For over 24 years, Peter Birchler has been leading the family business as part of its third generation. In our anniversary interview, the CEO tells us how his career at Silac AG began, what it means to run a family business—and where he sees Silac in the future.

You joined Silac in 1998 and took over as CEO at the age of 27. Was it always clear to you that you wanted to join the family business?

Did you know that family-owned businesses account for about 80 percent of all companies worldwide? Thirty percent make it to the second generation, and only 12 percent to the third. The issue of succession is therefore a threat to the very survival of family-owned businesses—not just for Silac, but worldwide.

My parents have both invested a great deal of time and passion into the company. That’s why selling the business was never an option for us. Silac is too deeply connected to our family. Our father, however, never put any pressure on us children regarding succession planning. He didn’t need to. Even as a young boy, I was fascinated by production, the technology involved, and—above all—running a company. After graduating from high school, it was therefore clear to me that I wanted to study business administration to gain the necessary skills for future leadership. In 1998, I was proud to take over the company from my father, Herbert Birchler.

I was very grateful that my father supported me with advice and practical help—especially in the beginning—but let me go my own way. This was very important to me and probably wouldn’t have been the case in every family business. Fortunately, my father has always been an open-minded person who respected the opinions of others and welcomed new ideas.

Mr. Birchler, what does it mean to run a family business?

As a family-owned business, Silac has strong regional roots and plays an important role as a regional employer. Silac AG certainly has a positive impact on regional development—and has done so since its founding. Good, open communication with residents and the entire region is very important in this regard. This was also evident during the expansion project in 2020, when not a single objection was raised.

As managing director, I therefore have a great responsibility—not only to my employees, but also to an entire region. Strategic decisions—and especially those involving high risk—must be carefully considered. As the owner of a family business, stability and long-term growth are my top priorities. In other words, not maximum short-term profit, but continuity and the highest quality. The shared values between management and employees play a major role for me in this regard. This was already the case with the founders. Even back then, the well-being and development of the employees were close to their hearts.

And what personal direction have you taken? What has changed in recent years under your leadership?

My father was convinced of the benefits of modern technology from an early stage and transformed Silac into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. I wanted to carry on this forward-looking strategy and have deliberately invested in high-tech machinery and technical optimizations in recent years. In addition to modernizing our thermoset and thermoplastic operations, Silac has significantly expanded its technological capabilities to include two-component technology and the full range of printing services. Our latest acquisition, for example, is a laser engraving machine that enables high-precision marking and is already in continuous use for our customers.

Like my predecessors, I, too, am a strong advocate for Switzerland as a manufacturing location—even in the face of international price pressure. When customers consider the total cost, we actually perform better than our foreign competitors. In addition to consistently high Swiss quality, Silac also provides consulting services, in-house toolmaking, logistics, and on-time delivery. With the construction of the new two-story addition—featuring over 3,000 square meters of production space—Silac clearly reinforced this position in 2020.

Quality management is also of great importance to me. After all, our goal is to consistently deliver flawless Silac quality to our customers. I am proud to have achieved the following certifications together with the entire Silac team:

• ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System
• ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System
• Food Safety System Certification FSSC 22000

Achieving food certification was a major milestone. It guarantees our customers top-notch hygiene standards and the highest possible level of safety. Another competitive advantage for Silac!

What do you see as Silac’s future prospects? Where is the company headed?

Silac AG is a well-established company with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Today, we can certainly benefit from our positive image and the loyalty of our long-standing customers. Nevertheless, we must not rest on our laurels. I see certain challenges, particularly in the area of recruiting apprentices and employees, as there is unfortunately a shortage of both labor and skilled workers. We are trying to break new ground in this area to present ourselves as a modern employer and remain attractive to young employees.

Another important issue is certainly sustainability. This is a key concern, especially in the plastics industry, which suffers from a rather poor image. After all, as long as the raw material cycle remains open, too many plastics are simply discarded. There is therefore a strong drive to find promising alternatives made from renewable resources. Silac has already had its first positive experiences with bioplastics and has created a sustainable thermoplastic lid for SIGG Switzerland Bottles. I am convinced that bio-based raw materials have enormous potential. We will certainly continue our research and testing in this area.

I am very optimistic about the future. Switzerland is known for its high level of innovation, and Silac AG is known for its customized and sophisticated plastic solutions. Especially when expertise and experience are needed, we quickly establish a dialogue. Thanks to our strong reputation and unique expertise, we are constantly involved in exciting projects and interesting partnerships.

Since last year, your two sons, Olivier and Luca, have also been working at Silac. How did that come about?

It has always been important to me that my children follow their own paths and make their own decisions from an early age. My twin sons, Olivier and Luca, both chose to pursue apprenticeships outside the family business and subsequently gained their first important professional experience.

Of course, we often talk about the company at home, and the boys have spent a lot of time at the business. So I wasn’t surprised when they suddenly expressed a desire to take a job at Silac. To be honest, I was very pleased with this decision. I can now imagine how proud my father must have been back then when I followed in his footsteps.

It’s a great feeling to know that, with Olivier and Luca, the fourth generation is already working in the family business. But I’m still young and have no plans to hand over the reins anytime soon. My sons will just have to be patient a little longer. And who knows—maybe more of my children will join Silac AG someday…

This interview was conducted in 2022 to mark the 80th anniversary.