The WEIDMANN History

1877
Heinrich Weidmann acquires the old water-powered town mill in Rapperswil, Switzerland and establishes a pressboard and cardboard factory. He starts supplying insulating materials to the still young electrical industry.

1914
Heinrich Weidmann dies without a successor. His company is taken over by management and townsmen of Rapperswil and transformed into a joint stock corporation ("H. Weidmann Aktiengesellschaft"). The ailing company acquires "Grüzengut", 4 hectares of land in Rapperswil, and builds a modern industrial production and office complex.

1923
Close to bankruptcy, the company is acquired by a financial consortium under the leadership of Jean Tschudi-Klaesi, the owner of a small board mill from Ennenda in the nearby Canton of Glarus. Tschudi&Cie. AG produces specialty boards for nonelectrical applications, in particular stereotype matrix boards used in rotary printing. 

1925
The necessary restructuring is entrusted to Jean Tschudi's son, paper engineer Hans Tschudi-Faude. He positions H. Weidmann AG as a first class supplier of cellulose based specialty boards and components for the power transformer industry (WEIDMANN ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGY), and later on moulded parts for industrial application from thermosetting material and thermoplastics (WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY).

1930-48
Plastic resin compounds, in particular Bakelite, have become fashionable. WEIDMANN is one of the first companies in Switzerland using this base material in compression moulding to manufacture machine parts for the spinning and weaving industry.

1939-45
During the Second World War, when export of high voltage insulation collapses, WEIDMANN survives thanks to its booming Plastics Technology, producing components from rifle shafts to housings for the domestic telecommunications industry.

1948
Hans Tschudi travels to the USA to buy the first injection moulding machine.

1968
Dr. Felix Tschudi-Hubacher assumes management responsibility from his father. Tschudi&Cie. AG is integrated in the WEIDMANN organization.
Convinced that export alone will not satisfy growing customer demand, Felix Tschudi starts an ambitious international expansion program for WEIDMANN’s high voltage insulation (Electrical Technology) business.

1988-1989
WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY records first sales of its two-component cowl vent to the German automotive industry.

1997
Divestiture of the Tschudi&Cie. AG non-electrical specialty boards activities in Ennenda, Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. Conversion of the plant into a new WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY production facility for automotive components.

1998
WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY successfully incorporates micro-structures (nano-technology) in medical components used for analytics and diagnostics ("lab-on-a-chip").

First WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY overseas production site, WEIDMANN TECNOLOGIA EM PLÁSTICOS LTDA., established in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.

1999
Opening of a new WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY production facility for automotive components in Rüti, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland.

WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY starts production partnership with Plasticos Brello in Huarte Pamplona, Spain.

Establishment of Weidmann Automotive-Engineering GmbH in Sindelfingen, later with offices in Munich. Merged into WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY (DEUTSCHLAND) AG in 2006.

2000
Acquisition of Bruwag AG, Bad Ragaz, Switzerland, merged 2006 into WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY AG, Rapperswil. Establishment of a new production plant with clean-room facilities for PTBA's Medical Division.

2001
Franziska Tschudi assumes management responsibility from her father.

2003
Foundation of WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY (DEUTSCHLAND) AG and establishment of a production plant in Treuen, Saxony, Germany.

Foundation of WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY NORTH AMERICAS INC., and establishment of a production plant in Auburn, AL, USA.

2008
Expansion of the WEIDMANN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY's Medical Division plant in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland, thereby double its clean-room facility.