Innovation keeps Swiss army knife maker sharp
Victorinox AG, 126 years old, has never outsourced production or cut jobs during a recession. Here's a look at the operation
A worker sits in front a work bench with boxes containing parts of pocket knifes at the production site of Swiss knife manufacturer Victorinox in the village of Ibach near Schwyz December 4, 2007. Workers at the Victorinox factory, founded in 1884, produce 28,000 Swiss Army Knives a day, many hand-assembled. In addition, the factory?s almost 1,000 workers turn out 32,000 other tools and 60,000 kitchen and butchers? knives. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann (SWITZERLAND)� Arnd Wiegmann / Reuters/Reuters
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.
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.
A worker assembles a knife at the company's manufacturing plant in Ibach.
Blanks of knife blades lie on an assembly line before hardening at the production facility of Swiss knife manufacturer Victorinox in the village of Ibach near Schwyz December 4, 2007. Workers at the Victorinox factory, founded in 1884, produce 28,000 Swiss Army Knives a day, many hand-assembled. In addition, the factory?s almost 1,000 workers turn out 32,000 other tools and 60,000 kitchen and butchers? knives. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann (SWITZERLAND)� Arnd Wiegmann / Reuters/Reuters
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.
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.
Partly finished knife. The company makes 350 kinds of knives, some of which now include USB drives and laser pointers.
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.
Pocket knives with the company logo lie in box at the production facility of Swiss knife manufacturer Victorinox in the village of Ibach near Schwyz April 1, 2009. Victorinox, founded in 1884, celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2009. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann (SWITZERLAND BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT)� Arnd Wiegmann / Reuters/Reuters