1. The first office, opened in 1946 at Unterer Quai 7 in Biel (today right next to Elfenau Park; the building is still owned by the Schiess family). Léon Klein first founded L.Klein SA at his home at General-Dufour-Strasse 158, but only a few months later he and his wife bought the house at Unterer Quai, where he worked on the ground floor with his first employees. The couple lived on the first floor for many years.

  2. The 10th anniversary of L.Klein SA. In September 1956, Mr and Mrs Klein (seated in the centre) celebrated ten years of the company with their employees and other business associates. Rudolf Schiess had joined the company that same year and attended the anniversary with his wife (second from right, with his wife Paulette Schiess, third from right). Shortly afterwards, the company built its first warehouse at Längfeldweg 110 in Biel. It was built four times larger than actually needed, so there were several subtenants, such as General Motors with its luxury cars.

  3. Rudolf Schiess, known as «Ruedi», joined the business at the age of 24. In 1973 he took over the company from Léon Klein, who had no children. Ruedi later became the company’s «patron». He came from a family that had been engaged in world trade since the early 20th century.

  4. The warehouse office of L.Klein SA. Working in pairs, sometimes alone, staff packed the stainless steels in the warehouse and prepared them for collection. Deliveries went to the centre of the watchmaking town and to nearby factories, some of them by horse-drawn cart.

  5. Paulette Schiess proudly poses with her two children, Olivier and Catherine, in front of the building at Unterer Quai 7, next to Mr and Mrs Klein. A historic picture, considering that little Olivier would later run the company that Léon Klein built right there.

  6. The warehouse at Längfeldweg 110, built far outside the town at the time, between the airfield and the railway, grew into a thriving business. Once a day, staff from the office at Unterer Quai brought the orders to warehouse keeper Gérard Schürmann and driver Walther Muster. The company had several vehicles to deliver steel to the Jura, to Solothurn and as far as the Basel-Landschaft region.

  7. After Ruedi Schiess took over the business in 1973, the warehouse was steadily expanded. In modern racks, at that time still stored horizontally, the steel was carefully sorted. Back then there were only index cards, used to book steel out of the warehouse by hand and to keep a journal for each item. At that time the warehouse held only a handful of different stainless steels, such as LABOR Pb, LAW 100 Pb and free-cutting steel like SWP Super. Lead-free variants were also in demand, and Léon Klein was keen to keep them in stock.

  8. The Bözingenfeld area was gradually being developed. The airfield had been removed, but the new motorway bridge opened up an important connection: the Bernese Jura, and with it an important source for the watch industry.

  9. While still studying at the Technikum Biel, Olivier Schiess took on an important role in the company. He was one of the first in the region to introduce a computer system into the business. His task was to transfer the stocked items from index cards into the computer and to record inventory levels. He introduced an article numbering system that is still in use today. The system was very simple at first. It was a laborious task with little outside support.

  10. As the number of items kept growing, the subtenants had to make way. New steels such as CHRONIFER Special D, CHRONIFER Supra, AISI 416 and CHRONIFER Labor M-13 were purchased in various dimensions. Much of the stock is still housed in the same halls today.

  11. Ruedi and his son Olivier worked side by side for years. For the second child and first son of the family, it was clear early on that he wanted to build his career with his father. Olivier got to know the business from every angle: from packing, storing, retrieving and delivering steel to purchasing and sales. Even as a young man, Olivier was highly motivated to move the company forward. He drew inspiration from business trips and often travelled with his father to steelworks in Germany and France. Later, he turned towards Asia with his customers to open up new markets.

  12. The warehouses filled up with high-quality steel in the form of bars and coils. Every corner was used to buy semi-finished products in large quantities and resell them in smaller quantities to bar-turning companies. The infrastructure grew, and with it the business. Profits were invested directly in the warehouse, and the equipment was constantly improved. Four employees now worked permanently in the warehouse, including the driver who delivered to customers by truck every day.

  13. Ruedi Schiess and his employees steered the company into new markets. Already well established in the watch and precision industries, the company now also supplied the emerging medical industry in the Solothurn region. Relationships with the supplying steelworks were steadily strengthened, and together they set course for successful and sustainable development.

  14. The staff on a company outing to the Lüderenalp in the Emmental. (From left to right) Ruedi Schiess (managing director), Eveline Andres (secretary and Ruedi’s right hand), Margrit von Känel-Andres (office employee, Eveline’s sister and Markus Schneider’s partner), Ernst Stucki (mechanic and all-rounder), Philippe Schiess (Ruedi’s youngest son, who joined the company as a salesman in 1996), Markus Schneider (polymechanic, employed as warehouse keeper), Lizzi Zeller (office employee), Markus Stampfli (polymechanic, employed as a salesman and for reworking tasks), Olivier Schiess (engineer and Ruedi’s successor), Gérard Schürmann (driver and warehouse keeper), Nicolas Kubli (accountant) and Heinz Rahmen (warehouse keeper).

