Welcome to the Nebikon Solar Village: four companies in the Stämpfelfeld and Schürmatt industrial areas produce electricity with photovoltaic systems. The annual electricity production of the photovoltaic system at Egli-Mühlen AG is 550,000 kilowatt hours - equivalent to the energy requirements of 115 single-family homes. Imbach & Cie. AG produces 300,000 kilowatt hours and Grob AG 280,000 kilowatt hours. Galliker Transport AG produces around 13.755 megawatt hours of electricity annually with its own photovoltaic systems throughout Switzerland, most of it at its headquarters in Altishofen, Nebikon & Dagmersellen.
Animal feed and green logistics
The photovoltaic system at Egli-Mühlen AG is impossible to miss. The striking installation on the façade of the silo has been in operation since December 2021. The company uses the energy produced in this way to grind the raw material and sanitize the animal feed. "Environmentally friendly nutrition is important to us," says Managing Director Simon Egli. "The photovoltaic system contributes a lot to this." The role models were the customers - the farmers. "Many have been producing electricity with solar energy for years." Corinne Galliker, Member of the Management Board, is responsible for Sales & Marketing at the Altishof-based family business: "We offer sustainable services under the Green Logistics by Galliker label," she says. Galliker has been producing solar power for ten years. Among other things, it flows into the batteries of electric vehicles that are stored or reconditioned at the Nebiker Car Logistics Center. Since 2021, Galliker has relied 100% on LED lighting. In the area of mobility, Galliker supports the development of alternative drives for trucks and already uses several electric and hydrogen trucks. By 2040, 50 percent of the fleet is to be CO2-neutral, and by 2050 the entire fleet.
Metal components and gear wheels
Imbach & Cie Solutions in Metal has been manufacturing components from a wide variety of metals for over 133 years. They are forged using machines with several thousand tons of pressing force at temperatures of over 1000 degrees. The raw material is heated in gas or electricity-powered furnaces. "Our aim is to cover 50 percent of our own requirements with self-produced solar power in the future," says CEO Sandra Imbach. "Efficiency and sustainability have always been key issues for us. That's why we want to be a role model in this area too." Rafael Fellmann, Managing Director of neighboring Grob AG, echoes a similar sentiment. "The environment has long been important to us. We have been using photovoltaics since 2013." The company produces just under a quarter of the electrical energy it needs each year itself. It also recovers heat from compressors, all the lighting has been converted to LED and the company has no oil heating. "But we haven't reached our goal yet," says Rafael Fellmann. "Every year, we strive for further optimization to save even more energy." He also speaks from the heart of Sandra Imbach, Corinne Galliker and Simon Egli. They all stand for sustainability in practice.
Four family businesses - one vision
Sustainability is important to all the companies involved in the Solar Village. They are also united by their long tradition: Egli-Mühlen AG has been producing first-class animal feed since 1891 and is one of the leading suppliers of compound feed for pigs, cows and poultry. Galliker Transport AG was founded in 1918 as a haulage company. Today it offers comprehensive services in the field of transportation and logistics. Grob AG has been in existence since 1947 and produces high-quality gears and drive parts for the entire global market. Since 1889, Imbach Solutions has been manufacturing complex and ready-to-install metal components that are used in areas such as medical technology, biotechnology and energy technology.
