"Hans Ulrich Amman is still the owner of the company, explains Christoph Affolter, who has been managing director of ARO for five years. He is a very enthusiastic person with a particular interest in technology. An EPFZ-trained engineer, he has always chosen to entrust the operational management of the company to a director so that he can devote himself to developing new products, which has continuously brought a very interesting dynamic to the company."
Several systems and degrees of customisation in filtration installations
Although the company offers various products such as magnetic separators, cooling and heating devices, and oil separators, it generates most of its revenue from filtration systems. For this activity, it has a network of subcontractors who supply it with mechanical components and sheet metal parts, and it purchases pumps from reputable manufacturers. Using these standardised components, it then develops specific filtration systems. In collaboration with the customer, ARO defines the filtration system best suited to their needs. This may be a belt filter, a high-performance filter or a bag filter.
The first is often used when contaminated lubricant coolant must flow freely from the machine tool directly onto the belt filter, an operation that does not require a lifting station. The dimensions of the tank can be adapted to suit the machine and its location. The filter lake that forms allows for an efficient filtration process. This system offers the advantage of modular expandability with the option of integrating magnetic separators, cooling systems or fine filters without additional space requirements.
Systems equipped with a high-performance filter operate with a closed system in which the cooling lubricant is protected and evaporates only slightly. The fluid is transported from the machine tool to the high-performance filter by a lift pump. A variant with a patented chip removal system allows chips to be removed from the cooling lubricant without the use of filter paper. ARO offers filter paper suitable for the application for belt filters and drum filters. Thanks to the large stock, customers can try out different types of paper if necessary.
Users who work with high-quality materials will prefer a system with bag or cartridge filters. The precious metals retained can be easily recovered using the corresponding cartridges. Depending on the degree of contamination and filtration requirements, several fine filter housings are supplied in series or in parallel with the lubricating refrigerant.
Once the customer’s requirements have been clearly defined, ARO Technologies begins designing the installation. Once this has been approved, the company assembles the entire system, carries out the electrical wiring and checks the electronic components.
Finally, it conducts a series of tests with liquids. "This procedure allows us to deliver a plug-and-play product," explains Christoph Affolter. The final step is installation at the customer’s site and training for future users.
Often perceived as an accessory that increases the cost of the machine, the filtration system nevertheless plays an essential role in the quality and repeatability of processes. "A high-quality system that is well designed and adapted to the machine significantly reduces the frequency of cutting fluid replacement, explains Christoph Affolter. It also extends the service life of pumps and tools, thereby minimising the risk of unexpected production downtime. Taking these various factors into account, users can expect a return on investment within five or six years, and in some cases even within one year."
Special production
Approximately 20% of the company’s activities involve the development of solutions that go even further than customised solutions. These are often much more complex systems that incorporate several levels of filtration. These special requests most often come from sectors such as watchmaking, particularly for the recovery of precious material residues, medical technology and the automotive industry.
"We also develop solutions for cutting oils to provide additional filtration levels or solutions with the addition of a pump to refine filtration. We regularly collaborate with emulsion and oil manufacturers to find the best solutions," explains the director.
After-sales service, the main differentiating factor
To hold its own against competitors that are often larger, particularly in France, Germany and Italy, ARO Technologies can count on two specific strengths: its expertise in developing customised systems tailored to customer needs, and its highly responsive after-sales service. Christoph Affolter: "The size of the company, with 25 employees including one in sales and after-sales service in Germany, means that decision-making processes are short. We start every morning with a briefing during which we set the priorities for the day and can change what was planned if we are faced with an unforeseen event. The fact that we also have a large stock of spare parts for the pumps further increases our responsiveness."
The clouds hanging over the industry seem to be clearing
With 80% of its turnover generated in Switzerland, ARO Technologies has clearly felt the effects of the slowdown in the industry, even having to resort to short-time working in the last quarter of 2025. "All sectors have been affected. But since the beginning of this year, these same sectors have been recovering significantly. This gives us reason to be fairly optimistic about the future," concludes the director.
