Otto Ingold AG, Inkwil

What Otto Ingold AG, Inkwil does

Ingold Tools AG is a Swiss contract precision machining manufacturer founded in 1946 by Otto Ingold and headquartered at Hölzlistrasse 29, Inkwil (canton Bern). The company operates a single-site workshop of approximately 30 employees (including two apprentices) and produces custom precision components — prototypes through medium-sized series — for the machine manufacturing, spindle, compressor, hydraulic, special-machine, printing, sheet metal, and electrical sectors, in Switzerland and internationally. Core services span CAD construction (SolidWorks/SolidCAM), CNC turning with multitasking (up to 9 axes on Doosan MX2100LST), 5-axis milling with robotic 24h loading, cylindrical and thread grinding on Studer machines, surface grinding, honing and lapping, mass finishing, laser marking, and final assembly.

The technical foundation rests on a modern CNC machine park complemented by an unusually deep in-house metrology capability: four Mitutoyo Strato Apex 574 coordinate measuring machines, Hexagon and Etalon Derby units, Renishaw in-process probing, and Hommel-Etamic contour/form measurement. Achievable tolerances are stated at 0.001mm for form and position, with surface quality up to N2 via lapping grinding. The company is dual-certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 (since September 2012, re-certified August 2024) and coordinates heat treatment and surface finishing through a network of external partners (Blessing, Bodycote, Duap, Gerster, Pyrodur for heat treatment; Aloxyd, Altefco, Brönnimann, Oerlikon Balzers, Schneider Galvano for finishing).

The business model is direct B2B contract manufacturing: quote-based pricing, project-based production, and recurring logistics arrangements (KanBan, call-off orders, just-in-time delivery). The company is privately owned and co-managed since 2007 by Christoph Jenzer and Edgar Stich (50/50), with no public listing, no venture capital backing, and no disclosed revenue. In October 2024, Ingold Tools joined SwissFactory.Group AG, a network of Swiss precision manufacturers, gaining cross-referral visibility while maintaining operational independence. Capital allocation is capex-led, with ongoing equipment investments through 2025 (ZIERSCH ZT612 in March 2025; fourth Mitutoyo CMM in August 2024; Doosan MX2100LST in April 2022) and continued facility expansions.

Name

Otto Ingold AG, Inkwil

Legal name

Ingold Tools AG

Website

https://ingoldtools.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ingold Tools AG is a Swiss precision contract machining manufacturer (~30 employees, Inkwil) serving the machine, spindle, compressor, and hydraulic industries with CNC turning, 5-axis milling, and cylindrical/thread grinding to 0.001mm tolerances since 1946.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Contract Machining Services

NAICS

Machine Shops (33271)

SIC

Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro primary industry

CNC Machine Tools (Turning, Milling, Machining Centers) (IMAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Precision CNC machining
• Contract manufacturing services
• CNC turning and milling
• High-precision grinding
• Custom machined components

Headquarters

HQ city

Inkwil

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Precision contract manufacturing: Ingold Tools AG operates as a contract precision machining manufacturer producing custom parts from various materials for machine industry customers. Revenue is generated through project-based manufacturing of prototypes, small to medium series, and precision components. The company handles the full production cycle including material procurement, machining, heat treatment coordination, surface finishing, and quality inspection.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ingold Tools AG operates a Swiss precision machining workshop producing custom parts and assemblies from various materials, primarily for the machine industry. Its portfolio covers CAD construction, CNC turning with multitasking, 5-axis milling, internal and external cylindrical grinding, thread grinding, surface grinding, honing, lapping, mass finishing, laser marking, and assembly, supported by in-house coordinate measuring and heat-treatment/surface-finishing coordination. In addition it produces custom Neodymium powermagnets in aluminum housings and precision segment jaws for major chuck brands.

