"Switzerland is an absolute heat pump country!"
Interview with Roger Basler, CEO of Meier Tobler Group AG
In terms of newly sold heating systems, the heat pump is unrivaled in first place in Switzerland. Nevertheless, almost two-thirds of all buildings in the Swiss Confederation are still heated using fossil fuels. Given this combination, the market opportunities for an innovative heating system dealer and provider like Meier Tobler AG could hardly be better. CEO Roger Basler spoke with Wirtschaftsforum about the exciting future prospects.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Basler, seven years ago Meier Tobler AG was formed in its current configuration from the merger of two companies, each of which had a long tradition in the Swiss building technology market – what were the main reasons for this strategic decision?
Roger Basler: Both companies had been in existence for many decades by the time they merged, and each had its own strengths that complemented each other very well. While the company Walter Meier was particularly established as a systems specialist and only had comparatively little trading activities, Tobler Haustechnik AG, with a rather small heating business, was primarily involved in trading: a constellation that absolutely screamed to bring the two heating and air conditioning specialists together.
Wirtschaftsforum: How has Meier Tobler AG strategically positioned itself in this process?
Roger Basler: Essentially, we are pursuing two overarching goals for the coming years: We want to continue to grow in all our segments, while at the same time improving our operational positioning, meaning acting simpler, more efficient, and cost-saving. In this regard, we operate in a total of four business areas across Switzerland. This includes our trading business, where not only a comprehensive range and competitive prices are crucial for success but especially the corresponding trading formats, that is: How do we approach the installers to convince them sustainably of us as a strong trade partner? In this sense, we operate a total of 47 pick-up shops, as well as an e-commerce platform, where we now generate over 40% of our trading turnover – and the trend is upward. Our 100 field staff and their 100 internal colleagues, in the meantime, take care of the needs of about 10,000 installers working in Switzerland.
Wirtschaftsforum: What is important in the generation of heat – the second of four business areas?
Roger Basler: Here too, the range of products is crucial, where our focus has now clearly shifted to the heat pump. We offer a wide range of products that not only target installation companies but also directly address homeowners as end customers – thereby generating leads that we can then pass on to the installers. An especially important communication channel has become our online heating system configurator, through which consumers can receive a suggestion for a new suitable heating system including a non-binding guideline price within minutes, based on the information they enter about their property and the geographic data of their location. If there is further interest in the solution we propose, we are happy to put them in contact with an installation company that can then make a binding offer.
Wirtschaftsforum: The topic of heat pumps is on everyone's lips throughout the entire DACH region, while the overall economic upheavals in recent years have led to a reticence in investments. How has Meier Tobler experienced this period?
Roger Basler: At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, we had just developed our new strategy and were entering a very strong growth phase. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting uncertainties in the energy markets further fueled the mega trend towards heat pumps: The market almost went crazy, and there were huge supply-chain issues, which we were able to manage well thanks to our long-standing experience in trading. After this strong growth phase, Meier Tobler finally experienced a slight decline in 2024, simply because for the first time in many years, the entire heating market was unable to achieve further gains.
However, we expect that we may see slight growth again in the second half of 2025 – and of course, the market opportunities are enormous from a future perspective. Switzerland is an absolute heat pump country in international comparison: Heat pumps now account for 90% of heating systems sold in this country! At the same time, almost two-thirds of the approximately 1.8 million buildings in Switzerland are still heated with fossil fuels, and as a country of immigration, new living spaces are continuously being created: This represents a huge potential for our company.
Wirtschaftsforum: Beyond mere sales?
Roger Basler: Spread across multiple bases, we have over 400 service technicians deployed throughout Switzerland, so that we can be available to our customers around the clock for all maintenance and troubleshooting cases - naturally also via a dedicated hotline. Furthermore, as part of our fourth business segment, we are also engaged in the implementation of climate system projects, where we particularly excel with our Swiss-Finish, meaning the precise adaptation of each component to the individual conditions of our client.
Wirtschaftsforum: Today, Meier Tobler employs over 1,300 employees with an annual turnover of half a billion CHF - how much can you as CEO actually influence the day-to-day business operations in this context?
Roger Basler: I believe that when CEOs say they operate only at the strategic level, it is often more an expression of a kind of daydreaming. Of course, in my position, dreams and visions are necessary – but above all, a good plan in the form of a strategy that must be implemented across the entire organization. This is precisely where I see my main task at Meier Tobler.