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COMPANY MAGAINE FOR THE PFISTERER COMPANIES IN SWITZERLAND AND SOUTH AFRICA, INCLUDUNG THE CENTER OF COMPETENCE (COC) «OVERHEAD LINES» 02 / DECEMBER 2007 

50th anniversary year 

Customer event 

in the Grand Casino 

Page 1 

Business 

525 kV insulators 

for Uzbekistan 

Page 6 

Business 

Components 

seminars for clients 

Page 7 

Business 

«Make way!» 

f0r WM2010 

Page 8 

Technology 

Insulators on 

the test stand 

Page 10 

People 

PFISTERER IXOSIL under 

new management 

Page 16 

50 years of power 

Hans Wicki 

Managing Director 

50 years in the life of a person is usually regarded 

as the point of transition into a «mature» 

stage in life. Like with a fine wine, it takes time 

for a good bouquet to develop. 

And we were able to celebrate the «full bouquet» 

of PFISTERER SEFAG AG with you, during 

this year that is now coming to a close. 

We took our 50th anniversary as an opportunity 

to look back at the achievements of the 

pioneer generation – our founders, customers, 

employees and companions. So, in this edition 

of «Connect» please allow us one more time to 

indulge in some grateful reminiscences. 

Almost like an anniversary present to the company, 

the 2007 trading year will even surpass 

the preceding year in economic terms. And 

this success is no accident, but is based on the 

corporate culture that has shaped PFISTERER 

SEFAG since its founding: consistent “sticking» 

at the market and thriftiness with resources. 

At the end of 2007, our company is not just 

standing on the threshold of its second halfcentury, 

it’s also facing another «test of maturity»: 

the «biggest PFISTERER SEFAG» of all 

time has reached such a size that responsibility 

must consistently be delegated to the right 

position within the organisation. 

In the past, our employees have fought doggedly 

to keep our company on the road to success. 

I am therefore convinced that you will 

not treat these newly acquired responsibilities 

lightly but do full justice to them in the spirit 

of our decades-old corporate culture. 

With this in mind, I would like to thank you all 

for your valuable contribution to this jubilee 

year, which has been well worthy of celebration, 

and would like to wish you and your families 

a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, 

with the motto: «The best is yet to come!» 

Culmination of PFISTERER SEFAG’s anniversary year in Malters 

Celebrating with customers 

and partners! 

At the beginning of September, PFISTERER SEFAG invited its Swiss 

customers and partners to an event in the Grand Casino, Lucerne as 

part of the company’s 50th anniversary. The programme of events included 

presentations and friendly get-togethers. 

2007 is rapidly coming to a close and that 

also goes for our anniversary year, too. Hans 

Wicki started the anniversary celebrations 

at the Circus Monti in the spring with the 

words «The first celebration in our anniversary 

year definitely belongs to you, our 

fantastic employees!» (see Connect 1/07). 

Between culinary interludes and artistic 

entertainments, the company’s history was 

reviewed and discussions on the future of 

the company were held with the staff, and 

the anniversary was properly celebrated. 

Olympic medal winner Karin Thürig. 

Indulging in reminiscences 

An anniversary usually also includes a reappraisal 

of the company history. That 

means rummaging around in old documents 

and photos, refreshing memories 

by talking to long-serving employees and 

retired employees and so on. The result 

is the anniversary section entitled «50 

years of power» that you received in the 

centre section of last edition of CONNECT. 

It shows how PFISTERER SEFAG has developed 

into a market-leading company in 

Continuation page 2

BUSINESS 

2 / 2007 CONNECT 2 

Walter Bachmann, Director of Sales 

Switzerland. 

Long-standing relationships were renewed. 

Hans Wicki, Managing Director 

PFISTERER SEFAG AG. 

The conference hall in the Grand Casino, Lucerne was very busy. 

Networking was capitalised upon. 

Dr. Konstantin O. Papailiou, CEO 

PFISTERER Holding and Chairman 

of the Board of PFISTERER SEFAG AG 

(CEO PFISTERER SEFAG 1986-2003). 

Applause for the interesting and challenging reports. 

Samuel Ansorge, Managing 

Director PFISTERER SEFAG AG. 

Feedback, an extremely useful part of such conferences. 

ETH Zurich representatives with a trained eye for 

connection technology. 

low-, medium- and high-voltage engineering 

since being founded in 1957. 

A reason to say «thank you» 

Together with employees, it’s our customers’ 

trust in us and our products that has 

made a major contribution to this positive 

development. «The 50th anniversary is a 

reason for us to say ‘thank you’ to you» 

– it was with these words that we invited 

our Swiss customers and partners to the 

Grand Casino, Lucerne for an anniversary 

event on 7 September. The programme of 

events included presentations and friendly 

get-togethers. 

Walter Bachmann, Director of Sales, Switzerland, 

welcomed the guests on the 

stroke of 10 am and masterfully chaired 

the programme of events throughout the 

day. 

A review and a look forwards 

The first part of the event focussed on the 

birthday guest, PFISTERER SEFAG. Hans 

Wicki, Managing Director, gave an insight 

into the current corporate structure. In 

«Why is SEFAG called SEFAG? A review 

and a look forwards» – guests then learnt 

some interesting things from the company’s 

50 year history from Dr. Konstantin 

O. Papailiou, CEO PFISTERER HOLDING AG

3 2 / 2007 CONNECT BUSINESS 

Dr. Markus Dürr, Executive 

Councillor, Lucerne Canton. 

Illustrious guests with close ties to Malters, from left to right: Dr. Jost Baumgärtner, Samuel Ansorge, Dr. Roland Walthert, 

Dorothee Hertweck, Dr. Konstantin O. Papailiou, Karin Thürig, Dr. Markus Dürr, Hans Wicki. 

Dr. Thomas Held, Avenir Suisse. 

