"We always wanted to be one step ahead of the competition".

Hans-Peter Geier, ELEKTRON is celebrating its 70th birthday. What is that feeling for you?

A nice feeling. We have managed to successfully circumnavigate all dangerous cliffs in seven decades. I am proud of that. Because it wasn't always easy.

You yourself have been with the company for 65 years and have played a key role in shaping it.

Actually, I was there from the very beginning. I had my first day of work shortly after the founding in 1951 - then still as a high school student. On school-free afternoons, I earned my pocket money as an office assistant at ELEKTRON. This was thanks to my father Willy Geier. He founded the company together with Walter Engel and Heinz Eberhard, was a member of the board of directors and the three-man management team.

What was the main business of ELEKTRON at that time?

We distributed household machines such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines. Not from nice offices, but from a converted apartment in Zurich Enge. The current company headquarters in the Au built and moved ELEKTRON only 20 years later, in the early 70s.

You yourself actually wanted to study after school. But it never came to that.

That's right. The CEO at the time Walter Engel persuaded me to rather learn "something right". Finally, I started a KV apprenticeship at ELEKTRON. That was the beginning of my career.

A steep career. You were a director of ELEKTRON for a total of 35 years, and Chairman of the Board of Directors for 30 years. During these years, you also had to steer the company through difficult phases.

I was not alone in that! It is important for me to emphasize this. Teamwork was always the basis of our success. I had good people at my side. Without them, ELEKTRON would not be what it is today.

What has kept you at ELEKTRON for 70 years?

It was always enormously exciting. I was able to help build the company, the growth from 0 to 100 employees. At the peak, there were even 140.

What were the most successful times of ELEKTRON?

In the 80s, business was booming. With the profit generated, we were able to develop as a company and maintain our financial independence. That was always central for us. We never wanted to be dependent on outside capital from banks or other companies. To this day, we are not. Not every company can claim that.

Nevertheless, there were also difficult years.

Even very difficult ones. The "Golden 80ies" were followed by the big crisis. Our sales shrank by 50 percent, several years we had to fight for survival. If we hadn't had financial reserves back then, we wouldn't be around today. It was a tough and emotionally demanding time. We had to part with many good employees.

How did this crisis come about?

Until then, we were the Swiss general agency of AEG, one of the world's largest electrical corporations. However, this had to file for bankruptcy in the 80s and was dissolved in the mid-90s. This meant the loss of a large part of our sales. We regained our footing when we were able to take over the Swiss distribution of the Philips Group's outdoor lighting products.

This task has remained with ELEKTRON to this day.

This makes us very happy. In the meantime, however, ELEKTRON itself has also developed - from a pure trading company to an innovative technology company. We no longer just distribute, but today also set new standards in the development of intelligent solutions.

That is?

By using state-of-the-art technology, we are increasing energy efficiency and conserving resources - in all our business areas drives, electronics, payment systems, smart city and lighting. The current CEO Enrico Baumann is strongly committed to this. He and his management team are doing an outstanding job We are primarily active in the energy and infrastructure market. Our hobbyhorse is public lighting. 'Don't stand still' has always been our motto.

Is there another secret to your success?

We have always been very careful with our employees.

What does that mean specifically?

As early as the 1970s, we established various social institutions for our employees. For example, the welfare foundation, our own pension fund with considerable benefits for employees. It existed long before the 2nd pillar became mandatory with the BVG. We also set up a staff restaurant at an early stage and ensured that our employees could build up personal assets - among other things with profit-sharing bonuses and personal savings accounts with preferential interest rates.

Why was a strong social credo always important to you?

The ELEKTRON team was always like a kind of family. And we did not want to leave any member, which has contributed to the success, in bad times. At the same time, we were aware that only a successful company can also be a social company. That's why it was also worthwhile to motivate employees through the various incentive systems.

Social responsibility is still writ large at ELEKTRON today.

This is also related to the special ownership. The owner is the patronal welfare fund, which I still preside over today. We attach great importance to social responsibility. Strategically important decisions are not only made in the short term in economic terms, but are also reviewed to ensure that these sustainable values are adhered to. The Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors are responsible for ensuring that this culture is lived and continued in the spirit of the ELEKTRON founders.

ElKTRON is excellently positioned today, is, for example, the market leader in the field of public lighting.

That's right. Our goal is to maintain and expand our position in the lighting market, but at the same time to bring the other business areas to the same level. Throughout its 70-year history, ELEKTRON has always wanted to be one step ahead of the competition. This will not change in the future.