Tiger establishes company location in Switzerland

Tiger Coatings, internationally active manufacturer of powder coatings, digital inks and 3D printing materials based in Austria, informs about the new establishment of Tiger Coatings Switzerland AG in Buchs with a powder coatings central warehouse in the Basel region.

Internationally active, family-run company

Founded in 1930 as a paint shop in Wels, Austria, the Tiger structure is now an internationally active, family-run company with 8 production sites worldwide and a sales network in around 50 countries. Still headquartered in Wels, Austria, the company generated sales of EUR 295 million in 2018 with 1,300 employees. More than 150 employees are dedicated to research and development in 3 research and development centers in Wels (Austria), Shanghai (China) and St. Charles (Illinois).

Short interview with Benjamin Knecht, Managing Director of Tiger Coatings Switzerland AG.

Why did Tiger Coatings decide to open a location in Switzerland?
Benjamin Knecht: Tiger in Switzerland is a strategic reinforcement of the existing sales activities in the DACH region and an acknowledgement that we need an additional day in delivery due to the border between the EU and Switzerland and therefore could not provide the necessary delivery performance.

For what reasons was Buchs respectively Basel chosen as locations?
Knecht: We have to be where our customers are, next-day delivery is the measure of all things.

How important has Switzerland been for your business activities so far? How will the new location affect your activities?
Knecht: Tiger has been present in Switzerland for a long time. However, for what we can offer, we were underrepresented. That was one of the reasons for establishing Tiger in Switzerland. Now the direction is right – it’s clearly pointing upwards.

How do you assess the current situation in the powder coatings market? Where are the challenges and where are the opportunities?
Knecht: Manufacturers with a clear value proposition, solid product and sales performance, whose actions are not subject to the singular goal of “shareholder value” of listed companies, are always in a good position. In this respect, we are confident that we will continue to succeed in Switzerland.