Lüthi Aufzüge

What Lüthi Aufzüge does

Lüthi-Aufzüge AG is a Swiss manufacturer of custom-built elevators, founded in 1955 in Leimiswil (canton of Bern) and now led in its second generation by Béatrice Lüthi. The company designs, manufactures, installs, and services bespoke elevator systems spanning passenger, glass/panorama, bed (stretcher), heavy-duty freight (up to 10 tonnes), car, and small-goods/pit categories, using both hydraulic and electromechanical drive technologies and a portfolio of proprietary components including the Kristallift (an octagonal glass cabin with embedded mirror), custom vertical sliding doors, curved glass sliding doors, and an in-house developed spot welding system. Production, door fabrication, glass shaft construction, and structural shaft elements are all executed at the Leimiswil site.

The business operates on a project-based, quote-driven revenue model anchored by one-time custom elevator sales, supplemented by recurring maintenance contracts (6–12 preventive visits per year plus 24/7 emergency response) and modernization/retrofit services for the own-product installed base. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-customer within a deliberately constrained service region of roughly one-hour reach (Biel–Basel–Zürich–Luzern–Brienz–Zweisimmen–Bern). Customer segments span property owners and developers, healthcare facilities, retail and commercial operators, industrial and agricultural businesses, and SMBs, with no named enterprise logos disclosed. The company holds ISO 9001:2000 and EU Elevator Directive 2014/33/EU Module H1 (TÜV) certifications, recertified in 2024.

In late 2025, Béatrice Lüthi arranged a succession with EMCH Holding AG (parent of EMCH Aufzüge AG), under which EMCH acquired a minority stake effective January 1, 2026, with a full takeover planned by 2028. Lüthi-Aufzüge AG remains an independent operating entity under family leadership, with both companies producing Swiss-made elevators in complementary regional footprints. The company continues active operations, including current installer hiring and ongoing maintenance/service expansion.

Name

Lüthi Aufzüge

Legal name

Lüthi-Aufzüge AG

Website

https://luethi-aufzuege.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lüthi-Aufzüge AG is a Swiss family-owned manufacturer of custom-built elevators (passenger, freight, glass, bed, and car types), based in Leimiswil, serving property owners, healthcare, industrial, and agricultural customers across northwest Switzerland and the Mittelland region with direct sales, installation, and recurring maintenance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Elevator Manufacturing

NAICS

Elevator and Moving Stairway Manufacturing (333921), All Other Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (333248)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Elevator, Escalator & Lift Maintenance (IMAIABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Elevator Modernization & Retrofit (Controllers, Drives, Door Systems) (BPABAIAE)

Keywords

• Custom elevator manufacturing
• Passenger elevator solutions
• Heavy-duty freight elevators
• Elevator maintenance services
• Elevator modernization services

Headquarters

HQ city

Leimiswil

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Elevator Manufacturing: Design, manufacture, and installation of custom elevators tailored to customer specifications. Products range from simple standard units to unique custom-made solutions. All production is Swiss-made.
2. Maintenance Services: Ongoing maintenance contracts for elevators, including preventive maintenance visits (6-12 per year depending on usage), emergency repair services, and 24/7 on-call support. Service is limited to own products to ensure quality.
3. Modernization Services: Retrofitting and modernization of existing elevators to meet current safety standards and technology. Includes installation of cabin doors, new electronic controls, emergency lighting, and rescue systems.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Lüthi-Aufzüge AG designs, manufactures, and installs custom Swiss-made elevators (hydraulic and electromechanical), including passenger, glass, panorama, bed, freight, car, and goods elevators, plus specialized door systems, glass and metal shafts, and accompanying modernization and maintenance services. All products are built to customer specifications rather than from catalog, with a service area deliberately limited to roughly one hour reach from Leimiswil for reliable emergency response.

