GC), 82 (CuSn10Pb10-C-GC) and 85 (CuSn5Pb20-C-GC), supplied as semi-finished products for bearing applications requiring good machinability.
• Special Brasses Special brass alloys including Looser Special Brass 22 (CuZn37Mn3Al2PbSi), 23, 24 and 27, supplied as semi-finished products for specialized industrial applications such as screw-machining parts.
• Low-alloyed Wrought Copper Alloys Low-alloyed wrought copper alloys including Lobrudur 18 (CuNi2Si), Electrode Material CuCrZr (CuCr1Zr) and Electrode Material CuCo2Be, supplied as rods and bars, including forged execution for electrode applications.
• Métafram Sintered Bearings Self-lubricating sintered metal bearings including BP 25 and FP 20 types, supplied as finished plain bearings for various industrial applications requiring maintenance-free operation.
• Wieland-B09 Rolled Tin Bronze Bushes Rolled tin bronze bush product line (Wieland-B09) distributed by Walter Looser AG, available in ST (standard), LD, and LDD variants for plain bearing applications.
• Looser Plain Bearing LG 41 Proprietary Looser plain bearing LG 41 made of solid bronze, supplied as standard cylindrical bushings and flanged bushings for industrial plain bearing applications.
• Permaglide Plain Bearings Plain bearing material distributed by Walter Looser AG, available in P10, P11, P14 (lead-free generation compliant with environmental directives) and P20 variants.
• Metagliss Sliding Plates Sintered metal sliding plate material (Metagliss), available in thicknesses from 4 mm to 20 mm in 375x375 mm format, for sliding bearing and wear-plate applications.
• Bronzeshop (E-commerce Catalog Platform) Online e-commerce platform at bronze.ch cataloging 2,313 bronze and plain bearing products with filtering by form, dimension and material, supporting direct ordering by registered business customers.
• Cutting Service Center In-house cutting and machining service delivering ready-to-use bronze sections from individual pieces to series production, including pre-turned bushings, special formats, sheet metal cut pieces, and forged aluminum bronzes at short notice.
• Custom-made Products Manufacturing of ready-to-install bronze and plain bearing parts fabricated to individual customer drawings, covering the full product range including centrifugal casting and special format edge profiles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% availability and fast delivery service rating
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Kreativ Media GmbHminorOthersWeb hosting provider located at Dufourstrasse 90, CH-8008 Zurich, responsible for server hosting and technical infrastructure
• CleverReach GmbH & Co. KGminorOthersNewsletter service provider used for email marketing and customer communications
• Abacus Research AGminorOthersWeb shop operator platform provider (Abacus Square 1, CH-9300 Wittenbach – St. Gallen) handling order processing and e-commerce functionality

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Diehl Metall: German producer of brass, bronze, and copper alloy semi-finished products and special rods/profiles. Highly comparable to Walter Looser in alloy specialization and stock-program distribution model for industrial buyers.
• KME SE: European manufacturer of copper and copper alloy semi-finished products (rods, tubes, sheets) for industrial applications. Directly comparable in product portfolio mix of copper-alloy semi-finished forms and target industrial customers.
• GKN Sinter Metals (Hoerbiger): Manufacturer of sintered metal components including self-lubricating sintered bronze bearings, directly comparable to the Métafram sintered bearing line distributed by Walter Looser AG.

Broad incumbents

• SKF Group: Global bearing and plain bearing manufacturer with extensive plain bearing product lines. Comparable as a broad incumbent in plain bearings, competing for the same mechanical engineering buyers served by Walter Looser.
• Schaeffler Group: German global automotive and industrial supplier with significant plain bearing and bushing product lines (INA, FAG). Broad incumbent peer competing for industrial plain-bearing demand.
• Aurubis AG: European integrated copper producer and one of the largest copper recyclers, with downstream copper product manufacturing. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the copper alloy value chain serving industrial customers.
• Wieland Group: Global copper and copper alloy semi-finished products manufacturer headquartered in Germany. Highly comparable as a direct upstream alloy supplier whose Wieland-B09 rolled tin bronze product line is even distributed by Walter Looser AG.
• NTN-SNR: European bearing manufacturer offering plain bearings and bushings for industrial applications. Broad incumbent serving overlapping mechanical engineering and industrial manufacturing customers.
• Daido Metal Co., Ltd. Japanese global manufacturer specializing in plain bearings and sliding materials, including bronze bearing lines. Comparable as a broad incumbent in plain bearings for automotive and industrial applications.

Regional players

• ThyssenKrupp Materials Services: European industrial materials distribution and service business supplying metal materials to industrial customers across multiple geographies. Comparable as a regional metals distribution peer with broader geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Walter Looser