LEAN FACTORY - A SPRINGBOARD FOR FURTHER GROWTH
Our Lean Factory has been fully operational since the winter of 2023 and smoothly combines efficiency and sustainability. With a substantial area of 11,000 square meters across three levels, the modern building promotes collaboration among various internal company disciplines.
The primary objective of the Lean Factory is to increase the efficiency of work processes and production volumes to achieve set growth targets. With an investment of around 30 million Swiss francs, this new building underlines our commitment to a sustainable future and our clear commitment to Switzerland as the only production location.
THE LEAN FACTORY IN DETAIL
We meticulously integrated Lean principles into every aspect from the initial planning stages, aiming for increased efficiency and automation.
The enlarged clean room
On the ground floor, you will find our advanced 660 square meters cleanroom for sterile consumables production, complying with the latest ISO and FDA standards.
The production lines were aligned with lean management principles and partially automated to continuously enhance efficiency, productivity, and resource utilization.
The diverse disciplines of parts manufacturing
In addition to office spaces and additional production areas, the first-floor houses part manufacturing with CNC production, micro-processing and surface treatment. The expansion of the CNC machine park and the implementation of new production processes has significantly increased our manufacturing capacity.
The digital warehouse system
Next to the clean room is the logistic area with a 14-meter-high, fully automated high-bay warehouse system. There are no fixed storage locations assigned. Instead, storage locations are dynamically adjusted based on availability and demand. Special software manages inventory and continually calculates the optimal placement. This state-of-the-art technology revolutionizes our previous inventory management and ensures optimum storage with quick access.
The modern Oertli Square
At the heart of the Lean Factory lies the Oertli Square, a light-flooded multifunctional space that serves employees, partners, and customers as an inspiring meeting and experience place, as well as a venue for wetlabs and training courses. The beautiful rooftop terrace invites you to relax during breaks, while the indoor atrium with ginkgo trees provides more daylight to promote the well-being of employees.
Taking a greener path for more sustainability
In our Lean Factory, a strong emphasis is placed on sustainability and environmental friendliness. A photovoltaic system generates approximately 225,000 kWh of clean energy, significantly reducing CO2 emissions by 10%. Water-cooled and heated ceiling panels regulate the temperature, and the waste heat from various machines is used to control the indoor climate. Furthermore, we promote e-mobility by offering charging stations for electric vehicles.
Thanks to the extended summer sun hours, our photovoltaic system of our Lean Factory has achieved the remarkable feat of producing over 180’000 kWh of electricity in just 8 months since the installation .
What's even more electrifying? This translates to a staggering 70-ton reduction in CO2 emissions! Explore our photovoltaic system on top of the Lean Factory in this video.
We make the difference
Here in Berneck, family spirit meets entrepreneurial strength. As a family-owned business in its second generation, Oertli symbolizes stability in a fast-changing ophthalmology market. We take pride in our Swiss roots and develop and produce exclusively in the Rhine Valley.
Currently, around 300 dedicated employees work at the Berneck site, making a decisive contribution every day so that over 2 million people worldwide can keep their eyesight yearly. In addition to the headquarters in Berneck, Oertli holds five subsidiaries in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, South Africa, and the USA, as well as an international network of over 60 independent distribution partners.
Experience the captivating transformation of the Lean Factory in timelapse.
Photo courtesy of Joshua Loher
