Young participants in a Glarus educational program have designed new products, established their own enterprises, and tackled manufacturing requirements during an intensive training week. Industrial partners including Resilux AG, A. & J. Stöckli AG, and möbelfabrik horgenglarus opened their facilities to provide direct insight into commercial operations.
Inside the Netstal Facility at Stöckli AG
During the program hosted by regional manufacturers, Eric Ribak, managing director of the Netstal family business A. & J. Stöckli AG—which has operated since 1874—welcomed the participants by stating, We offer plastic production from Switzerland at the highest level
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The manufacturing site spans 30,000 square meters, employs 120 staff members, and operates on a three-shift schedule. Ribak highlighted the firm’s sustainability measures, noting that approximately 600 tons of diverse plastics remain within a closed recycling loop annually, while electrical energy is supplied by the company’s own hydroelectric power station and the surrounding region.
Engineering Constraints and Market Realities
Following the facility introduction, Antonio Coluccia, project manager for custom products at A. & J. Stöckli AG, detailed the core challenges involved in bringing a new item to market.
Participants were introduced to technical constraints including required production volumes, scheduling guardrails, component analyses of cycle times, and engineering frameworks utilizing 2D or 3D customer data. Additional operational topics covered by Coluccia included project coordination for material processing, structured planning around objective conflicts, and risk management.
From Computer-Controlled Design to Floor Execution
Bridging theoretical instruction with factory-floor execution, Peter Gerber of the production department demonstrated how engineered designs transition into computer-controlled manufacturing systems. The students examined modern, automated technologies deployed across the plant floors, gathering technical metrics to apply directly to their assigned business projects.
Regional Manufacturers Supporting Youth Enterprise
Industrial partners across the canton opened their doors to support the educational initiative.
| Company | Location | Operational Scope | Workforce & Infrastructure |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. & J. Stöckli AG | Netstal | Plastic production and recycling | 120 employees, 30,000 m² site, 3-shift operation |
| Resilux AG | Bilten | Involved in regional educational enterprise program | |
| möbelfabrik horgenglarus | Glarus | Involved in regional educational enterprise program |
Integrating Factory Constraints Into Business Models
Armed with practical insights from regional manufacturing specialists, the youth enterprise teams returned to their projects to integrate real-world production constraints, scheduling targets, and material processing guidelines into their business models.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
