History

1970 - 1980 : A success story begins

Gründer von CSD
CSD's founders : Carlo Colombi, Bernard Schmutz and Jean-Pierre Dorthe (from left to right)

CSD Colombi Schmutz Dorthe was established in 1970 when two geologists and a civil engineer, Carlo Colombi, Bernard Schmutz and Jean-Pierre Dorthe joined forces.

From its very early days, CSD wanted to operate in Switzerland's two main linguistic regions, offering services linking up construction, geology and the environment.


Since its beginnings, CSD participated in many drilling projects (here at Place de la Gare in Fribourg)	As a result, geotechnics, the protection of water and its collection, quarries, the first landfills and the remediation of contaminated sites quickly became part of the daily activities carried out by CSD engineers. The founders of CSD made their knowledge of earth sciences and construction available to their customers in the areas of real estate, industry and public administration.

Forage Place de la Gare Fribourg
Since its beginnings, CSD participated in many drilling projects (here at Place de la Gare in Fribourg)

As a result, geotechnics, the protection of water and its collection, quarries, the first landfills and the remediation of contaminated sites quickly became part of the daily activities carried out by CSD engineers.

The founders of CSD made their knowledge of earth sciences and construction available to their customers in the areas of real estate, industry and public administration.


Between 1970 and 1975, the company opened four branches in the Swiss cantons of Aargau, Bern, Fribourg and Vaud. It joined groups like FRISA so that it could export its expertise abroad, to Algeria, to begin with, then to Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon and Madagascar. Its areas of activity covered geotechnics, waste management, hydrogeology, projects abroad and civil engineering. Since it was founded, CSD had operated a company shareholding scheme involving its staff and almost half its associates.	The company extended fast in Switzerland and exported its knowledge abroad (photo: works using an ingress meter)

Between 1970 and 1975, the company opened four branches in the Swiss cantons of Aargau, Bern, Fribourg and Vaud. It joined groups like FRISA so that it could export its expertise abroad, to Algeria, to begin with, then to Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon and Madagascar.

Its areas of activity covered geotechnics, waste management, hydrogeology, projects abroad and civil engineering.

Since it was founded, CSD had operated a company shareholding scheme involving its staff and almost half its associates.

Ende 70er Penetrometre
The company extended fast in Switzerland and exported its knowledge abroad (photo: works using an ingress meter)

1980 - 1989 : Pioneers of environmental studies


CSD made its knowledge available to African countries (photo: "childhood bridge" in Cameroon)	In 1980 CSD had a team of 34 people. It posted a turnover that year of around CHF 2.9 million. Geotechnics accounted for 50% of this turnover, with activities abroad responsible for 25%. In the space of 10 years, CSD had increased its turnover ninefold. The company decided to start carrying out impact assessments, managing landfill sites and cleaning up contaminated sites, long before the Swiss Federal Act on the Protection of the Environment (1st January 1985) and its implementing ordinances came into force. It played a pioneering role in the field of environmental engineering.

CSD made its knowledge available to African countries (photo: "childhood bridge" in Cameroon)

In 1980 CSD had a team of 34 people. It posted a turnover that year of around CHF 2.9 million. Geotechnics accounted for 50% of this turnover, with activities abroad responsible for 25%. In the space of 10 years, CSD had increased its turnover ninefold.

The company decided to start carrying out impact assessments, managing landfill sites and cleaning up contaminated sites, long before the Swiss Federal Act on the Protection of the Environment (1st January 1985) and its implementing ordinances came into force. It played a pioneering role in the field of environmental engineering.


In 1987 CSD acquired the company Huber Enviro Consult, which enabled it to expand the services it offered in the area of wastewater purification. During this decade, the CSD team’s mantra was: “We must maintain our pioneering spirit and sound reputation, which form the company’s image.” In 1989 CSD had 10 branches in Switzerland and three abroad (Germany, Belgium and Brazil).	Pioneering spirit and reliability are important to CSD (photo: site decontamination in Pramont)

In 1987 CSD acquired the company Huber Enviro Consult, which enabled it to expand the services it offered in the area of wastewater purification.

During this decade, the CSD team’s mantra was: “We must maintain our pioneering spirit and sound reputation, which form the company’s image.”

In 1989 CSD had 10 branches in Switzerland and three abroad (Germany, Belgium and Brazil).

