Niederweningen, 24 November 2006

Bucher Industries is celebrating its 200th anniversary next year. To mark the occasion, the Institute for Historical Research in Economics (Verein für wirtschaftshistorische Studien) in Zurich is publishing another volume in its Swiss Pioneers of Business and Technology series. The book entitled "Bucher: Pioneers in Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering 1807-2007" is being launched today in Niederweningen.

The book gives a riveting account of how the Bucher enterprise has grown over its 200-year history from a humble blacksmith's shop in Niederweningen into a global mechanical and vehicle engineering group. Pioneers Johann Bucher-Manz (1843-1919), Jean Bucher-Guyer (1875-1961) and Walter Hauser-Bucher (1904-1967) played a key role in shaping the destiny of the then family-owned business, laying the foundations for one of the top-performing Swiss-based, publicly traded mechanical engineering groups. They achieved pioneering work in the fields of fruit and grape presses, agricultural machinery and vehicle engineering, and hydraulic press and drive component manufacturing. In a momentous era of change, they also made a vital contribution to the modernization of agriculture. Today, Bucher Industries operates all over the world, with manufacturing facilities on all continents, generating roughly CHF 2 billion in sales and employing some 7 000 people. The book is available in German and can be ordered under www.pioniere.ch.

A German preprint of the anniversary leaflet, concisely portraying Bucher's history, current business activities and the group's visions for the future. Below you find the preprint as a PDF-Download.

On 16 June 2007, Bucher will hold an open day at its headquarters in Niederweningen to celebrate its 200th anniversary together with employees and interested members of the public. In addition, Bucher Industries has established a jubilee fund to promote technological and scientific projects. Already committed, the funds have been granted to programmes such as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology's high-tech NOVA project at Zurich main station and the mammoth museum in Niederweningen.

Bucher Industries is a global technology group with leading market positions in specialty areas of mechanical and vehicle engineering. The company's operations include specialized agricultural machinery, municipal vehicles, wine and fruit juice production plant, hydraulic components, and production equipment for the glass container industry. Bucher Industries' shares are traded on SWX Swiss Exchange (SWX: BUCN).


Contact
Philip Mosimann, CEO
Roger Baillod, CFO
Phone +41 44 857 22 07