  15. Loïc Pahud at the Christmas party with the next Schiess generation (Céline and Cédric, children of Olivier and Astrid Schiess, and Nick, first-born of Philippe and Andrea Schiess). Back then the first logistics apprentice, today Key Account Manager and Purchasing Specialist and a key pillar of the company.

  16. Gérard Schürmann, «Monsieur Rouge», out on the streets of Biel with the new truck for the first time.

  17. With the growing business, the site was bursting at the seams. Over the following years, the company invested in expanding its storage space. To build another hall, a tent had to be put up at short notice to store the steel. Short-term became long-term: because the building was enlarged further during construction, the tent stayed up for several years until it could be taken down in 2015, when the timber hall was completed.

  18. With Céline Schiess joining in 2019, the third Schiess generation is now represented in the company. She started as a purchasing and sales clerk to get to know the business. What began as «I just want to catch my breath and then pursue my own career» quickly turned into a very different position in the company: head of finance and human resources. When her predecessor decided at short notice to leave the company, Céline took on this role in 2021 rather unprepared. With the help of the long-serving staff, she quickly established new HR structures and work processes. Olivier and Philippe continue to head purchasing and sales.

  19. Today’s warehouses are designed to store material as space-efficiently as possible. After further reinforcement of the hall structure, 1,500 tonnes can now be stored instead of 800. The storage racks were custom-made by Kiener-Wittlin to make better use of the space. Even the corners of the racks were bevelled so that employees can manoeuvre their picking trolleys through the aisles more easily. The racks also support the platforms above.

  20. The new office wing, first planned in 2016, was finally officially completed in 2025. The former office was cut out of the warehouse and replaced by the new wing. During construction, the office staff worked in wooden containers for several years.

  21. The staff of L.Klein SA. Today the company employs around 23 people, including 2 logistics apprentices. The average length of service is 13 years. Under Céline’s new management, the company is increasingly professional and ready to take on new challenges. From left to right, top row: Jerry Kukulu, Samuele De Marco, Mike Lüthi, Tobias Bieri, Kevin Maleszewski, Yll Zahiti. Middle row: Marianne Sollberger, Michael Fluri, Olivier Schiess, Céline Schiess, Philippe Schiess, Valérie Bernhard, Mahnaz Mazloum, Markus Stampfli. Bottom row: Melissa Sylmetaj-Stucki, Loïc Pahud, Fabien Tissot, Reto Wandfluh, Jacques Hostettmann, Dominique Wälti and, last but not least, Winston the dog. Absent: Cyril Kilcher, Luis Aleixo and new apprentice Vincenzo Di Francesco.

1946

History

1946

L. Klein AG wurde im September 1946 von Léon Klein in Biel gegründet. Erstes Geschäftsdomizil war das Haus am Unteren Quai 7. Die Tätigkeit beschränkte sich auf das Beliefern von Rundstählen an Decolletage-Betriebe und Uhrenmanufakturen.

1956

1956 trat Rudolf Schiess als kaufmännischer Angestellter in die Firma ein. Die Firma entwickelte sich zu einem überregional bekannten Zulieferer der Drehautomatenindustrie.

Im gleichen Jahr zog die L. Klein AG in den Neubau am Längfeldweg 110 im Bözingenmoos. Das Gebiet entwickelte sich in den folgenden Jahrzehnten zur wichtigen Industriezone Biels. Das Untergeschoss wurde damals der General Motors, Autofabrik in Biel, vermietet.

1973

1973 konnte Rudolf Schiess die Firma von Léon Klein übernehmen. Der Name L. Klein AG war schon so bekannt, dass der Firmenname nicht geändert wurde.

1984

Mit dem Eintritt des Sohnes, Olivier Schiess im Jahre 1984 entwickelte sich L. Klein AG von einem regionalen und schweizerischen, in ein international tätiges Unternehmen. Verschiedene freie Vertretungen im Ausland verstärken diese Aktivitäten.

1996

1996 stiess der zweite Sohn, Philippe Schiess zur Firma. Diese nahm alsdann rasch und stetig an Volumen zu. Heute beschäftigt L. Klein AG 18 Personen, was rund 16 100%-Stellen entspricht. Laufend wurden auch Gebäulichkeiten und vorallem Lagerflächen an- und ausgebaut.

1998

Seit 1998 ist L. Klein AG nach ISO 9001 zertifiziert.

2000

Die Schiess Holding AG, zu welcher die Firma L. Klein AG gehört, wurde im Jahre 2000 gegründet. Die Holding ist im Besitz von Olivier und Philippe Schiess.

2019

Seit sie die Ausbildung als Kaufmännische Angestellte abgeschlossen hat, ergäntzt Céline Schiess, die Tochter von Olivier Schiess, das Team als Personal- und Finanzverantwortliche.