Stefan Roth, Axpo Holding. 

Exchange of experience in a relaxed atmosphere. 

Martin Kuhn, Paul Keller 

Ingenieursbüro AG 

PFISTERER SEFAG Products, expertly explained. 

Reminiscing about previous joint projects. 

Ruedi Amrein, Mayor of Malters. 

and SB President of PFISTERER SEFAG. The 

series of presentations was rounded off 

by informative presentations by the four 

divisions on their products and developments. 

Perspectives and incentives 

We continued the series of presentations 

looking jointly at the present energy industry 

and into its future, at Switzerland 

as a business location and at the world of 

sport. What do the energy prospects look 

like in 2020? Putting the Lötschberg Base 

Tunnel into service – what is needed? What 

makes Switzerland attractive as a business 

location? Can success also be managed in 

sport? These and other questions were 

discussed in further papers, by, among 

others, Stefan Roth, Head of Technology 

Management, Axpo Holding, Martin Kuhn, 

Project Manager, Paul Keller Engineering 

Consultants, Dr. Thomas Held, Director of 

Avenir Suisse, and top sportswoman Karin 

Thürig. 

Messages of greeting from the Government 

and Community 

The lectern was also open to guests inbetween 

papers. Executive Councillor Dr. 

Markus Dürr paid us a great honour with

BUSINESS 

2 / 2007 CONNECT 4 

Dr. Frank Schmuck, Head of 

Research & Development, 

CoC Overhead Lines 

Indulging in reminiscences. 

Dr. Thomas Klein, Managing 

Director CoC Cable Systems. 

The comedy group «Flügzüg» lets fly. 

Good use being made of a break 

for discussions. 

Martin Schuster, Managing 

Director CoC Components. 

Rudolf Winter (SEFAG Director 1969-1986) with Hanne 

Arnold (daughter of the first Operations Manager, 

Eberhard Dilger). 

Bertram Fischer, Key Account Manager 

Coc Railway Catenary Systems. 

A Riviera-feeling: aperitifs after the end of the conference. 

Hard at work behind the scenes. 

his message of greeting from the Lucerne 

government. The local authority of Malters 

also passed on its congratulations in 

the person of Mayor, Ruedi Amrein. These 

visits show us that we are a not insignificant 

employer in the region and that we 

therefore have a responsibility. 

The construction of the new production 

hall building for the production of extrahigh 

voltage insulators has strengthened 

our international position as a manufacturer 

of insulators and laid the foundation 

for a sustainable, successful production 

company. This is how we exercise our responsibility 

as a reliable and socially-conscious 

employer. 

Let’s raise our glasses 

There was, of course, also enough time 

for personal meetings and conversations 

between and after the blocks of presentations. 

The lectures officially came to a close 

at 3 p.m. and the social side began. Aperitifs 

were served in the garden on the 

lake promenade in glorious sunshine, followed 

by a fine dinner in the wonderfully 

decorated Panorama Room. Things flew 

through the air between the main course 

and the dessert, when Walter Bachmann 

announced the show act – Flügzüg, the 

slowest jugglers in the world. 

The evening came to a close with cosy 

get-togethers – with one or two customers 

telling funny stories from earlier days. 

All in all: a completely successful occasion 

all round, as has been confirmed to us by 

the great deal of positive feedback! At the 

end of the year we will be publishing an 

anniversary volume as a reminder of this 

occasion. 

Vreni Schmed


CoC Overhead Lines: Seminar for SEC, Saudi Arabia 

Aeolian vibrations on 

high-voltage cables 

PFISTERER International 

New Representative Office 

in Singapore 

The PFISTERER Group continues 

to grow for its customers. 

It’s had a new presence in Singapore 

since the middle of the 

year, with its own sales office. 

PFISTERER INTERNA- 

TIONAL opened a 

representative office 

in Singapore on 1 

May 2007. It is run by 

Walter Wyler, who 

has been living in Singapore 

for some years and is extremely 

familiar with social and economic conditions 

in South-East Asia. 

This new sales office deals with Australia, 

Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, 

Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oceania 

(Pacific Islands), Singapore, Thailand 

and Vietnam. And in order to get 

quicker and better results in sometimes 

difficult markets, it’s working with selected 

agents in some countries. 

The opening of this representative office 

in Singapore brings PFISTERER much 

nearer to the market. Customers in nearby 

time zones can be better looked after 

than was previously the case from Europe, 

where there were time differences 

of between 6 and 11 hours, depending 

on summer/winter time. The Asian and 

especially South-East Asian market with 

over 540 million inhabitants represents 

great potential. PFISTERER wants the 

entire holding and all product areas to 

benefit from this potential and to increasingly 

participate in this market in 

the future. 

Vreni Schmed 

PFISTERER SEFAG held a seminar on vibrations on high-voltage cables 

exclusively for the Saudi Electric Company (SEC) in May. Around 30 

technical engineers and experts from various SEC offices all over Saudi 

Arabia attended this seminar with great interest. 

The speakers at the seminar were Umberto 

Cosmai , long-standing expert and 

external consultant in the area of aeolian 

vibrations on high-voltage cables, and 

Sergio Thaddey, R&D CoC Overhead Lines. 

The objective of the seminar was to impart 

knowledge about the aeolian movements 

of conductor cables in long-distance 

transmission lines and their impact 

on the line fittings. Besides the theoretical 

part, PFISTERER SEFAG AG organised 

an installation of the VR400 vibration 

recorder. After a short measuring period, 

the measurement data was successfully 

analysed and discussed. At the same time, 

participants also asked questions about 

critical practical issues, which the speakers 

were able to answer competently due 

to their many years of experience. At the 

end of the seminar, each participant was 

able to take away the seminar content 

on a PFISTERER USB stick, together with a 

signed diploma. 

PFISTERER SEFAG AG hopes that with further 

seminars like this they can accompany 

their customers on their path to a 

successful future. 

