The annual press conference of Fritz Studer AG took place in Steffisburg under the motto 'Swiss Made' in front of international media representatives. 'The year 2025 was marked by challenging markets and geopolitical uncertainties. Nevertheless, we exceeded our expectations and emerged strengthened from this phase,' said CEO Sandro Bottazzo. Despite complex global conditions, the Swiss technology company was able to strengthen its market position worldwide, expand its portfolio with important innovations, and further increase operational efficiency. Particularly pleasing was the excellent market response to the new universal cylindrical grinding machines S23 and the latest generation of favoritCNC. In customer care, the traditional manufacturer even achieved record sales in paid service and maintenance.
STUDER maintains and expands market shares worldwide
Total sales were slightly below the previous year - however, thanks to a strong year-end, it exceeded expectations. Due to excellent market positioning, STUDER achieved good sales in North America despite customs challenges. The result in Asia, especially in China, was also positive and above the previous year. STUDER was also able to exceed the previous year's order intake for machines. Additionally, the high proportion of new customers at 44 percent was encouraging. Orders from North America, Asia, and European countries such as France, the Czech Republic, and Denmark particularly supported this result.
In contrast, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland fell short of expectations. Overall, however, market shares could be maintained or expanded in all world regions. The customer care sector developed very positively. 'Thanks to our globally and customer-oriented service organization, we were able to achieve new sales records in the service and maintenance business areas,' explained Bottazzo. In many markets, over 70 percent of the active installed base is now equipped with a maintenance contract. The year ended with one of the best order backlogs in the over 114-year history of the company for machine overhauls.
STUDER is very well positioned in aerospace
Another record was set by the aerospace segment. For the first time, it closed with almost a third of all orders as the largest individual segment. Important categories also included precision engineering, mechanical engineering, and the automotive industry. 'Our broad portfolio remains a pillar of success and covers a wide range of universal cylindrical grinding applications,' emphasized Bottazzo. The best-selling machine was the S33, followed by the S31 and S41. Both external and internal cylindrical grinding machines also performed well. The S141 even achieved one of the best sales results in the last ten years.
An additional event in 2025 was the acquisition of GF Machining Solutions by the UNITED GRINDING Group, which now operates under the name UNITED MACHINING SOLUTIONS. With total sales of over 1.5 billion US dollars and around 5,000 employees at over 50 locations, the group is one of the largest machine tool manufacturers in the world. As part of the acquisition, the STUDER competence center for internal cylindrical grinding moved to the modern facilities of UNITED MACHINING at Roger-Federer-Allee 7 in Biel (Switzerland), just a few minutes from the previous location.
New machines and innovative grinding technology
For STUDER, innovations and the further development of reliable grinding technologies remained the focus in 2025 to make customers even more competitive. 'A highlight was the world premiere of the universal cylindrical grinding machine S23 with a compact design for precise grinding results,' said CTO Daniel Huber. The new generation of favoritCNC with modern FANUC control and automation capabilities also received very positive market feedback. The further development of WireDress for internal cylindrical grinding enables contactless dressing of metal-bonded grinding wheels in the machine. Additionally, customers benefit from a new axis system for the S31 and S33, which allows for automatic adjustment to different workpiece lengths. The year also brought important new digital features: 'The C.O.R.E. Release 5.0 enables access to the manufacturer-independent customer portal of Transaction Network directly from the machine control panel and visualizes, among other things, live status updates of the machine park,' concluded Daniel Huber.
In parallel with product development, STUDER consistently advanced the transformation of operational processes. 'In 2025, we elevated our production and logistics processes to a new level,' explained COO Stephan Stoll. A milestone was the realization of a state-of-the-art small parts warehouse. The fully automated system with 32 autonomous robots and 16,000 containers offers space for several tens of thousands of parts and significantly increases efficiency for both machine and spare parts logistics. It also forms another foundation for future growth. Furthermore, the company made progress in digitization on the path to a paperless factory.
STUDER expects an economic upturn for 2026
In the third and especially in the fourth quarter, STUDER recorded a significant increase in the number of machines, which is expected to continue into 2026. Consequently, the company anticipates another increase for the current business year. 'The demand for high-quality grinding machines will continue to recover, and the response to our new S23 is very good. The first machines have already been successfully sold and delivered,' said CEO Bottazzo. He intends to continue the strategic investment in innovation, infrastructure, and workforce.
Dual training also remains a key success factor for STUDER, where trainees make up about ten percent of the workforce. The high quality of training regularly shows successes, including at the Swiss vocational championships, the SwissSkills. In conclusion, Bottazzo announced STUDER's participation in over 35 trade fairs worldwide this year and looked forward to the 50th anniversary of Granitan: the high-performance material developed and patented by STUDER still sets standards for highly stable machine beds.
Contact:
