Text Peter Bader Photos Regio-Fix AG
At Rego-Fix in Tenniken, Switzerland, creative drive and innovation are part of the company’s very DNA. The manufacturer of precision tool clamping systems has set up a dedicated ideas’ pool for its employees. “To ensure innovation long-term, market proximity, customer acceptance, and keeping an open mind – both technologically and economically – are all key factors for success,” notes CEO Pascal Forrer.
At the entrance area of the Company Rego-Fix in Tenniken (Switzerland) hangs the portrait of Fritz Weber: The inventive and innovative spirit of the now-deceased Founder and former patron laid the foundations for a company history full of successes. It all began with an emergency, however. Fritz Weber was the eldest of ten siblings. When his Father died unexpectedly, the family was left suddenly fighting for survival. “As a shrewd mechanic, inventor, and tinkerer, he took on whatever work he could find, including Paid labor. It was simply about finding work,” recalls his son Richard Weber. In 1950, Fritz Weber, then 26 years old, founded a oneman business in Reigoldswil. Its first massproduced product was a broom holder named Rego-Fix: Rego for Reigoldswil, then fix like the verb. The idea behind it: If the bristles are worn through, it should be possible to mount new ones onto the broom handle so that it can continue to be used.
A revolution in tool clamping technology
In 1972, Fritz Weber and his team developed what became known as the ER collet chuck, a system for precise tool clamping as an interface between the machine and the drill or milling tool. This innovation revolutionized tool clamping in the metalworking industry. It gained international acceptance and is still considered the DIN 6499 industry Standard today. “We ensure that cutting tools run smoothly, reliably, safely, and precisely,” says Pascal Forrer, who was made CEO of Rego-Fix at the start of 2026. “Our products play a decisive role in making production processes more efficient and ensuring they are maintained at the very highest standard.” And this is in a highprecision environment with designs in the thousandth-of-a-millimeter range and in many applications with up to 30,000 machine revolutions per minute. For comparison: When a car travels at 100 km/h, the wheels only rotate at around 800 times per minute. This Highlights the significant dynamic forces at play in modern machining processes.
Today, Rego-Fix is a company operating internationally, with an export share of well over 90 percent. With ten subsidiaries in China, India, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, the USA, Germany, France, the UK, and Italy, as well as a global network of distribution partners: Rego-Fix is represented in more than 50 countries. The company employs around 350 People worldwide, 260 of whom are based at its Headquarters in Tenniken.
The ER collet chuck revolutionized tool clamping (pictured: the ER32 standard collet).
“OUR PRODUCTS PLAY A KEY ROLE IN MAKING MANUFACTURING PROCESSES MORE EFFICIENT AND RELIABLE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.”
Its product portfolio includes, among other things, the patented powRgrip® tool-clamping system, high-quality ER collet chucks and clamping nuts, the micRun® high-precision ER system, and custom solutions developed to meet individual customer requirements. The company has also diversified its product range by adding cleaning and testing tools for the spindle to the mix. There are around 6,000 different standard products in total, and around 1.5 million are produced each year. And it all happens in Tenniken, using fully automated production processes. Work here is carried out in three shifts around the clock, and in certain departments even seven days a week.
Developing and producing in Switzerland can present a particular challenge with respect to costs, as noted by Pascal Forrer. But it is only in this way, he maintains, that the highest Quality standards can be guaranteed. And these Standards are what customers have rightly come to expect. Their customer base includes small, specialized companies as well as large corporations – across the aerospace, automotive, and defense industries, as well as in fields such as medical technology, watch and jewelry manufacturing, mechanical engineering, and electronics manufacturing.