Sergio Thaddey 

Saudi engineers intently following Umberto Cosmai’s talk on the principles of the theory of vibrations on high-voltage 

cables. 

Group photo after the presentation of diplomas.

BUSINESS 

2 / 2007 CONNECT 6 

CoC Overhead Lines (OHL): Premiere in Central Asia 

525 kV SILCOSIL insulators 

for Uzbekistan 

CoC Overhead Lines (OHL): 

Improved security of the energy supply 

in the land of Everest 

132 kV for Nepal 

Are you planning to climb Mount 

Everest on your next holiday? If 

so, when on your tour, in spite of 

all the exertions and the excess 

of nature‘s charms before you, 

you should also pay attention to 

the high voltage overhead lines. 

Present at the signing of the contract; from left to right. Dr. Gerold Malin, Bela Varga, the representatives of Elektrtarmoqqurilish 

– Mirgaliev Makhmud Masgutovich (General Manager), Nurkhanov Sharof Khasanovich (owner of 

the company) – Dr. Konstantin O. Papailiou, Wolfgang Huiber. 

With the signing of the contract 

for delivery of over 4,200 units of 

525 kV long rod insulators to the 

Uzbek company of ELEKTRTAR- 

MOQQURILISH, PFISTERER SEFAG 

AG has for the first time managed 

to secure an order in the Central 

Asian country of Uzbekistan. 

The SILCOSIL insulators, which are being 

delivered for the “New Angren Thermal 

Power Plant”, will become an integral 

Interesting Facts about Uzbekistan 

part of the country’s electricity supply. 

The contract was signed in Malters on 6 

September. The first insulators were already 

delivered at the end of October. 

Deliveries will be completed by February 

2008. 

ELEKTRTARMOQQURILISH is a well-known 

construction company in Uzbekistan, 

which has already constructed 30,000 

km of overhead lines in the region of the 

former Soviet Union. 

Wolfgang Huiber 

Geographical Location: Central Asia 

Capital: Tashkent (2 million inhabitants) 

Area: 447,400 km 2 

Population: 26.5 million inhabitants (73.7% Uzbeks, 

5.5% Russians, 5.1% Tajiks, 4.2% Kazakhs, etc.) 

Religion: 88% Muslim, 9% Russian Orthodox 

Form of Government: Republic 

Infrastructure: Transport is dominated by the railway. 

Uzbekistan has a railway system covering 3,950 

km. Tashkent has the only underground railway in 

Central Asia (39 km in length). 

Economy: Uzbekistan is one of the world’s largest 

exporters of cotton. 80% of the agricultural area is 

used for cultivating cotton. Natural gas, oil, gold, 

silver, copper, lead, wolfram, coal and uranium are 

also mined. 

Geographical Zones: A major part of the country is desert. The Aral Sea is beginning to dry up because 

its feeder rivers are being used too much for artificial irrigation. 

Special features: 

The Silk Road (trade route) from China to Europe passed through Uzbekistan in antiquity. 

Uzbekistan and Lichtenstein are the only land-locked countries in the world to be in turn surrounded 

by land-locked countries. 

Switzerland has represented the five Central Asian states of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, 

Tajikistan and Azerbaijan at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank since 1992. 

These five countries are therefore also called «Helvetistan». 

The NEA (Nepalese electricity supplier) 

has awarded the order for the construction 

of a 132 kV high voltage overhead 

line to the German construction company, 

SAG. SILCOSIL insulators and set 

fittings, plus cable vibration dampers 

and fibre-optic cable fittings from PFIS- 

TERER SEFAG are being installed in this 

overhead line. This project should further 

improve the security of the energy 

supply in Nepal. There are, however, 

definitely no plans for this overhead 

line to supply the energy to a cable car 

on Mount Everest, because this summit 

should continue to remain a challenge 

to adventurers like us. Even if it’s only in 

our wildest dreams.... A wise Nepalese 

saying states: «He who finds nothing too 

difficult will succeed in everything». This 

should also be a motto for CoC OHL. 

Wolfgang Huiber


Despite a new 132 kv overhead line in Nepal – you’ll still 

have to get up Mount Everest on foot. 

Interesting Facts about Nepal 

CoC Components 

Full contact with PFISTERER: 

workshops by and for professionals 

In 2006, Pfisterer invited manufacturers and energy suppliers to a 

Contact Technology Workshop for the first time. In 2007, a Safety 

Engineering Workshop was added to the seminar series. Swiss 

customers are also warmly welcomed at these seminars. 

Geographical Location: Central Asia 

Capital: Kathmandu 

Area: 147.181 km 2 

Population: 28.3 million Nepalis (approx. 54% 

illiteracy, over 100 different ethnic groups with 

over 70 languages and dialects). 

Religion: 80% Hindus. (Hindu caste system) 

Average Income: 18 Euros/month (approx. 30 

CHF) 

Form of Government: Parliamentary monarchy 

Economy: 80% of the population works in 

agriculture,17% in industry and 3% in the service 

industry. 80% of export goods are agricultural 

products. 

Special Features: 

At 8,848m, Mount Everest is the highest 

mountain on earth. Eight of the ten highest 

mountains on earth are in NEPAL and are part of 

the Himalayas. 

According to tradition, Buddha (Siddharta 

Gautama) was born in Nepal in 563 B.C. He 

was of noble blood. At the age of 29 he realised 

that wealth and luxury was no guarantee for 

happiness and went in search of the true nature 

of human happiness and started on his path to 

«enlightenment». 

The PFISTERER seminars are very much in 

demand in the energy industry. Thus, on 

the 23rd October instead of the expected 

25 people, no less than 39 travelled to the 

4th Contact Technology Workshop – all of 

them specialists in their field, from technicians 

to commercial decision makers at 

various energy suppliers and public utility 

companies, including several well-known 

faces returning to further their knowledge. 

