B. Braun investing in Escholzmatt
Sempach - High demand for surgical instruments saw sales rise at B. Braun Medical AG in 2021. The company manufactures these products at its location in Escholzmatt in the canton of Lucerne. A sum of 20 million Swiss francs is now being invested to extend the building and install new machinery.
According to a report in the newspaper «Luzerner Zeitung», sales at B. Braun Medical AG increased by 8 percent to 427.5 million Swiss francs in financial year 2021. The Swiss MedTech firm’s surgical instruments business acted as a growth driver. The company manufactures these products at the production site in Escholzmatt. In contrast, business with the disinfectants manufactured in Sempach in the canton of Lucerne was primarily responsible for growth at B. Braun in the previous year.
Now, the Swiss subsidiary of the German company B. Braun AG has set its sights on expanding the Escholzmatt location. The existing building will be extended and equipped with new systems and machinery, the report explains. For this, B. Braun will be investing a total of 20 million Swiss francs.
In what is the 50th year since the Swiss firm was first founded, B. Braun also intends to inaugurate a new production building in Sempach. According to the report, the work is set to be completed by May 2023. With the new facilities, the production capacities in Sempach will be doubled to 40 million disinfectant bottles per year. B. Braun is investing a total of 70 million Swiss francs to realize this vision. Moreover, the company intends to invest a further sum of 15 million Swiss francs in the site located in Crissier in the canton of Vaud.
Last year, B. Braun Medical AG was primarily impacted by the scarcity of raw materials and associated increase in prices, explains CEO Roman Kübler in the report. At the start of the year, the company had therefore already started to increase its own prices in response to this situation. At the beginning of July, B. Braun plans to add on a «temporary energy and raw material surcharge», which could subsequently be removed on the proviso that supply chain issues begin to ease again.