Product overview

Lüthi Aufzüge AG is a Swiss manufacturer of custom-built elevators offering a comprehensive portfolio of products organized into five main categories: Personentransport (Passenger Transport — Personenaufzüge, Glasaufzüge, Panoramaaufzüge, Bettenaufzüge), Warentransport (Goods Transport — Lastenaufzüge/Warenaufzüge, Autoaufzüge, Kleingüteraufzüge, Güteraufzüge/Unterfluraufzüge), Türsysteme (Door Systems — Teleskopschiebetüren, Zentralschliessende Schiebetüren, Zenter-Teleskopschiebetüren, Vertikalschiebetüren, Flügeldrehtüren, Kabinenabschlusstüren/Vierflügelfalttüren, Fronten), Schächte (Shafts — Glasschächte, Elementbau/Metallschächte), and Spezialanlagen (Special Systems). The company manufactures all products in Switzerland and also provides associated services including modernization/sanitation, maintenance, emergency repair service, and pre-sales planning tools. Both hydraulic and electromechanical drive systems are offered. The product range spans from compact goods elevators to heavy-duty freight elevators with capacities up to 10 tonnes and 14.4m cabin length, and from standard passenger elevators to bespoke architectural glass and panorama elevators. Lüthi Aufzüge positions itself as a custom, made-to-measure manufacturer as an alternative to standardized mass-market products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personenaufzüge (Passenger Elevators) Custom-built passenger elevators in standard, classic, elegant, colorful, stainless steel, and rustic finishes, with options for 3-sided access. Sold as one-off projects with consulting, design, manufacture, and installation.
• Glasaufzüge (Glass Elevators) Fully glazed passenger elevators for architectural accents, available in transparent or matt glass variants, including the proprietary Kristallift (Crystal Lift) with an octagonal cabin featuring a floor-embedded mirror that reflects crystal-like patterns in glass walls.
• Panoramaaufzüge (Panorama Elevators) Interior and exterior panorama elevators offering panoramic views, with an outdoor variant featuring special winter control to prevent freezing. Custom designed to building architecture.
• Bettenaufzüge (Bed Elevators) Larger passenger elevators for hospitals and care facilities, with high protection strips, disabled-access controls, folding seats, and mirror positioning per SIA 500 standards. Designed for patient and stretcher transport with wheelchair accessibility.
• Lastenaufzüge (Heavy-Duty / Goods Elevators) Heavy-duty freight elevators for industrial, agricultural, and commercial use, available with up to 10-tonne payload capacity and 14.40 m cabin length, with or without the prohibition on riding. Designed for transporting agricultural vehicles, industrial equipment, and large goods.
• Autoaufzüge (Car Elevators) Vehicle elevators with oversized cabin areas for transporting cars, operated via remote control from inside the vehicle, with robust materials such as oak wood flooring. Used in underground parking and similar settings.
• Kleingüteraufzüge (Small Goods Elevators) Compact goods elevators for smaller loads, including food elevators and custom corner-layout designs, typically equipped with manual vertical sliding doors or swing doors.
• Güteraufzüge / Unterfluraufzüge (Goods / Pit Elevators) Goods elevators installed below floor level (trottoir-type) to maintain pedestrian passage on the ground floor while serving multiple levels including sub-floor stops.
• Door Systems for Elevators (Teleskopschiebetüren, Zentralschliessende Schiebetüren, Vertikalschiebetüren, Flügeldrehtüren, Kabinenabschlusstüren) Custom elevator door systems including 2/3-part telescope sliding doors, center-closing sliding doors, 4/6-part center telescope sliding doors, vertical sliding doors (proprietary, enabling narrower shaft construction), single/double swing doors (manual or automatic), and four-wing folding doors for narrow-shaft retrofits.
• Elevator Facades (Fronten) Architectural facades and door frames in frameless, material mix, glass, and stainless steel options, custom-made to millimeter precision for maximum architectural design freedom.
• Glass Shafts (Glasschächte) Glass elevator shafts bringing natural light into buildings, suitable for listed buildings, outdoor installations, and architectural statements, available in numerous variants including point-holder fixings.
• Prefabricated Shafts and Metal Shafts (Elementbau / Metallschächte) Prefabricated concrete element shafts and metal shaft constructions for external or internal installation, including an exterior metal shaft with integrated glazing for daylight.
• Modernization and Renovation Services (Modernisierung / Sanierung) Comprehensive modernization and renovation services for existing elevators, including cabin enclosure doors, drive and control upgrades, emergency lighting, and cabin emergency call systems, following SIA 370.080 standards. Retrofitting existing elevators to current safety and technology standards.
• Maintenance and Emergency Service (Wartung / Störungsdienst) Preventive maintenance contracts (6–12 visits per year depending on usage) and 24/7 emergency repair service within the company's defined ~1-hour service region, covering all elevator brands after full modernization by Lüthi-Aufzüge.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Emch Holding AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Emch Holding AG (parent company of EMCH Aufzüge AG) acquired a minority stake in Lüthi-Aufzüge AG effective January 1, 2026. Lüthi-Aufzüge remains an independent elevator company under family leadership. Full acquisition of remaining shares is planned by 2028. Both companies produce Swiss-made elevator solutions with complementary geographic focus areas. The partnership provides long-term perspective for Lüthi-Aufzüge and its employees in the Oberaargau region.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Schindler Aufzüge AG: Swiss-headquartered global elevator and escalator major with deep presence across Switzerland. Comparable as an elevator manufacturer, installer, and service provider in the same Swiss market; broader portfolio spans mass-market and premium installations, contrasting with Lüthi's purely custom niche focus.
• KONE Oyj: Global elevator and escalator company headquartered in Finland with significant Swiss operations. Comparable across the elevator manufacturing, modernization, and maintenance value chain; serves as the global benchmark for service-led recurring maintenance revenue.
• TK Elevator (ThyssenKrupp): Major global elevator manufacturer and service provider. Comparable in full-lifecycle elevator offerings including new installation, modernization, and maintenance services across European markets including Switzerland.
• Otis Worldwide Corporation: World's largest elevator and escalator manufacturer, with established Swiss activity. Comparable across new installation, modernization, and service contracts; represents the scale-end of the elevator industry against which custom-niche players like Lüthi differentiate.

Regional players

• Frey + Cie Aufzüge AG: Regional Swiss elevator company with comparable service, modernization, and custom-installation offerings. Operates in overlapping Swiss regions and targets similar small-to-mid commercial and residential projects, making it a close regional competitor.
• Scherer Aufzüge AG: Swiss-based elevator specialist offering custom elevators, maintenance, and modernization with comparable product breadth (passenger, freight, panoramic). Mid-sized regional competitor in the same Swiss custom-elevator niche.

Direct peers

• EMCH Aufzüge AG: Swiss manufacturer of custom elevators based in the Bern region, and the operating company of Lüthi's new minority shareholder EMCH Holding AG. Most directly comparable peer: same Swiss-made custom-elevator positioning, complementary geographic footprint, and similar product range across passenger, freight, and special-purpose lifts.

Others

• Wittur Group: Global supplier of elevator components (doors, cabins, gearless machines, safety components). Comparable as an adjacent/category participant rather than direct competitor; potential supplier or partner for Swiss custom elevator OEMs like Lüthi.
• Cedes AG: Swiss-headquartered provider of elevator and escalator sensing, safety, and control technology. Comparable as a Swiss specialist adjacent to the elevator value chain, with overlapping regulatory and engineering know-how though not a direct installer-competitor.

Emerging players

• Haushahn Aufzüge (TK Elevator brand): Premium custom-elevator brand within TK Elevator focused on architectural and bespoke installations. Comparable in addressing the architectural / made-to-measure segment of the elevator market that Lüthi serves, though with significantly larger scale and integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/l%C3%BCthi-aufz%C3%BCge

Compliance2 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 Lüthi Aufzüge