The first step …. is always the cable 

Just as sophisticated technology is firmly 

grounded in well-founded know-how, so 

the Contact Technology Workshop starts 

off with basic knowledge of the cable itself. 

An introduction to all common types 

of low- and medium-voltage cables is followed 

by insights into tapping technology. 

Theory is then put into practice on 

the Gussenstadt assembly line. Here, the 

unique shearing nut of the ISICOMPACT 

tap connector can be experienced live in 

your own hands, as well as the gentle and 

hardly noticeable shearing of the stepless 

breakaway bolt of the SICON cable joining 

and tapping system. The field tests that 

follow in the Winterbach test laboratory 

demonstrate the load-carrying capacity 

of the products, for example, in the salt 

spray test that simulates the conditions 

for contact ageing. 

Live? But safe! 

No less demanding is the programme in 

the Safety Engineering Workshop, which 

took place for the first time in Gussenstadt 

this year. For the safety experts taking 

part, all of the relevant topics are on 

the agenda: work safety requirements, 

procedures for live working and the manufacturing 

of earthing and short circuit 

fittings. For practical demonstrations we 

return to the test laboratory where cables 

in short-circuit tests are brought to a 

smoulder, live high-voltage cables are assembled 

and capacitive voltage detectors 

are shown being employed. 

Open doors and direct exchange 

PFISTERER makes no secret of the manufacturing 

of its successful products. During 

the visit to the Gussenstadt factory, 

participants in both workshops can judge 

for themselves the amount of development 

work and testing time spent on the 

products. The exchange of practical experiences 

is likewise an important feature of 

the workshops. Our Swiss customers are 

also warmly invited to these seminars. 

Jörg Fries 

Workshops 2008 

5 th Contact Technolgy Workshop 

6 th to 8 th May 2008 

2 nd Safety Engineering Workshop 

24 th to 26 th June 2008 

6 th Contact Technolgy Workshop 

21 st to 23 rd October 2008 

Any questions and workshop registration 

will gladly be dealt with by Jörg 

Fries, Director Business Unit CoC 

Components Malters, joerg.fries@ 

sefag.ch, Tel 041 499 74 18.

BUSINESS 

2 / 2007 CONNECT 8 

CoC Overhead Lines / PFISTERER (Pty) Ltd. 

132 kV for a new mine in the 

Australian hinterland 

CoC Overhead Lines / PFISTERER (Pty) Ltd. supplies insulators for the Gautrain 

«Make way!» for the Football 

World Cup in South Africa 

The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link is a state-of-the-art rail network planned 

in the province of Gauteng. It comprises two links, namely: a link between 

the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria and a link between 

Sandton and O R Tambo International Airport. The 22 billion rand 

project is well underway with expected completion in time for the 

2010 Soccer World Cup. 

PFISTERER (Pty) Ltd., Pietermaritzburg, 

is proud to have won our 

first significant 132 kV order into 

Australia. The project is required 

for a mining concern 1,000 km 

north of Adelaide. It includes the 

development of infrastructure 

and electricity supply for the 

new mine. 

After many months of hard work, PFIS- 

TERER (Pty) Ltd. Pietermaritzburg was 

recently awarded the contract to supply 

the composite insulators for the 25kV AC 

overhead catenary distribution system. A 

total of 11,000 insulators will be supplied 

between October 2007 and February 

2008. The range consists of seven insulators, 

both long rods and posts, of which 

six are entirely new designs. 

Although various people have been involved 

along the way, PFISTERER engineer, 

Sean Corcoran, played a leading role in 

this project and was instrumental in the 

design process, working closely with the 

customer to come up with the final range 

of insulators. Area Sales Manager, Errol 

Loder, was the primary interface with the 

customer and played a vital role in maintaining 

the flow of communication between 

the two teams of engineers. 

PFISTERER is very proud to be associated 

with this prestigious project, which will 

provide a strong reference for us in future 

projects associated with both local and international 

rail networks. 

Doug Brooks 

The route has particularly harsh climatic 

conditions and thus is well suited for our 

products, which have been designed to 

withstand these conditions. The products 

supplied include both the 132 kV long rod 

and post insulators. 

The insulators were produced in the factory 

on the newly commissioned single 

shot Desma machine. The products were 

packaged and left South Africa on time as 

required by the customer. 

The future of this product range into the 

Australasian markets is promising, as this 

project will serve as a flagship in these 

markets. 

Dave Muller 

Proud employees, working for the Gautrain order.. 

Professional success at PFISTERER (Pty) Ltd. 

The above learners have successfully fulfilled the 

requirements for the qualification «National certificate 

– Mechanical Engineering Level 2», Left to right: Shade 

Phillips, Sihle Mtshali, Nokuphiwa Ngidi, Siyabonga 

Sithole and Maxwell Nkabinde. 

Sean Corcoran played an important role in this project. 

Pfisterer South Africa is part of a Tooling Learnership 

and as members of TASA (Tooling Association 

of South Africa) we pioneered an new Learnership 

in Pietermaritzburg which was one of the first in 

the country and the comprised of biggest group 

in South Africa. All our students passed and Shade 

Philips was the top student in the class. 

We are repeating the Learnership again in 2008 

and will continue with these students to the next 

level and enrol another 4 for next year. Our aim is to 

reduce the shortage of artisans in South Africa by 

playing a part in training new ones. 

Stafford Kirby


CoC Overhead Lines: PFISTERER (Pty) Ltd. 

Double capacity for «Spacer Dampers» 

PFISTERER South Africa recently 

expanded its aluminium foundry 

by an additional melting furnace 

and six new casting machines. 

The expansion is in order to cope 

with the increased demand for 

its Spacer Damper orders. 