1984 - 1985 Assainissement décharge Pramont
Pioneering spirit and reliability are important to CSD (photo: site decontamination in Pramont)

Highlights:

1980 : An office was set up in Cameroon (Yaoundé mission).
1981 : A new branch was opened in Liestal, Canton of Basel.
1981 : Inser SA in Mont-sur-Lausanne, Canton of Vaud, gave 25% of its shares to CSD, which expanded its offering to include GIS (geographical information systems) services.
1986 : Management of a water drilling programme in Cameroon.
1987 : Huber Enviro Consult (HEC) in Belp, Canton of Bern, joined CSD and contributed its expertise in the area of the environment and wastewater purification.
1987 : A company was set up in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in connection with providing consultancy to chemical and pharmaceutical companies based in Basel on managing industrial waste.
1987 : A company was set up in Berlin, operating in the field of cleaning up contaminated sites and free groundwater.
1988 : A company was set up in Visé, Belgium, tasked with cleaning up the industrial landfill site at Mellery, Belgium.
1989 : A branch was opened in Porrentruy, Canton of Jura, in connection with cleaning up the industrial landfill site at Bonfol, Canton of Jura.

1990 - 1999 : A new generation takes the lead


Photo: Core drilling near Hospental	After 20 years in business, 1990 was highlighted by the company’s biggest internal restructure. CSD became a holding in order to make it easier for the new generation to acquire assets and facilitate operations involving company acquisitions. The new structure held majority and minority stakes in several companies and created a management company consisting of the group’s key central services (finance, HR management and IT services). This freed up engineers and expert consultants from administrative tasks.

1996 Felssondierung Reuss Hospental
Photo: Core drilling near Hospental

After 20 years in business, 1990 was highlighted by the company’s biggest internal restructure.

CSD became a holding in order to make it easier for the new generation to acquire assets and facilitate operations involving company acquisitions. The new structure held majority and minority stakes in several companies and created a management company consisting of the group’s key central services (finance, HR management and IT services). This freed up engineers and expert consultants from administrative tasks.

Always ready to display its innovation, CSD stood out for its ability to resolve problems affecting air, soil and water. In order to do this, it boosted its team of experts with university academics, working in numerous complementary fields in the natural sciences. It developed and upgraded its laboratory.

Its team acquired experience, took on young associates who would ensure the third line of succession, following on from the second, which took over the reins from 1995, when the last of the company’s founders was due to retire.


CSD offered expertise in the following areas: - environment and decision-making support - earth sciences - civil engineering, special structures and construction activities - waste management and site decontamination - process engineering and treatment installations - international and overseas activities.	Geology is one of our major activities (photo: Cornallaz - Berna tunnel)

Highlights :

1990 : A branch was opened in Geneva.
1991 : A company was set up in Lyon, France.
1993 : A branch was opened in Namur, Belgium.
1995 : A branch was opened in Lugano, Canton of Ticino.
1995 : A branch was opened in Regensberg, Canton of Zurich.
1995 : A branch was opened in Dortmund, Germany.
1996 : Certification was obtained for ISO 9001 standards.
1996 : Logtech in Dortmund, Germany, became a CSD company, thereby expanding its expertise in optimising waste collection cycles.
1996 : A branch was opened in Altdorf, Canton of Uri.
1997 : Büchi-Müller AG, located in Frauenfeld, Canton of Thurgau, allowed CSD, which acquired it, to specialise in geology and geotechnics.
1999 : Integration of staff, assignments and archives of Monod IC SA in Lausanne, which specialised in civil engineering and metal structures, thereby expanding further the range of services CSD could offer to the property sector.

2000 - 2009 : International development


Photo: CSD monitors the environmental issues during the construction of a gas pipeline in the canton of Jura	In 2001, CSD already had a workforce of more than 200 in 24 branches located in Switzerland, France, Belgium and Germany. A computerised management system was launched. National and linguistic boundaries were overcome. By acquiring new companies in Switzerland and abroad, CSD extended its expertise and its international experience. CSD described its ambition in the following terms: “To be a partner worthy of confidence in every situation, to fully accept responsibility for the assignment entrusted and to carry it out in a simple, quick and successful manner, effortlessly negotiating any boundaries in terms of specialisation and language. This is what is at the core of the services delivered by CSD.”

1998 2001 Suivi gazoduc Jura
Photo: CSD monitors the environmental issues during the construction of a gas pipeline in the canton of Jura

In 2001, CSD already had a workforce of more than 200 in 24 branches located in Switzerland, France, Belgium and Germany. A computerised management system was launched. National and linguistic boundaries were overcome.

By acquiring new companies in Switzerland and abroad, CSD extended its expertise and its international experience.

