TRISA

WHO IS TRISA?
Cambodian rice farmers; students from Morocco; Bulgarian businesspeople – they all clean their teeth with Trisa toothbrushes. This family business is based in Triengen in the Swiss canton of Lucerne and manufactures its products in Switzerland, where wages are high. However, its success is global, involving sales spread across 80 different countries. Trisa earns 84% of its revenue from the export trade – and this figure rises even further (to about 96%) for the company’s core business in toothbrushes.
Trisa was initially set up to manufacture brushes in 1887, and it has produced toothbrushes since 1903; this is now the company’s most important product by far. For the first few decades, these toothbrushes had natural bristles and wooden handles and their manufacture involved a great deal of manual labour; they were so valuable that each one would be used by a whole family. By now, they are mass-market consumer items, and they incorporate a huge amount of hidden hi-tech. Trisa produces 1 million toothbrushes in Switzerland every single day. In addition, the Trisa Group also manufactures electrical toothbrushes, interdental products, hairbrushes and small electronic devices for the health and beauty sector. In 2018, it achieved an annual turnover of about 220 million CHF and employed a workforce of about 1100 people. 
In 2017, the company celebrated its 130th birthday. These days, the future of the business is in the hands of the fourth generation of the Pfenniger family. In his role as CEO, Business Manager Adrian Pfenniger shapes the marketing strategy, while his brother, Philipp Pfenniger (an engineer trained at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) is responsible for logistics, production and the technical sectors. He also chairs the Management Board. Their father, Ernst Pfenniger-Unternährer, led Trisa from 1967 into the 1990s. The brothers’ verdict is that “Nobody has transformed the former brush factory more than him”. Ernst Pfenniger was just 25 years old when he took over the business, at a difficult time: “It was doing too badly to thrive, but too well to die”, according to Adrian Pfenniger. “My father was young and had little experience, but he was quite willing to take risks – so he experimented with alternative management methods and made some extremely courageous investments”. This strategy involved large debts at a time of high interest rates and could easily have ended in bankruptcy … but Ernst Pfenniger led the business to success because he treated his staff as partners rather than as subordinates. The Pfenniger brothers are convinced that this participatory business philosophy is what continues to give the company its unique character to this day.

Adrian Pfenniger, CEO

WHAT DO THEY DO DIFFERENTLY?
At Trisa, the employees are regarded as “Co-entrepreneurs and partners, participating in the joint success of the business”. This attitude applies at all hierarchical levels. Already back in the 1960s, Ernst Pfenniger did away with the piecework rates then regarded as normal for production. He encouraged his workers’ sense of individual responsibility and enabled them to take an active part in the development of the business. Since 1972, every employee at Trisa has also been a shareholder in the company. The employees represent half the members of the Management Board; these may, for example, include an administrative worker from the internal sales department or a member of the production staff. At the end of every year, every Trisa employee receives an annual bonus directly from the directors if business has gone well. Employees also influence the “My Trisa” committee, which includes representatives from every area of the business. The fact that Trisa is serious about participation can clearly be seen from the job adverts, where the company’s managers may (for example) seek a “Logistician and Co-owner”. Flotation on the stock market is not an option for Trisa. “Then we would no longer be able to implement our values so consistently.” Trisa puts its trust in its employees, as stakeholders, rather than on shareholder value. It therefore seems perfectly appropriate for a party to be held every year for the employees and their partners, after the Annual General Meeting. Trisa surveys its employees regularly on their satisfaction and any potential for improvement, offers seminars on subjects such as social skills and motivation, or launches health promotion projects. As a token of its appreciation, the management also invites its retirees to several events every year. According to Mr Steiner: “They have done a great deal for this company and we want to give something back to them in return”. Adrian Pfenniger regards it as a great compliment that members of the second or even third generation of many families are now working for Trisa: “It really isn’t all about making as much money as we can as quickly as possible, with as few people as we can; on the contrary – we develop our business sustainably so that it can still provide attractive tasks for the next generation, too”.
Trisa also regards itself as a “Learning community” that continuously betters itself and seeks new solutions. It therefore places a high value on education and training. In addition, Trisa strives to encourage its employees’ creativity and competence as much as possible. Each member of staff can put forward improvements in relation to products, processes, workplaces, technology and social aspects. Such suggestions are entered into the “Ideas passport” and rewarded. Some of the employees also work in either one of the five interdisciplinary Innovation- or Technology Circles or in the Specialist Groups. These are assigned specific tasks, such as: “What does an ideal toothbrush look like for older people?”. Suggestions from customers and partners are also included in the development of new products, as do discussions with universities and specialist medical staff. Finally, every employee also can answer the “Question of the Month”. This arises from the inputs of the various ideas circles and is used as a platform to discuss new ideas critically, and to find solutions. All in all, says Adrian Pfenniger, Trisa repeatedly offers its employees areas of “Creative freedom", where people can experiment and develop something new”. As a result of all this, Trisa holds about 1000 patents and design registrations.

WHY IS IT WORTH DOING?
The Pfenniger brothers are convinced that Trisa is only successful thanks to its firmly-established business culture, based on the motto: “Enthusiastic employees create enthusiastic customers”. Only those people who feel comfortable in the company and tackle their work with enthusiasm can produce excellent performance in the longer term, and thus contribute to the company’s continuing success. Basic values such as consistency, freedom and trust are essential to the creation of this enjoyment, according to Adrian Pfenniger. “And we attract people who share these values. This is also why our labour turnover is just 3 to 4%.” He advises young people to always gauge the culture within a company. “If this is a close match to your own, you’ll be comfortable there”. The increase in transparency brought about by the internet and the increased consciousness of consumers regarding ethical issues ensures that Trisa’s business philosophy will become even more beneficial: “Customers want to know who is behind a product.” Trisa has always maintained a culture of openness in any case, according to Mr Pfenniger: “We have published our results for decades, because we’re convinced it creates trust. Trisa has also established very strong roots within the region – “This means we can quickly and effectively exchange views. We can make fast progress and work around obstructions.” Internally, too, everything is highly transparent; all members of staff, regardless of their place in the hierarchy, are kept informed of the company’s current key performance figures.
Anyone who wants to survive in the dynamic global oral hygiene market must maintain an outstanding level of performance. “One third of our products are innovations” says Pfenniger. “Thanks to our consistent approach to innovation management, we are able to maintain a constant level of continuous development and live up to our aspiration to be technological leaders.” Trisa is an attractive supplier “who sets trends worldwide and is involved at the leading edge of development.” Trisa seeks ways in which it can take advantage of the benefits offered by Switzerland as a location, and to navigate around its inconveniences as elegantly as possible. This is why the company was already introducing Japanese models of logistics 20 years ago – “we must not only be innovative in our products, but also in our procedures and production processes.” Here again, the strong employee culture is paying off. Trisa is among the companies with the highest density of industrial robots in Switzerland, which is evidence of the state-of-the-art processes it chooses to employ. Ultimately, Trisa’s conscious decision not to seek a listing on any stock exchange means that it can invest more freely – and work more sustainably: “The route adopted by Trisa is open to other businesses too”, says Adrian Pfenniger. “In principle, what we do here is possible anywhere … but it would have to suit the culture of the particular company involved; it must be maintained, and it must be led by sincere example.”