The casting department now covers an 

area of about 792 m 2 , while the fettling 

and assembly department cover an area 

of about 620 m2. Previously, the entire 

foundry (casting and fettling) covered 

an area of about 640 m 2 . An extensive 

tooling programme has also been undertaken 

in order to facilitate the increased 

capacity. 

Stafford Kirby 

The melting capacity has increased by 158 

tons per month with the addition of a 250 

kW melting furnace. This will allow for a 

melting capacity of about 285 tons per 

month. Along with the additional melting 

furnace, a further 6 casting machines have 

been added, bringing the total number of 

casting machines to 17. 

The massively expanded aluminium foundry at PFISTERER (Pty) Ltd., Pietermaritzburg 

PFISTERER International 

The Sales Organisation of the PFISTERER Group 

PFISTERER INTERNATIONAL AG 

is the sales organisation of the 

PFISTERER Group for Africa, South 

America, the Middle East, the Far 

East and China. 

PFISTERER INTERNATIONAL is the contact 

organisation for customers in the countries 

where PFISTERER is not represented 

with its own unit. The experienced team 

is in the best position to adapt to the individual 

and country-specific requirements 

and establish the right contacts for customers 

within the PFISTERER Group. 

The PFISTERER INTERNATIONAL Meeting 

is held twice a year – in May and in September 

– at the company headquarters in 

Malters. The main topics appearing on the 

From all over the world, front row, from left to right: Hans Wicki, Maximilian Hrusa, Dr. Konstantin O. Papailiou, Eduardo 

Santana, José Carlos Tayeb Pérez, back row from left to right: Jan Kuhlefelt, Manfred Peter, Thomas Stirnimann, 

Garth Smith, Walter Wyler. Jürgen Ziebarth is not in the picture. 

agenda of this meeting are the creation of 

cost and turnover forecasts and the planning 

of sales activities in all four divisions 

for the countries which are looked after by 

PFISTERER INTERNATIONAL. The budget 

objectives for the costs and turnovers are 

also established during the autumn meeting. 

There is always enough time for bilateral 

talks at the PFISTERER SEFAG offices 

between the official items on the agenda. 

The long days of meetings are rounded 

off with a social event in the evening. Due 

to the fact that the participants are from 

all over the world, the programme usually 

consists of something typically Swiss such 

as, for example, a fondue meal or a trip 

into the mountains, etc. 

This year Eduardo Santana, Regional Sales 

Manager for South America, and Walter 

Wyler, Representative in Singapore, took 

part in the meetings for the first time. We 

would like to welcome both gentlemen 

into the PFISTERER Group and wish them 

every success in dealing with their market 

areas. 

Vreni Schmed

TECHNOLOGY 

2 / 2007 CONNECT 10 

Additional testing opportunities for the evaluation of erosion stability and hydrophoby of insulation materials and insulators 

New testing methods 

Composite insulators pass through various stages from their development to production, delivery and 

installation and right up to their operation. The objective during the development stage is to verify, in line 

with the product qualification, that the products are suitable for use under outdoor conditions, i.e. for 

simultaneous environmental exposure and electrical stress. 

Fig. 4: Continuous current and voltage metering during 

the test. 

Fig.1: Fog test chamber in Altdorf, PFISTERER IXOSIL. 

The product qualification is geared to existing 

IEC standards, which have attained 

a high level of maturity due to many years 

of experience. An important property to 

be verified is the so-called tracking or erosion 

resistance. This is evaluated on both 

complete insulators in so-called accelerating 

aging tests (fig. 1) and as a material 

property in advance on simple plateshaped 

test pieces (fig. 2). 

Fig. 2: Erosion and hydrophoby tester in Malters, 

PFISTERER SEFAG. 

Fig. 3: Measuring hydrophoby, research project in CIGRE 

D1.14. 

As shown in fig. 2, an automatic testing 

system was installed in Malters last 

spring, the additional features of which 

were directly derived from the current 

themes of the CIGRE working group 

D1.14. The outstanding properties of 

hydrophoby can also be evaluated (fig. 

3) together with the measurement for 

tracking and erosion resistance in accordance 

with the standards IEC 60587 

and ASTM D2303. The device is unique 

in terms of equipment and enables both 

routine measurements for the testing of 

incoming goods and tests for material 

developments. 

The testing of tracking and erosion resistance 

in accordance with the standard 

ends with the simple statement as to 

whether the test pieces are still intact after 

a testing period of 6 hours, i.e. whether, 

for example, a leakage current threshold 

of 60 mA is not exceeded or the test 

piece has not been generally destroyed by 

erosion. Further indicators are desirable 

especially for tests of material development 

in order to ensure that the device 

has been fitted with a continuous current 

and voltage metering (fig. 4). The following 

criteria are available for evaluation of 

the test pieces: 

erosive mass loss, determined 

by weighing 

added effective value of leakage 

current during the test 

visual evaluation of erosion phenomena 

While the product qualification is described 

in the standards with clear goals 

in mind (fig. 5), the utilities often ask 

questions regarding the quality of the delivered 

products or the authority of the 

test certificates provided during the tender 

stage. The product standards (e.g. IEC 

61109 for composite long rod insulators) 

have not yet covered this topic up to now. 

PFISTERER SEFAG has taken a look at this 

issue and come up with a solution: 

The insulation sheath can be removed 

from the rod (fig. 6) in the delivery batch 

of existing insulators. This results in test 

pieces, which can be clamped into the existing 

test piece holder (fig. 7). 

In comparison to the plate-shaped test 

pieces (fig. 2), this results in a smaller 

rectangular area; as a consequence, dis-

11 2 / 2007 CONNECT TECHNOLOGY / PEOPLE 

Raphael Amrein, Production Components 

Concentrated 4-stroke power 

Development phase 

Product qualification 

Delivery phase 

Type test/ Design test 

Delivery Quality = certification? 

