Research & Development

You only learn how much is needed for the manufacture of everyday products, such as brushes, brooms and toothbrushes if you take a look at the various stages of the development process. From the construction of the product itself, through the development of the production machine, to warehousing the finished article – we do everything in-house here. Experts accompany every product at every stage.

At Ebnat AG, ideas become products. For a company producing in a country like Switzerland, it is extremely important in a highly competitive market to successfully differentiate yourself from the cheap imports emanating from the Far East. This can be achieved by means of products with multiple benefits or customer-specific services. Our motivation is to produce in Switzerland and therefore keep important jobs open.

Ideas don’t just fall from the sky but have to be worked out. In this respect, here at Ebnat, our customers have a significant role to play. They deal with consumers on a day-to-day basis and get direct feedback from them. The Sales Department takes the various inputs on board and arranges for improvement options and innovations to influence our range. Actively searching for innovation options is one of the main duties of the Marketing Department at Ebnat. The company can only have a successful future if our customers, staff and innovations stand at the forefront of our way of acting and thinking.

If an idea is accepted, it is implemented from start to finish at Ebnat. The product design converts ideas into two-dimensional drawings and thus provides the first visualisation. This creates the first impression. These sketches also serve as a template for the manufacture of a three-dimensional model. All of the data is available in digital form and can be modified at any time. It is also possible to use this data to produce a test mould or, for example, a stereolithography model (a quick and direct method of producing a 1:1 scale model) within a short space of time. This is all the more important because customers, and of course the Ebnat Company itself, find it easier to make better decisions using models. The surface feels ergonomics and appearance form important foundations for deciding whether or not a product is in line with the expectations of the marketplace. Nowadays, as well as the product, the packaging is a vital component; it is also designed by our own in-house specialists. Such packaging functions as providing information, protection and presentation, form the basis for good packaging and an attractive presence at the point of sale (POS).

Thanks to this consistent innovation process at Ebnat, the know-how remains within the company and contributes towards securing jobs in Switzerland. The customers of Ebnat AG in turn benefit from innovative products in their ranges that are in line with market requirements.

Production machinery and automation equipment are developed and built in-hose at Ebnat. This can range from equipment costing a few thousand Swiss francs to whole systems costing in excess of a million francs. The reason for this lies in the diversity of our operation, so we cannot use standard machines.

When we develop a new product, we first discuss which criteria the product must fulfil in order to succeed in a given market situation and with the intended target audience. Influencers from outside are involved in all of our considerations, either directly or indirectly. In this respect, our Development Department works in close co-operation with specialists and opinion leaders from the most varied sectors. Leading professors from universities, test laboratory managers and experts from specialist associations with their specific know-how, as well as critical users support us in the development of expedient innovations with sustainable product benefits.