Identifying new and emerging trends
A new, 5,000-square-meter production hall is currently being built in Tenniken, which is scheduled to go into operation in autumn 2026. The company has grown significantly in recent years: While Rego-Fix only had two branches back in 2018, it now has ten. The main drivers of growth include the aerospace industry, the semiconductor Industry and medical technology, as CEO Forrer explains. “These industries use materials that are hard, heat-resistant, and difficult to machine – which, in turn, places serious demands on the clamping systems.” Even the gradual phasing out of combustion engines poses no real issue for the company, he maintains. Newly developed vehicles increasingly rely on a growing number of cameras. Their glass lenses are also challenging to process, he says – and Rego-Fix clamping systems are ideally suited for this very task. The only real concern for Pascal Forrer is the rise in protectionist tendencies within the global economy. “We depend on good international trade Relations and hope that these will be maintained. To ensure this, it is crucial that Switzerland secures additional bilateral free-trade agreements.”
To remain competitive, continuous Innovation is absolutely key in any case. In 2015, Rego-Fix received the coveted Red Dot Product Design Award for the automatic powRgrip® clamping unit PGU 9500. This allows tools to be clamped quickly, easily, and safely, without any heat build-up, and virtually at the touch of a button. What impressed the jury most was the well-thoughtout design and how easy it is to use. Pascal Forrer notes that market proximity, customer acceptance, and keeping an open mind – both technologically and economically – are all key factors for success when it comes to ensuring innovation long-term. Around five years ago, for example, a customer in China inquired with the Rego-Fix subsidiary about Solutions for machining small gears, which are found in large numbers in humanoid robots. This ultimately evolved into a formal collaboration. “We were there on the customer’s premises, earned their trust and confidence, and were ready to develop new products at affordable prices. These are decisive factors for success. In the US aerospace industry, we were able to incorporate new trends as far back as ten years ago in the same way.”
Rego-Fix also has an ideas’ pool, which functions somewhat like a mailbox. This gives all its employees the opportunity, if they like, to fill out a form with an idea for a new product or for improving a process. Each of These ideas is then assessed through a multi-stage process to determine whether it is technically feasible and economically viable. Around Five ideas are submitted in this way each month.
For Pascal Forrer, an additional factor contributing to Rego-Fix’s success is that it continues to operate as a family-owned business. A graduate in business administration, he joined the company in 2018 and strengthened its international focus in Marketing and sales. At the start of 2026, he took over from Richard Weber as CEO. Weber now presides over the Board of Directors, where he is joined by his two brothers. “The three brothers are present and approachable, and decision-making processes are short, which in turn makes quick strategy Adjustments possible.” The 46-year-old also appreciates the close collaboration within the Swiss machine industry, and with Blaser Swisslube in particular. “Just recently, we worked together as part of this year’s Swiss Tour to look after our international clients during their visit to Switzerland. These kinds of collaborations are beneficial for everyone involved,” Pascal Forrer notes.
The inventive spirit and drive for innovation of founder Fritz Weber (inspecting collets during quality control) laid the foundation for a successful company history.
Today, Swiss company Rego-Fix is led by CEO Pascal Forrer (right) and Chairman of the Board Richard Weber.
Milestones in Rego-Fix’s history
Fritz Weber founds the one-man Company “Fritz Weber Feinmechanik und Werkzeugbau” in Reigoldswil, Switzerland.”
1972
Invention of the ER collet chuck.
1988
Rego-Fix founds its first subsidiary: Rego-Fix USA.
1992
The Rego-Fix ER collet chuck is standardized with DIN 6499.
1998
The company’s current Headquarters are built in Tenniken, in Switzerland.
2002
Together, powRgrip® and the clamping unit PGU 9500 create an automated tool clamping System that will later go on to receive the coveted Red Dot Award in 2015.
2006
The founder’s sons – Andreas, Stefan, and Richard Weber – take over the management of the company.
2014
The micRun® system is developed as a toolholding solution for microapplications.
2023
Rego-Fix inaugurates multiple international subsidiaries (including in Brazil, China, France, and Germany).
2026
Pascal Forrer is appointed as the company’s new CEO. A new production hall is opening its doors in Tenniken.