Tokyo (SCCIJ) – The small Swiss company Jakob Rope Systems offers technical solutions to protect cities against rising temperatures: Steel rope structures for façades, pergolas, and atriums. These ideas are the latest evolution in the history of this innovative manufacturer typical for Switzerland.
Creeper plants grown on steel ropes provide green islands in public spaces (© Jakob AG).
Cooling effects
The modular design and flexibility of the rope systems provide endless combinations of greenery of all types and sizes. For example, the company presented the idea to cover the Roter Platz in the Swiss city of Solothurn with a rope net greened by creeper plants. Putting such nets on building facades and roofs lessens the energy bill for the building operator and lowers the air temperature in the surroundings.
While the company’s name may primarily be known to architects and builders, rope nets for zoos, and suicide prevention measures on bridges are just a few examples of applications where Jakob Rope Systems’ steel ropes are likely to be found. In recent years, the company unveiled several groundbreaking products like the X-TEND mesh, an architectural mesh solution that combines functionality, versatility, and aesthetic appeal.
LivingRope is a wire rope construction on which plant pots are strung and watered in a fully automated way (© Jakob AG).
Model Swiss company
Jakob Rope Systems exemplifies the Swiss business landscape, being an owner-managed manufacturer of niche products and catering to both domestic and international markets. With a domestic market share of over 80 percent, it has solidified its position as a dominant force in the industry, generating an annual revenue of 52 million Swiss francs, and employing 740 individuals worldwide. In Japan, it is present through a distributor in Osaka.
The roots of the company trace back to a small rope factory established by today’s CEO Peter Jakob’s grandfather in 1904 on the very site where the company stands today. The founder started with ropes for the Swiss textile industry. In the 1950s, Peter’s father and uncle ventured into steel rope production, acquiring second-hand machines that continue to operate to this day.
Today, it primarily sources ready-made ropes from third-party manufacturers abroad, which are then cut to size in the factory in Trubschachen in the canton of Berne and equipped with hooks, eyelets, and other necessary components, the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported. The manufacturing process extends to a second site in Vietnam, where approximately 600 employees are engaged in the handmade production of nets.
High-margin sector
The architectural ropes business has emerged as Jakob’s most significant and high-margin sector. Notably, the foray into this domain was driven by increasing customer demands in the late 1980s. The company’s products adorn prominent locations worldwide, including installations at Google’s headquarters in San Francisco, the Mandai Bird Paradise in Singapore, and the recently opened birdhouse at Basel Zoo.
Maintaining a small-scale rope production in Switzerland retains ropemaking expertise by training ropemakers. Also, it ensures flexibility for smaller domestic orders and pilot projects. Additionally, the manufacturer expanded its product range by acquiring the traditional Habegger company in Thun. Its wire rope hoists, whether hand-operated or motor-driven, find application in erecting circus tents, ropeways, tree felling, and more. They are now made at Jakob Rope in Trubschachen.
Text: Martin Fritz for SCCIJ
