Fragrance player Luzi returns to being a family run business
Altenburger is returning to the executive management fold after a 20 year absence, while former CEO for the company’s business in Switzerland, Jurg Koller, and both will now be responsible for the company’s future growth strategy and international expansion.
The appointment of Altenburger brings the business back to the third generation of family to run the business, which focuses on supplying fragrance compounds for perfumes, cosmetics, room care and home care.
Targeting internationalization of the business
The business already has an international culture, with sales and representative offices throughout Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia, but the executives’ appointment will renew the focus on growing the business internationally.
Most recently it opened a sales office and facility in Malaysia, back in 2016, which has includes a state of the art production line that also incorpo
rates the sales office into the same premises.
Reflecting the international growth, the business has seen a huge spike in the number of employees on the books, growing from just 43 people in 1999, to more than 140 at present, while in the same period sales have grown from CHF 17 million to CHF 50 million.
Remaining a Swiss-based business
However, despite the focus being on international growth, the company says it is committed to maintaining its foundations as a Switzerland-ba
sed family-run business.
Reflecting this, the company has acquired an 11,000 square metre plots of land near its existing facilities in Dietlikon, where a new building is planned to replace the existing facilities, which are now nearly 50 years old.
"Of course personnel costs are high in Switzerland. But this is becoming increasingly less important in a world of advancing digital automation and further productivity increases. The focus is shifting to the infrastructure, tax burden and quality and flexibility of the labour market," said Altenburger.