CSD described its ambition in the following terms: “To be a partner worthy of confidence in every situation, to fully accept responsibility for the assignment entrusted and to carry it out in a simple, quick and successful manner, effortlessly negotiating any boundaries in terms of specialisation and language. This is what is at the core of the services delivered by CSD.”

In 2004 CSD supplemented its activities in the area of water management: water supply in Switzerland and developing countries, water purification networks, decontaminating polluted waters and affording protection to bodies of water and aquatic environments.


Between 2006 and 2008, the third generation took over within the company’s management and board of directors. The number of shareholders in the company increased, but shareholding is still restricted to active employees and associates, in order to preserve the Group’s independence. CSD was running increasingly more complex projects. It managed major projects from start to finish, such as the incineration plant in Lausanne, from the planning stage and finding a site to managing the work and getting it up and running. It drafted strategic environmental studies enabling densely populated areas, local authorities, professionals in the property sector and industrialists to gain an overview of the consequences of the strategic choices on future traffic levels and the environment.	CSD strengthens its presence in the field of measuring (photo: the rain measuring station of Maderan Valley)

Between 2006 and 2008, the third generation took over within the company’s management and board of directors. The number of shareholders in the company increased, but shareholding is still restricted to active employees and associates, in order to preserve the Group’s independence.

CSD was running increasingly more complex projects. It managed major projects from start to finish, such as the incineration plant in Lausanne, from the planning stage and finding a site to managing the work and getting it up and running. It drafted strategic environmental studies enabling densely populated areas, local authorities, professionals in the property sector and industrialists to gain an overview of the consequences of the strategic choices on future traffic levels and the environment.

Regenmessstation Maderanertal
CSD strengthens its presence in the field of measuring (photo: the rain measuring station of Maderan Valley)

Being at the forefront of advances in managing soil pollution, particularly caused by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), asbestos and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), CSD offered “due diligence” expertise. Its experts verified and ensured that only state-of-the-art remediation measures were implemented.

Highlights:

2000 : A branch was opened in Thusis, Canton of Graubünden.
2001 : Bruderer & Magnin, located in Granges-Paccot, Canton of Fribourg, specialising in drinking water networks, became part of the CSD Group, thereby supplementing its activities in this area.
2001 : The geologists from Dr. P. Angehrn AG, located in Altdorf, Canton of Uri, were incorporated into the Group.
2001 : A branch was opened in Degersheim, Canton of St. Gallen.
2001 : A branch was opened in Montpellier, France, specialising in landfill sites and the recovery of biogas.
2001 : An office was opened in Rabat, Morocco, specialising in landfill sites.
2002 : A branch was opened in Paris, specialising in the remediation of contaminated sites.
2004 : CSD strengthened its presence in the field of construction and civil engineering by acquiring CIG Müller SA in Bulle, Canton of Fribourg.
2005 : Morgenthaler Ing. AG, located in Zurich, a company renowned for its expertise in purification plants, became part of CSD.
2005 : A branch was opened in Metz, France.
2006 : An office was set up in Milan, Italy.
2007 : A company was set up in Vilnius, Lithuania, operating in the areas of water management and remediation of contaminated sites.
2008 : B. Granges IC SA, located in Sion, was incorporated into CSD Sion, thereby supplementing its team of civil engineering and construction experts.
2008 : Certification was obtained for ISO 14001 standards.
2009 : Spatteneder Oekologie AG, Muhen, Canton of Aargau, was incorporated into CSD Aarau, thereby expanding the range of services offered in the environmental sector.
2009 : Burri & Pavid SA, Yverdon, Canton of Vaud, specialising in civil engineering and construction, became part of the CSD Group.
2009 : A branch was opened in Onex, Canton of Geneva, by integrating Implenia’s HVS (heating, ventilation and sanitation) team.
2009 : Fenix AG was set up in Zurich, specialising in the thermal recovery of waste and other organic materials.
2009 : Ingea Srl, a company at the forefront of progress in the area of remediation of contaminated sites and environmental measures in Italy, became part of the CSD Group.
2009 : A branch was opened in Stuttgart, Germany.
2009 : A branch was opened in Brussels, Belgium.

2010 - Today : Multiple disciplines and local presence


Photo: between 2004 and 2012, CSD works on the base tunnel of the Gotthard	With a workforce of 360 in 2010, CSD became one of the major engineering firms in Switzerland. It was assigned complex projects, such as planning for renovating the motorway between Lausanne and Villeneuve, geological or environmental monitoring of tunnels (Gotthard base tunnel, Roveredo, Mormont, Albula) or main roads (Bulle). CSD also enjoys a great reputation in traditional disciplines: clean-up operations on contaminated sites (Kölliken, La Pila, Bonfol, Geneva gas plant), expertise in complex pollutants (POPs, PCB, asbestos), and handling authorisation dossiers for quarries and gravel pits (Lenzburg, Le Mormont).

