The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Chinese-owned Swissmetal sold to Swiss investors

The factory premises of Swissmetal in Reconvilier
Swissmetal has a long history beginning in the second half of the 19th century. But the company came under growing pressure in the 1980s as a result of international competition. © Keystone/Christian Beutler

The cash-strapped Baoshida Swissmetal company has been taken over by a group of Swiss investors six years after it was sold to a Chinese group.

The newly-founded Swissmetal Industries, backed by two private investors, said it had acquired the firm, which employs about 160 people at two factories in the small towns of Dornach and Reconvilier.

The near-bankrupt copper alloy manufacturer went into provisional receivership, but a plan for a debt-restructuring moratorium was delayed several times pending a legal case.

The main creditor, the Chinese Development Bank, gave a €15 million (CHF16.4 million) loan to Baoshida Swissmetal in 2016 and has accused the administrator of providing insufficient information about the financial situation of the manufacturer. In May, the Chinese Development Bank refused an offer of CHF9 million by Swiss Team for the company.

The Chinese chief executive of Baoshida Swissmetal was dismissed in 2018 and was given a suspended prison sentence by a Swiss court for unlawful business practices last year.

On Tuesday, the new owners of SwissmetalExternal link announced plans to restructure the company in the near future and limit its production to one factory.

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Only one in five people attend a religious service at Easter

More

Just one in five Swiss attend a religious service at Easter

This content was published on Only one in five people in Switzerland attend a religious service during the Easter period or give up meat or alcohol for at least one day of fasting. Around 25% of those polled see Easter primarily as a family holiday, according to the survey.

Read more: Just one in five Swiss attend a religious service at Easter
Posters condemning Stephan Schmidheiny's role in asbestos deaths in Italy.

More

Swiss businessman gets prison term for asbestos deaths

This content was published on Stephan Schmidheiny has been sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison by the Turin Court of Appeal in a case against the former Eternit executive over deaths linked to asbestos exposure in Italy.

Read more: Swiss businessman gets prison term for asbestos deaths
Swiss foreign trade booms in the first quarter

More

Swiss foreign trade booms in the first quarter

This content was published on Swiss imports and exports reached new heights in the first quarter, driven by the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors. Shipments to the US rose sharply.

Read more: Swiss foreign trade booms in the first quarter

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR