Methodology
ValIndex publishes 132 free industry reports covering specialized niches across all 26 Swiss cantons. Every report follows the same six-step research process to ensure consistency, accuracy, and comparability.
01Federal & Institutional Data Collection
Each report begins with structured data extraction from Swiss federal sources: the Federal Statistical Office (BFS) for industry demographics and employment, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) for economic indicators, and the Swiss Commercial Register (Zefix/SHAB) for company population data. This is supplemented by cantonal economic development reports and industry association publications.
02Market Sizing & Segmentation
Company and employment counts come from the BFS business census (STATENT), broken down by language region and canton. Market figures come from industry associations, federal reports and company publications, and each one names its source. Where no published figure exists, we say so rather than estimate one.
03SWOT & Competitive Analysis
Industry health assessments follow a standardized SWOT framework. Strengths and weaknesses are identified from structural factors (labor costs, regulatory environment, innovation capacity). Opportunities and threats are derived from macroeconomic trends, trade policy changes, and technology disruption patterns specific to Switzerland.
04Key Player Mapping
A company is named in a report when three conditions hold: it is confirmed in the Swiss commercial register (name, UID and seat), it has a significant Swiss presence in the niche, and at least one fact about it can be sourced from its own or official publications. We do not publish unsourced revenue estimates. Swiss-headquartered companies and significant Swiss subsidiaries of foreign groups both qualify.
05Valuation Multiples & Cost Benchmarks
EBITDA multiples are calibrated using transaction data from Dealsuite (DACH region), PwC M&A reports, and EXPERTsuisse valuation standards. Cost structure breakdowns (labor, materials, overhead, margin) are sourced from BFS cost surveys and sector-specific benchmarks. All figures are adjusted for Swiss market conditions — higher labor costs, different tax structures, and SME-dominated market dynamics.
06Quality Assurance & Updates
Each report cites its sources. Before publication, every source link is fetched and every named company is checked against the commercial register. Figures from an earlier edition that cannot be confirmed are withdrawn and listed as corrections. The last update date is displayed on each report.
Corrections & suggestions
Companies and readers can suggest a correction or a company to add, using the link under the list of companies in each report or by email. Please include a link to a source. Every suggestion is checked against the commercial register and the cited source; accepted changes are applied at the next report update and listed in the report
Primary Data Sources
Federal Statistical Office — STATENT, industry demographics
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs — GDP, labor market
Swiss Commercial Register — company populations, formations
Cost of capital standards, accounting benchmarks
DACH region M&A transaction multiples
Sector-specific M&A reports and market monitors
Research & analysis by Alain Walder (ValIndex). For questions about methodology or data sources: