Unaxis announces further sell-offs

The chief of Unaxis, Willy Kissling Keystone

In the wake of last week's decision to sell-off its aviation division, the Unaxis company, formerly Oerikon-Bührle, has announced that it is to separate from another subsidiary, Leybold Optics.

In an interview with the “SonntagsZeitung”, the head of the technology company, Willy Kissling, said the sale of Leybold Optics could fetch “a few million”.

Kissling also revealed that in the long term, Unaxis hopes to separate from another subsidiary “probably from Leybold Vacuum” too.

Kissling said that he hoped to increase Unaxis’ turnover beyond SFr 3 billion over the next two to three years.

“We would like to increase the turnover to reach the levels of the former Oerlikon-Bührle company within the next two to three years,” Kissling said. “We have to pass the SFr3 billion mark.”

Over the last two years, Unaxis has recorded a 20 per cent rise in turnover each year, although in 1998, the company had debts amounting to SFr1 billion.

Kissling said there were plans in the pipeline to stabilise the company.

Last week, Unaxis announced the sale of its aviation division, Pilatus, to a group of largely Swiss investors. The sale had been expected for some time, following Unaxis’ decision to concentrate its activities on equipment and services for the information technology industry.

swissinfo with agencies