Innovation keeps Swiss army knife maker sharp

In pictures

Innovation keeps Swiss army knife maker sharp

Published Friday, Oct. 08, 2010 7:01PM EDT

Last updated Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010 6:41PM EDT

Victorinox AG, 126 years old, has never outsourced production or cut jobs during a recession. Here's a look at the operation

1 of 10

(Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters) Hide caption

Workers at the Victorinox factory, founded in 1884, produce 28,000 Swiss Army Knives a day. In addition, the factory's almost 1,000 workers turn out 32,000 other tools and 60,000 kitchen and butchers knives.
(Martin Fischer for The Globe and Mail) Hide caption

Carl Elsener Jr., chief executive officer of Swiss army knife maker Victorinox AG, in his company headquarters in Ibach, Switzerland. He's holding a glasses screwdriver, which cleverly fits into the company's corkscrew component.
(Martin Fischer for The Globe and Mail) Hide caption

Counterfeit knives. One of Victorinox's biggest business challenges these days is the proliferation of cheap knock-offs. It collects samples of these poor-quality copies in a drawer at its Ibach headquarters.
(Martin Fischer for The Globe and Mail) Hide caption

A worker assembles a knife at the company's manufacturing plant in Ibach.
(Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters) Hide caption

Blanks of knife blades lie on an assembly line before hardening at the production facility.
(Martin Fischer for The Globe and Mail) Hide caption

Blades in a drawer, ready to be assembled into Swiss army knives. While some workers still assemble special-edition knives, high-tech machines do the bulk of the assembly.
(Martin Fischer for The Globe and Mail) Hide caption

A Swiss worker examines a plastic handle that will be added to the knife. The Ibach factory employs 900 people, while Victorinox has 1,800 staff worldwide.
(Martin Fischer for The Globe and Mail) Hide caption

Partly finished knife. The company makes 350 kinds of knives, some of which now include USB drives and laser pointers.
(Martin Fischer for The Globe and Mail) Hide caption

A stamping machine at the company's plant. Victorinox, which both imports machinery and makes its own customized equipment, churns out 60,000 knives and pocket tools a day.
(Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters) Hide caption

Pocket knives with the company logo lie in box at the production facility.

5 comments

More Photo Galleries

A fresh look at Sears

Thursday, May. 24, 2012 5:59PM EDT

New Sears Canada CEO Calvin McDonald is shaking things up in the retailer's suburban markets, updating the stores and copying ‘shamelessly’ from specialty chains in his bid to woo back customers
Ontario-made planes travel the world

Thursday, May. 17, 2012 6:07PM EDT

Diamond Aircraft in London, Ont., saw a sales increase of 33 per cent last year for its single- and twin-engine aircraft. It also has a jet model under development.
Photos from Oxford Beach's 2012 St. Party's Day event

Wednesday, May. 16, 2012 6:00AM EDT

Photos from Oxford Beach's 2012 St. Party's Day event at St. Lawrence Market in Toronto
A non-traditional business takes flight

Tuesday, May. 15, 2012 4:29PM EDT

Joris Brinkerhoff's business provides work for rural residents of Costa Rica and is a case study at Harvard University's business school
Photos: How to shoot great canoeing photos

Friday, May. 11, 2012 1:54PM EDT
In Pictures: Go-Go Gymnastics

Friday, May. 11, 2012 6:00AM EDT

Have a look at Fredericton-based Go-Go Gymnastics Inc.'s mobile gymnastics company
First Nations take their pipeline protest to the top

Wednesday, May. 09, 2012 6:43PM EDT

First Nations groups marched through the corridors of power in downtown Toronto on Wednesday to protest the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline at the annual meeting of the pipeline's sponsor, Enbridge Inc.
Louis Vuitton's store of the year - and its Canadian connections

Monday, May. 07, 2012 6:00PM EDT

Toronto's Eventscape - a fabrication firm whose motto is 'build the extraordinary' - delivers in Singapore
Photos from The Globe's Small Business Summit in Calgary

Friday, May. 04, 2012 6:00AM EDT

The April 25 event in Calgary featured speeches and workshops designed to help entrepreneurs grow their companies
Guitar maker fine-tunes a business strategy

Friday, May. 04, 2012 6:00AM EDT

Craftsman sells his handmade creations throughout Ontario and in the U.S.

More Photo Galleries

More from The Globe and Mail

MOST POPULAR STORIES

MORE TOP STORIES

Add to watchlist

No Security Selected