1991 2011 Gotthard Basistunnel Sedrun
Photo: between 2004 and 2012, CSD works on the base tunnel of the Gotthard

With a workforce of 360 in 2010, CSD became one of the major engineering firms in Switzerland. It was assigned complex projects, such as planning for renovating the motorway between Lausanne and Villeneuve, geological or environmental monitoring of tunnels (Gotthard base tunnel, Roveredo, Mormont, Albula) or main roads (Bulle).

CSD also enjoys a great reputation in traditional disciplines: clean-up operations on contaminated sites (Kölliken, La Pila, Bonfol, Geneva gas plant), expertise in complex pollutants (POPs, PCB, asbestos), and handling authorisation dossiers for quarries and gravel pits (Lenzburg, Le Mormont).


Expanding its expertise now enables CSD to offer its entire range of building engineering services not only for projects involving civil engineering, soil and foundations and building disciplines (HVS), but also for providing consultancy on the certification of sustainable Minergie-type buildings. This also enables it to participate in large-scale real estate projects, such as the construction of the Life Sciences building at EPFL, a university located in Lausanne, the symbolic Euroméditerranée project in Marseille or the HafenCity project in Hamburg.	Civil engineering is now a part of CSD’s multiple skills (photo: the Life Sciences building at EPFL, Lausanne)

Expanding its expertise now enables CSD to offer its entire range of building engineering services not only for projects involving civil engineering, soil and foundations and building disciplines (HVS), but also for providing consultancy on the certification of sustainable Minergie-type buildings.

This also enables it to participate in large-scale real estate projects, such as the construction of the Life Sciences building at EPFL, a university located in Lausanne, the symbolic Euroméditerranée project in Marseille or the HafenCity project in Hamburg.

EPFL Construction Bâtiment Science et Vie
Civil engineering is now a part of CSD’s multiple skills (photo: the Life Sciences building at EPFL, Lausanne)

The numerous branches which CSD has ensure that a local service can be provided for either small or large projects and for planning and implementation services. Environmental networks, remediation of firing ranges, gravel pits, geological or geotechnical surveys or surveys on natural hazards are part of these services which are very highly rated.

Highlights :

2010: A branch was opened in Liège, Belgium, operating in the field of building techniques, sustainable construction and the environment.
2013: The business in France is sold.
2014: The incorporation of BFKA Ingenieure AG, located in Jaberg, Canton of Bern, enhanced its expertise in the area of construction and operation of landfills.
2014: It was involved in setting up HKG Engineering Romandie SA in Lausanne, a company operating in the electricity sector.
2014: Monitron SA was set up in Liebefeld, along with its branches in Lausanne, Thusis and Altdorf.
2015: Civil engineers from Henauer Gugler in Zurich and from WMM Ingenieure AG in Münchenstein, Canton of Basel, joined the CSD Group, thereby strengthening the construction sector in German-speaking Switzerland.
2015: By incorporating Balz & Partner AG, located in Brugg, Canton of Aargau, CSD expanded its offering in the areas of urban sanitation and water treatment.
2015: CSD incorporated civil engineers from Henauer & Gugler AG in Bern in its Group.
2015: Aster Consulting in Belgium joined the CSD Group, widening its experience in the environmental sector and in the remediation of contaminated sites in the Brussels Region.
2015: Civil engineers from the Pellissier & de Torrenté office in Sion, Canton of Valais, joined the CSD Group, increasing its representation in this canton.
2017: New department in Aarau in groundwater modeling and safety analysis, specialists in the storage of radioactive waste.
2017: CSD Management and CSD ENGINEERS Fribourg move from Granges-Paccot to Givisiez.
2018: CSD Holding moves from Berne to Givisiez.
2018: Strategic partnership with URBASOL, relocation to Givisez.
2019: Inauguration of the new office in Brussels Anderlecht (B).
2019: Opening of a new office in Delémont.
2020: Sale of WMM INGENIEURE and integration of Polymetra via the CSD subsidiary Monitron SA.
2021: Opening of a new branch in Windhof (Luxembourg) and acquisition of Kappeler, a company based in Laufen and Chur.
2022: Opening of two new branches in Neuchâtel and Chur, and acquisition of Nutec, a company based in Kloten and active in the waste-to-energy business.
2022: The French company "Initiative & Finance" becomes, via its "Tomorrow" fund, the majority shareholder of the CSD Group.