Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Brinlinger, since 2018 you have been working for REFCO, leading the Swiss family business since 2023, which has earned an excellent reputation in refrigeration and air conditioning technology with quality products such as condensate pumps, hoses, gauges, tools, and accessories – not only in Switzerland or Europe but worldwide. What milestones and developments lie behind this success story? 
 
Benno Brinlinger: The company was founded in 1972, and although it was initially viewed skeptically, it quickly developed into a Swiss quality manufacturer of tools and accessories for refrigeration and air conditioning technology. In 1996, REFCO was sold to the German WIKA Group; at that time, REFCO was one of the group's largest customers for analog gauges. The move to the current location in Hitzkirch occurred in 1997, a subsidiary was established in the USA in 2001 to work the North American market. The acquisition of the English company EDC in 2007 was a crucial milestone, which included the strategic addition of consumer goods to the capital goods business. 

Wirtschaftsforum: What is the strategy behind the product portfolio? 

Benno Brinlinger: REFCO has always stood for innovation and quality and has gradually expanded its range of products so that today we have around 1,800 catalog items and are broadly diversified. In 2016, the company launched a new condensate pump that was very successful in the USA and Australia, while sales in Europe were sluggish. After we adjusted the distribution, the situation turned around and the pumps quickly found a market in Europe as well. When I joined the company in 2018, another strategic shift was initiated, focusing on stronger in-house production. At the same time, an innovation manager joined the company who built a team with nine engineers. As a result, we now have much more research and development in-house. The first fruits of this forward-looking work were presented in October 2024 at Chillventa in Nuremberg – a new series of condensate pumps and tools that comply with the latest regulatory conditions. Through these strategic decisions, on the one hand increasing in-house production, on the other hand our own research and development work, we were able to greatly accelerate our growth. 

Wirtschaftsforum: What exactly did this growth look like? 

Benno Brinlinger: Demand has significantly increased, leading us to expand our location and increase our production area by 40%. The expansion happened at just the right time. We have been growing by double digits for years, against the general trend, and have been able to continuously achieve record results in the past four years. This year too, everything points to growth; we currently employ 75 people, and by the end of 2025, we expect to have 85 to 90 employees. By 2030, we anticipate exponential growth. 

Wirtschaftsforum: What exactly makes you so optimistic? 

Benno Brinlinger: Our new products will form the basis for further growth. The new condensate pump series received consistently positive feedback at its presentation at the fair in Nuremberg. Our goal was for it to be small, quiet, and easy to install. For this, we relied on new technologies and integrated an optical level measurement in the sensor technology. Although we have high expectations for the product and it is our blockbuster product, the tool business will remain our bread-and-butter business. We will also offer innovative, simple solutions with added value for the user there. 

Wirtschaftsforum: REFCO is a Swiss quality provider with an export quota of 97%. What are the strengths that enable it to compete internationally?

Benno Brinlinger: Our industry is small and the market is saturated. As a Swiss manufacturer, we operate in a premium niche; we cannot be cheap, we can only be good. Therefore, we made sure that our new products can be competitively manufactured in Switzerland thanks to a high degree of automation. So far, we are not the market leader in any product group in terms of volume and sales; with the new products, we have the chance to change that. In addition to the innovative quality products, it is mainly the above-average commitment of our employees that is responsible for our ongoing success. At our company, we take initiative and work together. Mutual appreciation is a crucial factor of success; that's why we can supply the world market with first-class products from Switzerland.

Wirtschaftsforum: Looking three or four years ahead, what does a vision for the future look like?

Benno Brinlinger: We aim to realize our planned growth and strengthen the perception of REFCO as a premium manufacturer worldwide. Last but not least, we want to remain an attractive employer.