– Holcim abandons its Holderbank site after 114 years
The approximately 200 employees at the cement manufacturer’s original site in Aargau will move to Zug from 2026. No layoffs are planned.
Published today at 10:10 a.m.
Until 2001, the Holcim company bore the same name as the village in which it was founded in 1912, Holderbank (AG).
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Holcim wants to close its historic Holderbank site in the canton of Aargau. The approximately 200 employees will move to the headquarters in Zug from 2026. Those affected have been informed, the Zug-based building materials giant said on Wednesday.
The transfer of operations to Zug marks the end of Holcim’s presence in the Aargau municipality, where the company was founded 114 years ago and from which it originally took its name. The move to the headquarters is intended to strengthen collaboration between employees and departments, Holcim explained. “The merger of the site and offices will not result in any reduction in staff. There will be no layoffs,” the cement manufacturer assured.
“We support all employees in their move to Zug,” a company spokesperson told the AWP news agency. Holcim offers financial support to those affected for their work commute or change of residence.
Before the employees are transferred, the Zug headquarters will be renovated and expanded. The spokesman said that in future, more than 400 people will work at the Zug site.
It all starts at Holderbank
Holcim was founded in Holderbank on 15 February 1912 by Adolf Gygi as the Aargau Portland Cement Factory. In 1914, the Holderbank cement works merged with the Rheintalische Cementfabrik Rüti, owned by the industrialist Ernst Schmidheiny. This marked the beginning of the Schmidheiny family’s rise, which would shape the cement industry in Switzerland for generations. Thomas Schmidheiny is still Holcim’s largest shareholder today.
“Holcim is aware of the importance of cultural heritage,” said the company spokesperson. Some time ago, in cooperation with the canton of Aargau, an 18-hectare nature reserve was created at Holderbank and funds were made available for its preservation. The aim now is to find the best and most sustainable solution for the Holderbank site.
Continue growth
Overall, Holcim wants to expand in the country. “Switzerland is and remains one of our most important markets,” said the spokesman.
The group is experiencing growth here both organically and through mergers and acquisitions that create synergies for the company, according to the press release. In the spring, the cement manufacturer announced the acquisition of the Vaud-based group Cand-Landi, active in the fields of earthworks, materials, logistics, pipelines and recycling, and which last year achieved a turnover of 70 million francs.
Last week, Holcim announced that it would invest around CHF 250 million in its three Swiss cement plants. The aim is to reduce the use of fossil fuels in cement production and to comply with the limit values for air pollutants set by the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (OPair).
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