Certification according 

to various IEC Standards 

Prove, for example in offering 

phase or for admission 

Fig. 5: Contribution of IEC standards for product quality. 

No requirement 

in IEC Standards 

Additions necessary 

When motorcyclists thunder 

along the track and their bikes do 

spectacular brake drifts before 

the bends, then it’s got to be a super 

moto they’re riding. Raphael 

Amrein, who has been a member 

of the Components division production 

staff since the beginning 

of 2007, competes in this sport. 

Supermoto comes from America and has 

also taken Switzerland by storm over the 

past few years. Daredevil riders race their 

bikes on fenced-off asphalt and dirt racing 

circuits, with the public up close. 

Fig. 6: Removed insulation sheath. 

Fig. 7:Passed examination on an «insulation test piece». 

charges will stabilise in concentrated areas. 

Under these conditions, the test is 

more severe as the standard material test. 

But the previous results have shown that 

high-quality materials also pass the modified 

examination (fig. 7). 

Further experiments will be carried out 

with various insulators in order to gain 

more experience and to provide statistical 

backup for a possible suggestion for 

standardisation in IEC. PFISTERER SEFAG 

also offers this tests as a service for power 

supply companies. 

Dr. Frank Schmuck 

Fast and challenging 

Raphael Amrein (22) 

grew up in motor sportmad 

circles in Malters. 

So it’s no wonder that 

he started off racing on 

two wheels. The scooter 

championship on modified 50ccm 

bikes was followed by a year’s training 

during Recruits School on the 125ccm 

class bike, before starting off properly 

at competitive sporting events in the 

250 ccm class in 2006 where realised 

the places 11 and 19. 

Besides the need for a great deal of discipline 

and training, the financial outlay 

is also considerable. That’s why in 2007 

Raphael created «Team Green» with four 

other riders. This first Kawasaki team in 

the sport of supermoto is markets itself 

professionally and is able to count on 

the support of both PFISTERER SEFAG 

and the«Speedy Gonzalez Fan Club Malters».

PEOPLE 

2 / 2007 CONNECT 12 

Employees of the Year 2006 

Excellent performances are honoured 

Our employees are the linchpin of our entrepreneurial success. Welltrained, 

reliable and motivated employees who are looking for and 

assume responsibility are our capital. We are proud to present the 

«Employees of the Year 2006» below. 

Thomas Birrer completed his apprenticeship 

as a design 

engineer 

at PFISTERER 

SEFAG AG from 

2000 to 2004. 

He has been 

working as a design 

engineer in 

the CoC Overhead 

Lines area 

since successfully completing his apprenticeship 

and has worked intensively on the 

ACIM project over the past year. He has understood 

how to combine the design and 

construction of the system in optimum 

personal union. He viewed the problems 

that arose as a challenge and used creative 

solutions to deal with them. Through his 

great commitment, which went beyond 

what is normal, he has significantly influenced 

the success of this project. We are 

able to take a huge step forward in the 

area of high-voltage insulators with the 

successful introduction of ACIM. Specialist 

knowledge and the dedicated ability to 

think for himself distinguish Thomas Birrer 

as a valuable employee. 

Kurt Koch joined the company in December 

1977 

and has been 

working in the 

AVOR area for 

many years. He 

took on sole 

responsibility 

for AVOR Components 

when 

the Silicone 

and Components areas were divided. 

As a member of the «ProCom» project 

committee he has, with his well-founded 

knowledge of the internal processes, 

significantly contributed to creating an 

authorised study as to how Component 

Production can become more efficient. 

Despite the great pressure of day-to-day 

business, he constantly maintains an 

overview and a sense of what’s important, 

coordinates deadlines in a customer-friendly 

manner, questions existing 

processes and makes appropriate suggestions 

for improvement. Kurt Koch has 

become an important mainstay within 

the team and with his hard work, daily 

motivation and the way he thinks and 

works cross-departmentally, he is a role 

model for everyone. 

Manuel Luis Marcelo started working as 

a production 

employee in 

the CoC Overhead 

Lines area 

at PFISTERER 

SEFAG AG in 

May 2002. His 

technical and 

organisational 

talent was soon 

noticed. He can now be deployed on practically 

all machines in the department and 

is able not just to operate but to set and 

reset these machines. He is always open 

to new ideas without neglecting the tried 

and tested. With his willingness to carry 

out shift work and overtime, he is a role 

model for fellow employees. His friendly 

and open manner means he is greatly valued 

by all. 

Erwin Steinmann started working as an 

accountant at 

the former SEF- 

AG Export AG 

in January 2002 

and moved to 

PFISTERER IX- 

OSIL AG on 1 

January 2006 

in the course of 

the restructuring. 

Over the past year, Erwin Steinmann 

has been a particularly great help to the 

Services Area Manager, because two employees 

in the Accounts Department have 

left the group and a new employee had to 

learn the job. Erwin Steinmann has very 

competently dealt with the increased work 

that resulted from the changeover. Additionally 

during this period he was always 

able to competently provide information 

on the accounting procedures of the three 

Swiss PFISTERER companies, for which the 

accounting is done at the Malters headquarters. 

His specialist knowledge, his always 

friendly and helpful nature and his 

real motivation distinguish him as a valuable 

model employee. 

PFISTERER SEFAG wants to honour outstanding 

performances by employees. 

Every year the supervisors propose an 

employee in their area for the nomination 

of Employee of the Year, who are all honoured 

at the employee information event 

in June. 

The four people honoured here received 

a voucher for a wellness weekend for two 

from the management. We would like to 

pass on our heartfelt congratulations on 

your outstanding performances and wish 

you continued success and every satisfaction 

in our ranks. 

Vreni Schmed

13 2 / 2007 CONNECT PEOPLE 

Activities in Malters 

Three teams fight for the cup 

PFISTERER SEFAG I – standing from left to right: René 

Reber, René Knupp, Heinz Fähndrich, Thomas Bachmann; 

kneeling: Michael Mathis, Thomas Birrer, Paul 

Schumacher. 