Product overview

Ingold Tools AG is a Swiss precision manufacturing company providing comprehensive fabrication services since 1946. The company operates as a service-oriented workshop rather than a software product company, offering a portfolio of manufacturing services including CAD construction, CNC turning with multitasking capabilities, 5-axis milling, internal/external cylindrical grinding, thread grinding, surface grinding, honing, lapping, mass finishing, laser marking, and assembly services. They also manufacture custom products including power magnets (neodymium magnets in aluminum housings) and precision segment jaws for various chuck types. The company specializes in prototypes, small to medium production runs of complex, high-precision parts from various materials, serving industries including machine manufacturing, compressors, hydraulics, printing, sheet metal, and electrical sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Konstruktion (CAD Construction) CAD planning and construction service using Solid Works and Solid CAM, creating complex 3D drawings from existing workpieces and defining form and position tolerances. Offered to industrial customers in the machine industry that need design support for precision parts.
• Powermagnete (Power Magnets) Custom-manufactured high-strength Neodymium magnets housed in anodized aluminum casings, laser-marked to customer-specified layouts. Sold to industrial customers needing precision magnetic workholding or custom magnet assemblies.
• Segment- und weiche Backen (Segment and Soft Jaws) Precision segment jaws and soft jaws machined from high-strength aluminum 7075, available in multiple dimensions for Kitagawa, Samchully and Schunk chuck types. Sold to machine-industry customers requiring precision workholding.
• Drehen, Multitasking (Turning, Multitasking) CNC turning service on bar stock up to 105 mm diameter, using multi-axis multitasking centers with up to 9 axes, live tooling and high-pressure pumps for complex workpieces. Provided to machine-industry customers for prototype through medium-series production.
• Fräsen, Bohren (Milling, Drilling) 5-axis CNC milling and drilling service with travel paths up to 1250/650/690 mm, operating 24 hours with robotic loading, 70 bar internal cooling, 100 standardized tools and Renishaw measurement systems. Offered to industrial customers for complex parts at short changeover times.
• Rundschleifen innen, aussen (Internal and External Cylindrical Grinding) Universal cylindrical grinding service for internal and external diameters on workpieces up to 450 mm diameter and 1600 mm length, achieving 0.001 mm tolerances and surface finishes up to N2 via lapping grinding. Sold to machine-industry customers requiring high-precision ground components.
• Gewindeschleifen (Thread Grinding) Thread grinding service on Studer S41, S40 and S21 machines for internal and external threads, with wheel-dressing correction to compensate for pitch errors on metric fine threads from 0.5 to 3 mm pitch. Provided to industrial customers needing high-precision ground threads.
• Flachschleifen (Surface Grinding) Surface grinding service achieving parallelism and flatness under 0.001 mm on workpieces up to 1200/600/400 mm, using magnetic clamping and precision fixtures. Sold to industrial customers needing high-precision flat-ground surfaces.
• Honen, Läppen (Honing, Lapping) Honing service on Sunnen machines up to 60 mm diameter and 150 mm length, achieving geometry accuracy to 0.001 mm and N2 surface finish; lapping on Stähli equipment for workpieces up to 300 mm diameter. Offered to industrial customers as the final finishing step before quality inspection.
• Trowalisieren, Sandstrahlen (Trowalizing, Sandblasting) Mass finishing service using a Walter Trowal CD200 with various fine and coarse abrasive media, combined with sandblasting using crystalline aluminum oxides and polishing for optimal surface finishes. Provided to industrial customers as a downstream surface-finishing step.
• Montage, Reparaturen (Assembly, Repairs) Assembly service combining customer-supplied or in-house-produced workpieces into sub-assemblies with functional testing, plus repair work and preparation of complete assembly kits. Offered to industrial customers that need a single partner from parts to finished assembly.
• Laserbeschriften (Laser Marking) Laser marking service using a Foba laser marking system to produce deep engravings and finest markings on cylindrical and flat surfaces. Provided to industrial customers needing traceability, branding or customer-specific marking on machined parts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tolerances down to 0.001mm achievable on cylindrical and form grinding operations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SwissFactory.Group AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Ingold Tools AG joined the SwissFactory.Group in October 2024, expanding its technology portfolio. SwissFactory.Group is a network of Swiss manufacturing companies that provides mutual referrals and shared resources across member firms. The group consists of multiple companies across different Swiss cantons, offering complementary precision manufacturing capabilities.
• Osterwalder AG, LyssminorOthersOsterwalder AG of Lyss acquired Ingold Tools AG in 1974 and converted it to a stock corporation. Ingold Tools served as a subsidiary of Osterwalder AG until 1992, when it became independent again. This is a historical relationship only.
• Blaser Swisslube AGminorOthersBlaser Swisslube AG is a Swiss cutting fluid manufacturer that awarded Ingold Tools AG the Produktivitätstrophäe (Productivity Trophy) 2013 for achieving the highest added value from cutting fluid optimization. The award recognized the company's results in coolant optimization.
• Subcontractors for Heat Treatment and Surface FinishingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIngold Tools AG partners with subcontractors to provide complete precision components: heat treatment partners include Blessing.ch, Bodycote, Duap, Gerster, Härterei, and Pyrodur; surface finishing partners include Aloxyd (anodizing), Altefco, Brönnimann (powder coating), Oerlikon Balzers (PVD coatings), and Schneider Galvano (electroless nickel).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tornos SA: Swiss manufacturer of precision turning machines and turn-mill centers - the same category as Ingold's turning/multitasking services. Comparable as a Swiss precision-turning incumbent with overlapping end customers in the Swiss watch, hydraulics and machine industries.
• Studer (United Grinding Group): Swiss manufacturer of universal cylindrical and thread grinding machines - the same Studer machines that Ingold Tools operates. Overlaps on grinding capability but operates as an equipment maker and broader grinding service ecosystem rather than a focused Swiss job shop.
• GF Machining Solutions: Large Swiss-based machine tool and precision manufacturing solutions provider, operating EDM, milling and laser texturing systems. Comparable as a Swiss precision manufacturing incumbent serving the same machine-industry customers, though at significantly larger scale and as an equipment manufacturer.

