Sachseln/OW. - Sachseln June 2023.

President Alain Berset visited maxon's site in Sachseln together with Council of States member Erich Ettlin, President of the Commission for Social Security and Health (SGK), and other colleagues from the Council of States. The aim of the visit was to gain an insight into an innovative company operating in the field of medical technology.

President Alain Berset thus accepted the invitation of Council of States member Erich Ettlin, who chairs the Commission for Social Security and Health and was on a two-day retreat in his home canton of Obwalden with his colleagues from the Council of States.

As maxon represents innovative entrepreneurship and, among other things, also makes a significant contribution in the field of medical technology, the visit of the group was a natural choice. CEO of maxon group Eugen Elmiger and Daniel von Wyl, site manager maxon Sachseln, presented the history and development of the company, its business areas and visions.

Life-saving medical technology

One main focus was on medical technology. During the corona pandemic, for example, production of drives for respiratory and laboratory test equipment had been running at full speed. maxon had thus made an important contribution during the crisis. Eugen Elmiger also emphasized the importance of the Medical Technology business unit, also in terms of sales. The CEO sees the sector as an important growth market and presented various applications in medical technology and robotics that improve the quality of life.

Internally, too, maxon naturally has people's health at heart. Daniel von Wyl showed what measures are taken to provide employees with a healthy and safe working environment. Some examples of workplace health promotion include regular balancing exercises, workplace ergonomics as an important aspect, resilience workshops offered, the implementation of a sleep campaign to raise awareness of healthy sleep, free flu vaccinations, offers for sports activities, yoga lessons, and fitness and now also rest rooms.

The connection and synergy potential between medical and space technology, another important business area for maxon, was also a topic of discussion: for example, when it comes to processing the material titanium for space applications, which can also be used in implantology due to its compatibility with the human body.

Titanium, also the name of Saturn's largest moon, will also be the target of NASA's planned Dragonfly space mission in 2027. Maxon motors will be on board - a final glimpse into the future.

Visit to the departments

After the presentations, the company tour began, which took visitors through the production departments and test laboratories. The visitors were able to experience the progress and technology and were given exclusive insights into the activities in the clean room for medical technology, held in their hands the smallest drives for vascular surgery and large-engine drives for use in mobility. Simulations were then demonstrated in the test lab. For example, a running maxon motor from a planned moon rover mission was immersed in a container filled with liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees Celsius and continued to rotate without any problems.

After a detailed tour of production, the visit came to a pleasant conclusion with an aperitif and a view of Lake Sarnen. President Alain Berset thanked Daniel von Wyl for his words of praise on Switzerland's liberal pandemic policy.