FC Malters held its traditional 

company football tournament in 

the middle of June again, as is the 

case every year. And this year the 

Swiss PFISTERER companies fought 

for the cup with three teams. The 

first games had to be decided by 

means of penalty shootouts due 

to the heavy rain at the beginning 

of the tournament. 

PFISTERER SEFAG II – standing from left to right: 

Raphael Andres, Vladko Svjetlica, Jaton Nikolaj, Ruedi 

Albisser; kneeling: Raphael Amrein, Martin Wicki, 

Thomas Stadelmann. 

Despite a battling attempt PFISTERER 

SEFAG II and PFISTERER IXOSIL failed to 

make it into the final round ending up in 

21st and 13th place respectively. PFISTERER 

SEFAG I qualified for the final round with 

two wins and two draws and then went 

on to notch up two wins and one defeat. 

They easily won 3rd-4th place play-off 

against the Hug Kickers 3-0. We would like 

PFISTERER IXOSIL - standing from left to right: Bruno Arnold, 

Bruno Schnider, Michel Barbaro; kneeling: Fabrizio 

Ferruzzi, Valon Murseli, Lepomir Vuckovic. 

to congratulate the Team I on their excellent 

3rd place! 

Well done to all three teams for their hard 

work and excellent performances. We are 

looking forward to next year’s company 

tournament! 

Vreni Schmed 

Autumn = Alpine macaroni time 

There’s been a 15th staff outing 

for the popular tradition of eating 

Alpine macaroni. An impressive 

number of employees met 

up for this event on 12 October. 

– many thanks. This relaxed occasion is 

highly appreciated by the staff as a contrast 

to their daily working environment. 

It was, of course, rounded off with a great 

cup of «alpine coffee». 

Dani Wyss 

Then we travelled to the nearby Stäfeli 

area on Mount Pilatus. After a short hike 

we reached the «Chuedräck» in Stäfeli. 

The aperitif break had been pre-booked 

with the Isenschmid family. 

Relaxed hours at the Stäfeli restaurant 

For the second stopover, for the first time 

we had reserved the Stäfeli alpine restaurant, 

which is run by Judith Vogel and 

Urs Buob. We enjoyed Alpine macaroni 

with puréed apple in the rustic, timbered 

restaurant. The following dessert buffet 

was once again sponsored by Therry Wild 

A friendly get-together around the table in Stäfeli.

PEOPLE 

2 / 2007 CONNECT 14 

Involvement in cultural sponsoring 

PFISTERER SEFAG supports the 

Lucerne Symphony Orchestra 

We have been involved in sponsoring for several years now. Including, 

among other things, cultural sponsoring. And we have been co-sponsor 

of the Lucerne symphony orchestra since 2004. 

Concert hall in the KKL Lucerne – known the world over for its top-class acoustics 

Sponsoring has becoming increasingly important 

as a form of mainly external communication. 

In an age in which products 

and services from various providers are 

becoming increasingly similar, the corporate 

responsibility of a company increasingly 

plays a part in its image building. 

That’s why sponsoring is an important 

instrument of communication for PFIS- 

TERER SEFAG. Our dedication to sponsoring 

contributes significantly to presenting 

the company as an attractive employer in 

the region of Central Switzerland and as 

a competent partner for a secure power 

supply in an innovative and cosmopolitan 

environment. The spiritual, economic and 

social contents of the sponsoring projects 

should correspond with the corporate culture 

of PFISTERER SEFAG. With sponsoring 

we support selected partners in the areas 

of sport, culture and the social sector in 

the region of Central Switzerland. 

Special cultural experiences for our employees 

Both far-reaching regard from a large audience 

and the quality of the event are at 

the fore of our cultural involvement. We 

want to offer our employees special cultural 

experiences and at the same time 

strengthen our image as a company that 

recognises its social responsibility. 

That’s why we have been supporting the 

Lucerne symphony orchestra as co-sponsor 

since 2004. We offer the free tickets 

available to us as a part of this sponsoring 

agreement to interested employees as a 

little thank you for their commitment and 

dedication to the company. The tickets are 

handed out according to the policy “first 

come, first served” and are always extremely 

popular. A visit to a concert by the 

Lucerne symphony orchestra in the KKL 

Lucerne means that you are guaranteed 

an unforgettable musical experience. 

Vreni Schmed 

For the second time: apprenticeship 

course in Malters 

An apprentice course was organised 

in Malters last year for the first time 

in order to let teenagers get a glimpse 

into various professions. This tour was 

planned by a working group of the Youth 

Commission with representatives of 

the entrepreneurs’ association, the UVI, 

the Malters-Schwarzenberg-Schachen 

chamber of commerce and the schools 

in Malters. 

Due to the positive experience and 

feedback, this apprenticeship course 

was held again this year in September. 

Learners were in turn able to select from 

five professional blocks, each comprising 

three professions, which were presented 

by various companies from Malters. In 

the morning there was a practical insight 

and in the afternoon participants 

learned more about the selection of apprentices 

from the apprentice supervisors. 

Young people are our future! In order to 

stay successful, we need well-trained 

employees who assume responsibility. 

With our range of apprenticeships 

in commercial and technical areas, we 

are actively contributing to the excellent 

training of these teenagers and 

are therefore investing in the future. If 

you feel comfortable in your workplace, 

you’ll be motivated and that’s why your 

choice of career is an important process. 

We are happy to support teenagers in 

choosing their career and that’s why we 

took part in the apprenticeship course 

again this year. We look forward to many 

motivated apprentices and employees in 

the future. 

Current apprentices, from left to right: Andrea 

Hofstettter (commercial training), David Bitzi (design 

engineer), Marco Zemp, (poly-mechanic).