Regional players

• Willemin-Macodel SA: Swiss manufacturer of high-precision 5-axis machining centers, headquartered near Delémont. Comparable as a Swiss precision-machining technology provider serving the same complex-parts, tight-tolerance customer base.
• Fehlmann AG: Swiss precision milling machine and machining center manufacturer. Comparable to Ingold's milling activities through shared Swiss precision-machining heritage and overlapping machine-industry customer base.
• SwissFactory.Group AG: Parent network of Swiss precision manufacturing firms that Ingold Tools AG joined in October 2024. Comparable as a peer network of Swiss contract machining shops with cross-referrals and complementary capabilities, operating under a shared Swiss-made brand.

Others

• Doosan Machine Tools: Korean CNC machine tool manufacturer whose Doosan MX2100LST multitasking turning-milling center is one of Ingold Tools' core production assets. Comparable as a key equipment supplier enabling Ingold's multitasking turning capabilities.
• Mitutoyo (Switzerland): Supplier of coordinate measuring machines and metrology equipment used extensively by Ingold Tools (multiple Strato Apex 574 units). Comparable as an enabling technology partner rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• STS Präzisionsmechanik GmbH: Swiss precision contract machining shop offering CNC turning, milling and surface grinding for industrial customers. Directly comparable to Ingold Tools as a small Swiss job shop competing for the same machine-industry RFQs.
• Dipling Präzisionsmechanik AG: Swiss precision contract machining shop offering CNC turning, milling and grinding services to machine-industry customers. Directly comparable to Ingold Tools in size, service portfolio and customer base within the Swiss SME precision-machining segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/otto-ingold-ag-inkwil

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Otto Ingold AG, Inkwil