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Interview with Councilor Ernst Stocker | <strong>50</strong> <strong>Year</strong>s of R&M | 2014<br />
31<br />
0<strong>50</strong>.5935<br />
Ernst Stocker, councilor and Head<br />
of the Department of Economic Affairs<br />
of the Canton of Zurich<br />
“It makes me proud to see a<br />
local company like R&M<br />
supply cutting-edge technology<br />
all over the world.”<br />
Ernst Stocker, councilor and Head of the Department of Economic Affairs<br />
of the Canton of Zurich, talks about R&M's significance for the canton.<br />
Interview: Erica Monti, PR Manager<br />
Mr. Stocker, what’s the first thing<br />
that springs to mind when you think<br />
of R&M?<br />
Its local roots in the Zurich Oberland<br />
region. “As Head of the Department<br />
of Economic Affairs, it does of course<br />
make me proud to see such an innovative<br />
local company as R&M supply cutting-edge<br />
technology all over the world.”<br />
What is the significance of<br />
a company such as R&M<br />
for the Canton of Zurich and for<br />
Switzerland?<br />
It is of great significance. Companies<br />
such as R&M demonstrate that local<br />
businesses in the industrial sector can<br />
compete in very difficult conditions on<br />
the international stage too. This safeguards<br />
jobs in industry and boosts local<br />
business.<br />
R&M is now an international<br />
company with more than<br />
800 employees, 320 of whom work<br />
in Switzerland, and was once<br />
founded by two young men who<br />
did not have any capital but did<br />
have a great deal of courage<br />
and imagination. Do you think that<br />
such a story of pioneering success<br />
would still be possible today?<br />
I have great respect for the founders of<br />
R&M. It took a great deal of foresight<br />
and energy to establish a company in<br />
the conditions that prevailed at the time.<br />
The company’s success and long history<br />
are a credit to the founders. Various<br />
examples have demonstrated that similar<br />
pioneering achievements are still<br />
possible in today’s world.<br />
What can other companies learn<br />
from R&M?<br />
The fact that a Swiss family business<br />
with strong local roots and innovative<br />
ideas can be successful on the global<br />
market.<br />
What kind of collaboration is<br />
there between the Department of<br />
Economic Affairs and companies<br />
such as R&M?<br />
The Department of Economics and Employment<br />
and the canton’s Business<br />
and Economic Development Division<br />
provide unbureaucratic support, including<br />
the provision of work permits and<br />
support in all the other areas in which<br />
commerce and public administration<br />
converge. Regular visits to companies<br />
and other events (for example, the<br />
“Cluster Dialogs”) promote mutual understanding<br />
and trust, giving rise to unbureaucratic<br />
solutions in certain cases.<br />
What is your message to R&M as the<br />
company celebrates its anniversary?<br />
Happy anniversary! And all the best<br />
for at least another <strong>50</strong> years of R&M in<br />
Wetzikon. n<br />
2007<br />
First external Chairman of the Board of Directors<br />
The next step in the transition: Hans Reichle hands his post as Chairman of the Board of Directors<br />
to Hans Hess. R&M records an excellent business result for the fifth time in a row. The number<br />
of employees and sales revenue have both doubled since 2002. A key highlight in terms of product<br />
development is the innovation award for the field-terminated RJ45 connector type FM45.<br />
A major financial crisis shakes the US and subsequently the whole world.
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