15 2 / 2007 CONNECT PEOPLE 

New Faces 

PFISTERER SEFAG AG 

Raphael Andres 

Production Components 

Employee 

Date of joining 01.05.2007 

Alex Bernet 

Business Services 

IT Support 


Josef Bühler 

Production Insulators 

Employee 


Werner Huwyler 


Employee 


Beat Kneubühler 


Head of department 


Niklaus Ottiger 

Produktion Isolatoren 

Produktionsmitarbeiter 


Stefan Ringwald 

Produktion Support 

Polymechanic 


Eric Roelli 

Production Components 

Head of department 


Markus Süess 


Employee 


Martin von Büren 


Employee 



PFISTERER IXOSIL AG 

Markus Wehrli 

Sales Office Components 

Technical Customer Adviser 


Albericci Manuela 

Product Management 

Systems 

Assistent 


Mario Christen 

Production 

Employee 


Daniel Frank 

Business Services 

Buchhalter 


René Gnos 


Systems 

Project Manager 


Bruno Müller 

Development & Technology 

Design Engineer 


Alfons Reichegger 

Installation 

Fitter 


Peter Stahl 


Systems 

Head Product Management 


Sandra Walker 

Production 

Employee 


Sadettin Yalcinkaya 

Production 

Employee 


PFISTERER INTERNATIONAL AG 

We would like to offer a warm welcome to our 

new colleagues. We wish each one of them all 

the best and every succes for the future in their 

personal and business lives. 

Eduardo Santana 

Sales International 

Regional Sales Manager 

South America 


Walter Wyler 

Sales International 

Representative Singapur 

Date of joining 01.05.2007

PEOPLE 

2 / 2007 CONNECT 16 

Service anniversaries 

Happy Birthday 

Marriages 

30 years 

Werner Albisser 

PFISTERER SEFAG AG (02.11.) 

Kurt Koch 


Walter Koch 


20 years 

Wolfgang Huiber 


15 years 

60 th birthday 

Walter Bachmann 


Werner Müller 


Anton Schwegler 


Franz Thalmann 


Paul Zgraggen 

PFISTERER IXOSIL AG (02.10.) 

René Zürcher 


Eduardo Santana, PFISTERER 

INTERNATIONAL AG, and 

Sabrina Malnati 

Samuel Ansorge and Christine 

Kunz, PFISTERER SEFAG AG 

We would like to congratulate 

both newlywed couples and 

wish them all the best for their 

new life together! 

Heinz Fähndrich 


Hansruedi Gassmann 


Peter Unternährer 


Paul Zgraggen 


10 years 

Stephan Meier 


Mira Milic 


Werner Müller 


René Reber 



Marianne Tanner 


Walter Wyler 

PFISTERER INTERNATIONAL 

AG (01.10.) 


Ruedi Felder 


Markus Meier 


Agenda 

June 2008 

Staff-event 

Inter-company football 

competition, Malters 

Terms, fairs, trainings and 

conferences: 

www.pfisterer.com 

A real «PFISTERER» wedding has rarity value: Sämi and Christine 

Ansorge-Kunz on September 21, surrounded by their PFISTERER colleagues 

from Malters. 

New Arrivals 

Doris Bachmann-Amrein, 

Logistic Department, welcomed 

her second daughter, 

Simona Astrid, into the world 

on 30 August. We would like 

to congratulate the proud 

parents and Simona Astrid’s 

«big» sister and wish the 

Bachmann family all the best! 

Well done 

PFISTERER (Pty) Ltd., 

Pietermaritzburg, 

Somalan Pillay 

Employed in 2000 as 

an Assembler in the 

cut out department. 

In 2003 recruited as 

an Apprentice tool jig 

and die maker. On the 4th year 

of his contract he successfully 

achieved his qualification with a 

92 % pass. Congratulations! 

PFISTERER IXOSIL AG under new management 

Heinz Schneebeli is to go into well-earned retirement 

at the end of 2007. He entered the cable business 

at IXOSIL in 1979, was Quality Manager for several 

years and then Manager of Sales, Switzerland 

before becoming Managing Director on 1.1.2006. 

We would like to thank Heinz Schneebeli for his 

great dedication and commitment over the years. 

We wish him all the best for this new carefree stage 

in his life and many years of health and happiness 

to enjoy all the best things in life to the full. 

After nearly 30 years of successful 

work is Heinz Schneebeli 

to go into retirement. 

Erich Jochberg, new Managing 

Director PFISTERER IXOSIL AG 

from 1.1.2008. 

His successor as the managing director of 

PFISTERER IXOSIL AG will be Erich Jochberg. Erich Jochberg 

entered the company as the Head of Design 

& Development on 1 September 2006. He will continue 

to carry out this function alongside his new 

duty, which he will assume immediately. Over the 

next few weeks, Mr Schneebeli will be helping him 

to get to grips with his new areas of responsibility. 

Peter Stahl has been employed as the 

new Head of Product Management 

from the middle of October 2007. In 

this position he is responsible for all 

domestic and foreign sales. 

We wish Erich Jochberg and Peter Stahl every success 

and satisfaction in their new positions. 

Dr. Thomas Klein 

Impressum 

Connect 

Company magazine of the 

PFISTERER companies in 

Switzerland and South Africa 

and of the group division (CoC) 

Overhead Lines 

15th year of publication – No.2/07 

– published twice a year 

Circulation: 1500 copies each in 

German and English 

Coordination: 

Vreni Schmed 


Corporate Marketing 

Werkstrasse 7 

CH-6102 Malters 

Tel. ++41 41 499 72 51 

Fax ++41 41 499 74 26 

E-mail: vreni.schmed@sefag.ch 

Editorial/Layout: www.amk.ch 

Printed by: Engelberger Druck AG 

Last date for copys 1/08: 

14. April 2008

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