The move from Witterswil to the canton of Basel-Landschaft is a milestone in Biolytix’s company history. Above all, the new location offers a lot of potential to grow and expand core competencies.
A mammoth task with tight timing and ongoing operations: Biolytix’s move was a challenge that the company successfully mastered thanks to a team of dedicated architects, craftsmen and specialist planners! After nine months of renovation and moving more than 1’000 testing and measuring devices, scales, centrifuges, microscopes and of course numerous pipettes, the laboratory was able to relocate into the new premises in Dittingen in the canton of Basel-Landschaft in the summer of 2023. The experienced specialist for microbiological and molecular biological analyses has thus completed an important stage in the company’s 25-year history. – A step that, according to CEO Marco Ferraro, had become inevitable. “We were at home in Witterswil for many years and grew up there. But in the long term the building was simply too small for the development plans with growing requirements,” reports Ferraro. The new company headquarters in the canton of Basel-Landschaft offers decisive location advantages and, above all, extensive opportunities for the future.
Lots of space with a lot of potential: location advantages in the new canton
25 years after the company was founded, Biolytix has literally outgrown its location in Witterswil. In addition, the former Sandoz building was not structurally flexible enough for the company. The challenges of adapting the premises to Biolytix’s evolving needs were too great, according to management.
The property in Dittingen (BL) was discovered in 2021 while looking for a location with modern and flexible infrastructure. “The potential of the former Novozymes building was immediately clear to us,” says Ferraro. “We were also able to quickly come to an agreement with the sellers.” Nevertheless, it still took a good year before the expansion of the building could begin. The reason: the corona pandemic. As the only speciality laboratory in the area, Biolytix supported all companies and schools in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, all schools in the canton of Basel-Stadt including schools in the canton of Thurgau with Covid tests. “A huge flood of samples that we first had to deal with,” reports the Biolytix CEO.
The renovation and expansion of the building could finally begin from summer 2022 – with a tight schedule: The rental agreement with the former landlord, TZW AG in Witterswil, ended in summer 2023. With the help of an experienced and motivated team of planners and implementers, the 26 employees were able to move into the new location on time in June 2023 “We were welcomed with open arms in the canton and felt welcome from the start,” said Ferraro. The fact that the new location in Basel-Landschaft also offers interesting opportunities from a tax perspective is also an important plus point from an economic perspective.
In Dittingen, Biolytix now has modern headquarters that meet its growing demands. The new building extends over four floors. Of the 1’800 square meters of usable space, 1’200 m2 are currently used for the laboratories. A further 600 square meters are still available and will be rented to industry-related partners in the near future. The building also has a canteen, which will be put into operation in the medium term and also open to neighbors in the Ried industrial area.
Continue to grow: future plans at the new location
Biolytix’s move is not just a change of location, but a strategic decision with clear goals. Above all, the laboratory needed an infrastructure that met its analytical needs and was flexible enough to be able to implement new analytical trends and business ideas in the future. “The requirements for microbiological services are constantly evolving. We want to ensure that Biolytix retains its place at the forefront in the long term,” explains Ferraro. At the new location, the laboratories and facilities could be adapted and expanded accordingly. However, Biolytix’s portfolio will not change for the time being, said the managing director. The priority is to arrive in Dittingen and consolidate the existing strengths. And for the future? – “There are plans to fill the additional reserve areas with new, exciting projects,” reveals Ferraro. Whether these involve new services, research facilities or partnerships remains to be seen. This means that Biolytix’s move is not just a step into a new environment. – Above all, it is a strategic milestone to prepare the company for the future.
