The Braun family, owners of the maxon Group, is undergoing a generational transition. Dr. Karl-Walter Braun will remain on the Board of Directors but is stepping down as Chairman. His daughter, Dr. Bianca Braun, will take over the role.

Employees at maxon often remain loyal to the company for many years. The average tenure at maxon’s Swiss subsidiaries is just over nine years. The maxon Group’s principal shareholder, Dr. Karl-Walter Braun, also contributes to this average: He officially joined the company in 1977 and will mark his 49th year of service in 2026; last year, he also celebrated his 80th birthday.

Now the time has come for him to facilitate the generational transition within the company. As of June 2026, he will hand over the chairmanship of the Board of Directors to his daughter, Dr. Bianca Braun, but will remain a member of the Board. Dr. Karl-Walter Braun: “A successful generational transition is not a given. I am very pleased that Bianca is now taking over. She has the necessary skills and has known the company for many years from various perspectives.”

Bianca Braun already helped out in maxon’s production departments before and during her studies. She has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2007, and in 2012 she assumed operational responsibility as Head of Group Audit and Consulting.

Bianca Braun, born in 1978, spent her school years in Obwalden and Zug. She studied Technology Management at the University of St. Gallen and earned her Ph.D. with a dissertation on family-run companies. Dr. Bianca Braun: “Family-run companies are a model for success, and maxon is the best example of this—because we think long-term. That was also my father’s motto; he prudently developed the company and, together with the management team, grew it to its current size. I intend to continue on this course while also setting new priorities.”

There is another change on the maxon Group’s Board of Directors: After 14 years, Kurt Kwapil is stepping down from the board. The Board of Directors thanks him for his dedication and wishes him all the best.

maxon Group Maintains Stable Revenue in 2025

Financially, the maxon Group looks back on a stable fiscal year. Annual revenue totaled CHF 595.2 million, representing a slight increase of 0.1 percent compared to the previous year (previous year: CHF 594.7 million). Operating cash flow for the past fiscal year was CHF 75.5 million (previous year: CHF 73.9 million).

The result was influenced in particular by the strong Swiss franc. Currency-related revenue losses totaled CHF 20.2 million in 2025. Over the past three years, currency losses totaled CHF 68.2 million. The maxon Group expects the upward pressure on the Swiss franc to continue.

Employees Had to Be Flexible

Geopolitical circumstances also shaped the annual results. For example, maxon was concerned last year about the availability of rare-earth magnets from China. Since China had temporarily imposed export controls on these magnets, the supply situation varied widely, leading to fluctuating production capacity utilization. The situation has since eased. In addition, maxon was temporarily affected by U.S. tariffs. Thanks to the high proportion of customers in the medical sector—which is exempt from the tariff regime—maxon was less affected than other Swiss industrial companies.

By sales region, revenue remained stable or improved, with a few exceptions. In the Americas, revenue remained similar last year at 181.7 million CHF (previous year: 181.8); in Europe, it declined to 283.8. million CHF (previous year: 294.0), while in Asia and Oceania, revenue increased to 128.9 million CHF (previous year: 118.4 million).

maxon continues to invest consistently in research and development. Compared to 2024, spending increased slightly to CHF 52.4 million (previous year: CHF 47.8 million), which corresponds to 8.8 percent of revenue.

In 2025, the maxon Group shipped a total of 4.6 million products (previous year: 4.9 million, -6.2 percent). The number of full-time employees rose slightly to 2,985 (previous year: 2,947.2, +1.3 percent); as of the end of 2025, a total of 3,197 people worldwide were employed by maxon.

Eugen Elmiger, CEO of the maxon Group, expressed satisfaction with the results achieved. “Of course, we’d prefer to grow, but 2025 was a challenging year for us, and that’s why we’re happy that we were able to maintain our revenue.” U.S. tariffs and supply issues with magnets placed significant demands on maxon’s employees. “From management down to the production line, flexibility was essential because we had to react quickly to the changing situation time and again,” said Elmiger. Once again, it became clear that maxon employees step up when needed. “I’m extremely grateful for that, because delivering to our customers is always our top priority,” said Elmiger.

Major shareholder Dr. Karl-Walter Braun is also satisfied. As before, the maxon Group has virtually no bank debt and a solid liquidity reserve: “However, maxon will continue to plan cautiously as it has in the past, and we will need to remain flexible in responding to changing situations.”

For the current year, the maxon Group remains cautiously optimistic. Orders have picked up significantly since the beginning of the year. The increase in demand is particularly noticeable in the Aerospace, Mobility, Medical, and Robotics business segments. With integrated drive units, intelligent motion control solutions, and complete mechatronic systems, maxon is increasingly evolving from a component supplier to a systems partner. Accordingly, additional production capacity is being built up in several areas.