Ideal-tek wins Switzerland Global Enterprise’s 2026 Export Award

Ideal-tek has been developing and producing precision instruments for applications where the tiniest details are critical since 1964. The requirements vary greatly depending on the application – from sterilizable stainless steel in medicine to antimagnetic and antistatic tools in electronics to non-reflective surfaces in the watch industry. The instruments are manufactured in Balerna and used worldwide.

Strong roots in Switzerland

Anchored firmly in Ticino, Ideal-tek combines traditional craftsmanship with modern technologies. Production is deliberately kept within Switzerland and forms the basis for the high precision and quality of the instruments. The company, which has around 70 employees, develops solutions for international high-tech industries.

Targeted internationalization in key industries

Ideal-tek generates around 90 percent of its sales from exports. The company targets markets in which industries are dependent on reliable, high-precision tools. The products are exported to 45 countries and sold through a network of around 150 distribution partners. Important markets include the USA, where Ideal-tek has its own subsidiary, as well as Costa Rica and China. In Costa Rica, the company was able to increase its sales tenfold within two years, while in China it positioned itself from an early stage as a supplier of precision instruments.

Partnerships as growth drivers

When entering new markets, Ideal-tek works closely with local partners to develop customer-specific solutions together. This results in instruments that are precisely tailored to the needs of the respective industry and make production processes more efficient. The strategy is complemented by targeted appearances at international trade fairs, including SWISS Pavilions organized by Switzerland Global Enterprise.

Award presentation at the International Trade Forum

Ideal-tek was selected as the winner of the Export Award 2026 by an independent jury on the basis of its export success. “Ideal-tek combines traditional craftsmanship with modern technology to develop high-precision instruments for international high-tech industries. This combination of Swiss precision, export strategy and global market proximity was what impressed the jury of the Export Award,” says jury president Martin Naville.

The company was able to see off competition from HAEUSLER AG, based in Duggingen (BL), and WILCO AG, of Wohlen (AG). The Export Award was presented at the International Trade Forum in the Kongresshaus Zurich on April 23, 2026.

Change to the jury

Martin Naville, Partner Trusted Board Advisors and Senior Advisor to the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce, is a founding member of the Export Award jury and served as jury president in 2026. He will leave the jury this year after almost 20 years as a member.

Andrea Berlinger will take over as chair of the jury in 2027. She is the owner of the Berlinger family businesses in Toggenburg and has been President of the St. Gallen-Appenzell Chamber of Commerce and Industry since 2024. She is also a member of the board of Switzerland Innovation Park East and contributes her entrepreneurial knowledge on various other boards of directors. She has been a member of the jury for the Export Award since 2026.

About the Export Award

S-GE’s Export Award honors successful internationally active companies with an impressive expansion strategy and innovative approach to market cultivation. A jury of well-known figures from the Swiss worlds of business, academia and media judges the candidates and selects the winner. The prize is awarded each year at the International Trade Forum, a hub for Swiss foreign trade. Around 400 globally active Swiss and Liechtenstein companies, as well as representatives from politics and public administration, attend the event. With a theme of "Rethink Risk. Rethink Opportunity.”, this year's Forum shows how Swiss SMEs can identify new opportunities and turn uncertainty into growth in a rapidly changing global trade environment.