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NEWS MESSAGE
To new shores
Ruedi Stöckli hands over managing directorship of Pöttinger Schweiz to Hanspeter Hitz in August
Success and Switzerland are two concepts that have become an inseparable bond at Pöttinger over the last 30 years. Ruedi Stöckli, Managing Director at Pöttinger AG Schweiz, made a considerable contribution. In August he enters well-earned retirement.
Looking back
Ruedi Stöckli started his Pöttinger career in August 1972 as the product manager for Pöttinger machines at a company named RAPID. From January 1977 onwards he became the first Pöttinger man to travel outside Austria and Germany. He came up with many new ideas, the success of which proved him right. Stöckli, the son of a farmer in the Aargau canton, was always keen on new ideas and sold the first MEX MOBIL in Switzerland. He helped make the "Ernteboss" loader, which was becoming virtually obsolete, a huge sales success with the "Ernteboss exclusive" edition. He also invested a great deal of effort in building up the French market at the start of the 80s. But it was more than grassland that appealed to him: in 2000 the marketing of soil cultivation machines was extended to Switzerland as well. A partnership for these sales activities was established with a company by the name of Althaus in Ersigen.
Pöttinger AG Schweiz
Pöttinger had to respond rapidly when in 2003 RAPID AG stopped selling agricultural machinery. After intensive investigation of all the alternatives, it was decided that Pöttinger should establish its own subsidiary. Here too, Stöckli was a decisive factor. A location was found in Birmenstorf in the Canton of Aargau that was refurbished in record time to become impressive company premises. By October 1st 2003 the new subsidiary could already be officially welcomed into the Pöttinger group. This subsidiary went on to return excellent results; since the year of its founding it has managed to secure well over 35 % of the market share in hay machines and around 80 % in the loader wagon sector.
Future in good hands
As of August 1st, Stöckli hands over leadership to Hanspeter Hitz, a trained agricultural machinery engineer, who comes from management level at Bucher Landtechnik to spearhead Pöttinger business in Switzerland.
Turnover of more than CHF 100,000,000.-
Since its inception in 2003, Pöttinger AG Schweiz has maintained a steep upward trend to become the undisputed No. 1 in Swiss grassland. It managed to break through the magic sales barrier of CHF 100 million just six years after its opening. In the past financial year 08/09 the subsidiary managed to achieve sales of CHF million in Switzerland with grassland machines alone - another record result in economically turbulent times.
Ruedi Stöckli (left) and Hanspeter Hitz
Created: 25.08.2009
