Urma opens 3,500 sqm Experience Center in Mägenwil, exceeding machine trading needs

Swiss industrial technology company Urma has opened a new Experience Center in Mägenwil, Switzerland, spanning 3,500 square meters across three levels. The facility, built with 300 tonnes of reinforcement and 300 kilometers of electrical cable, includes partner spaces, an auditorium, and a showroom dedicated to CNC machining, additive manufacturing, and post-processing technologies. Co-CEO Yannick Berner led the inauguration alongside Aargau government councilor Dieter Egli and Swissmechanic president Nicola Tettamanti, with over 250 guests attending the opening and another 250 customers expected the following day. The building integrates seven 240-meter-deep geothermal probes, ceiling-surface heating and cooling, and a 135 kWp photovoltaic system expected to generate 150 MWh annually.

This expansion reflects a structural shift in how industrial equipment distributors operate in the DACH region. Urma, which has run the Haas Factory Outlet Switzerland since 2003 and later added brands including EOS, Markforged, and Formlabs, has built a facility that functions as a collaborative ecosystem rather than a traditional showroom. Partner companies such as Haas, Emco, Zorn, EOS, Markforged, Formlabs, Dihawag, Rösler, AM Solutions, iCAM, Productec, and Motorex have dedicated spaces with on-site staff, enabling customers to address complete process chains - from data preparation and tooling to additive manufacturing, surface finishing, and quality control - under one roof. The move aligns with the broader industrial-tooling vertical's need for integrated solutions, where machine sales increasingly depend on demonstrating the full workflow rather than isolated equipment performance.

For Urma, the Experience Center represents a capital-intensive bet on the convergence of subtractive and additive manufacturing in Swiss precision engineering. The company must now demonstrate that the facility generates enough customer engagement and recurring service revenue to justify the investment, particularly as industrial buyers in the region remain cautious about capital expenditure. The practical test will be whether the center converts walk-in process consultations into sustained machine and service contracts, especially for additive technologies where adoption in Swiss industrial tooling still lags behind CNC machining. The facility's energy self-sufficiency and geothermal infrastructure also position it as a long-term operational asset rather than a short-term marketing expense.