Economic Promotion Canton of Schaffhausen

Location Development & Economic Promotion: a Single Source

Initial Situation

Becoming the best business location

The manufacturing crisis of the 1990s hit the Canton of Schaffhausen hard. To stop the downward cycle of company closures, redundancies and high unemployment, political parties and a range of interest groups joined forces to launch a major initiative. Generis AG was given the role of project lead.

The key insight behind this move: Schaffhausen needed professional economic development and promotion. All parties agreed that only Generis AG could do the job. The business was challenged to demonstrate that the measures advanced as theories could be translated into practical outcomes. That has been the company’s daily work since 1997.

Project Profile

Settlements

Employees on settlement

Approach

From vision to success

Around 150 representatives from politics, business and local government divided into 16 working groups to develop ideas for region’s development. Creating jobs, improving the ecosystem and positioning the Canton among the best business locations – these became the aims of the Economic Promotion Team.

Implementation required location marketing (raising awareness of the region’s strengths) and development of the location’s attractiveness (shaping the local government services). This field is interdisciplinary and must consider all aspects of society, those already resident in the area, new arrivals, citizens and businesses.

Wirtschaftsförderung Kanton Schaffhausen

Achievements

A true success story

The manufacturing crisis of the 1990s showed Schaffhausen needed a clear and proactive economic strategy and triggered creation of the Economic Promotion Team 20 years ago with Generis AG commissioned to perform the role. Since then, Generis has been the driving force behind the economic development of the Canton, bringing over 500 businesses to Schaffhausen, creating over 2,500 jobs and contributing to innumerable developments in the Canton.

In the era of digital transformation, the Canton is supporting developments at the interface of manufacturing and digitalisation to position Schaffhausen successfully for the future.

Ernst Landolt

State Councillor Canton of Schaffhausen (2011-2020),
Former Minister of Economy

«Generis does not simply fulfil the economic promotion role – it identifies with it 100 percent. That commitment is why Schaffhausen’s Economic Promotion Team ranks among the most successful in Switzerland.»