Success Stories
Helbling Technik puts Swiss quality standards first in Poland
Nov 4, 2025
The Helbling Group supports companies in product innovation, development and strategy as well as in identifying cost-saving potential – among others in household appliances, medtech/pharma, laboratory equipment, transport as well as machine and plant construction. With its headquarters in Zurich, Helbling is represented in Germany, Poland, the USA and China and employs over 600 employees. Dr. Urban Schnell reports on internationalization efforts in Poland.
Helbling is active in the field of product innovation and development, where “Made in Switzerland” is considered a quality seal. Why did you consider outsourcing part of your business?
In recent years, we have had difficulties in Switzerland, the USA and Germany in finding good software and firmware developers. As a result, our own software business has not grown as much as it could have. There are also more and more calls for tender that explicitly require nearshoring. Our goal is not to outsource the entire operation. We want to strategically supplement the sometimes limited capacities here with foreign employees, so that we can exploit our full potential. It is important to us that our in-house experience, processes, methodologies, and the mutual support of the employees are taken into account to ensure the quality of our services.
How did you proceed once you had decided that you wanted to set up a branch abroad?
For our business, it is important to have the right key person on the ground. We call them our flag bearers; someone who identifies with our company and our values in an entrepreneurial way. We identified 4–5 potential flag bearers in our own network. I also contacted S-GE, where the consultant responsible, Katalin Dreher-Hajnal, recommended an entrepreneurially minded candidate in Poland, who ultimately won us over. At the same time, S-GE carried out a location analysis. It was very valuable for us that the statistical figures for the locations examined came from one source and were therefore comparable. They were also delivered almost without any effort on our part and on time. If we had just taken the matrix from the location analysis, Poland would not have emerged as the winner. However, we had declared from the outset that the person in question would be the decisive factor. We carried out the location analysis to have a basis and to be able to argue internally. Internal persuasion should not be underestimated in such projects.
We benefited enormously from the network of the Swiss Business Hub Central Europe, the field office of S-GE, in organizing our fact-finding trip. I was in Poland for the first time and was able to meet other Swiss companies, diplomats, office space providers and government representatives. We gained a very comprehensive insight within 3–4 days.
Dr. Urban Schnell
Managing Director at Helbling Technik, partner of the Helbling GroupWhat happened next?
We went on a fact-finding trip and were very impressed by the work of S-GE. When you hear as a SME that S-GE is a state-affiliated organization, you initially think that it works like an authority, but the opposite was the case. S-GE was pragmatic, timely and of high quality. The network that S-GE made available to us would otherwise never have been built up so quickly. In addition, the collaboration was very pleasant and fun.
What have been the biggest challenges in implementing the project so far?
The biggest difficulty – and this was a surprise to us – was that it is not easy to find good people. As far as culture is concerned, I am glad that we have our managing director. Language is one thing, the other is the legal rules for our activity. We find a lot of things complicated and cumbersome. Interestingly, this contrasts with our employees in Poland, where we see a refreshing pragmatism in tackling things.
What are your plans for the coming years?
The business idea is to integrate our colleagues in Wroclaw, Poland, into customer projects. The first project assignments are underway and look promising. In addition to the management, we currently have two productive employees. They still need to get used to the development business for third-party customers, but this was to be expected with our specific business model. Other companies scale very quickly to optimize the value chain and hire several hundred new employees in a quarter. We need a longer breath, but it should be sustainable. We are also growing in Poland a priori profitably.
What tips would you give to other companies that are also considering setting up a branch abroad?
It is difficult to give a general tip, except that it always helps to talk to peers. In conversation, you can then better assess which aspects are comparable and which tips are helpful.
Due to the shortage of ICT and engineering specialists, we have been receiving requests for location analysis and network building for years. For Helbling, we compared 10 countries, 14 cities and over 20 location criteria – a solid decision-making basis for management. With Poland as an emerging tech hub, the company made a safe choice. Thanks to the Swiss Business Hub on the ground, we networked Helbling and arranged important contacts, for example with lawyers and trustees.
Katalin Dreher-Hajnal
Senior Consultant Central Eastern Europe, Switzerland Global Enterprise