Victorinox

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Victorinox AG

Type	Aktiengesellschaft
Founded	1884
Founder(s)	Karl Elsener and Nicholas Elsener
Headquarters	Ibach, Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Carl Elsener jun. (President, CEO & Chairman)
Products	Swiss Army knives, cutlery, watches, travel gear, apparel, flash lights
Operating income	485 Mio. CHF (2008) ^[1]
Employees	1,700 (2009) ^[2]^[3]
Divisions	Victorinox Swiss Army Watch SA, Biel/Bienne Switzerland TRG Group, St. Louis, Missouri, USA Victorinox SA Apparel LLC, New York, USA Victorinox Swiss Army Fragrance AG, Switzerland Victorinox Swiss Army Inc. Monroe, Connecticut, USA
Website	victorinox.com

Victorinox (/vɪktɵˈriːnɒks/) is a knife manufacturer based in the town of Ibach, in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. Since its acquisition of rival Wenger in 2005, it has, once more, become the sole supplier of multi-purpose knives to the Swiss army.

It is the biggest manufacturer of pocket knives in the world.

History

A Victorinox SwissChamp, one of the most functional Swiss Army knives

Victorinox "Huntsman" Swiss Army knife with knife chain and belt clip.

The company was founded in 1884. Since 1891, the company has delivered knives to the Swiss army. Their famous emblem—a cross in a shield—has been used by Victorinox since 1909. That year, the mother of founder Karl Elsener died and he named the company "Victoria" in her honour. In 1921, with the introduction of "inox" (ab. for acier inoxydable, the French term for stainless steel) into their products, the brand and name of the company became the present "Victorinox" ("Victoria"+"Inox").

Victorinox claims never to have had to fire or make redundant an employee for economic reasons. To do this they set aside profits during boom periods to supplement recessionary periods, as well as temporarily contracting employees to other companies as outsourced labour during recessions.^[4]

On 26 April 2005 Victorinox acquired Wenger, the other official supplier of the Swiss Army knife, announcing that it intended to keep both brands intact. On 30 January 2013 Victorinox announced that the company will integrate Wenger's knife business to strengthen its competitive position internationally.

In 2006 the company had a workforce of 900 employees and produced about 34,000 Swiss Army knives, 38,000 multi-tools, and 30,000 household, kitchen, and knives per workday. Approximately 90 percent of its production is exported, to more than 100 countries.

Victorinox has licensed the Swiss Army brand and shield logo to companies producing watches, writing tools, luggage and clothing.

Products

Victorinox "Officer's Watch" (basic design)

The Swiss Army knife is the best-known Victorinox product. Originally the sole supplier, since 1908 it shared the contract with Wenger. A compromise between the two companies gave Victorinox the right to advertise as the Original Swiss Army Knife, while Wenger laid claim to the title of Genuine Swiss Army Knife. Victorinox took over Wenger in 2005.

Swiss Army knives are widely used outside the army. They are multi-functional tools, and many sizes and functional combinations are produced. NASA astronauts have a Victorinox knife as standard equipment.^[5] Victorinox knives have also been taken to Mt. Everest and the Arctic. The "Champion", Victorinox's model flagship prior to the introduction of the "SwissChamp" in 1986, is in the New York Museum of Modern Art's Permanent Design Collection.^[6] There is also an active Swiss Army Knife modding community, producing new models from cannibalised parts.

The SwissCard is roughly the size of a business card, typically with a small pair of scissors, a short non-folding knife, a small file with a screwdriver point, a plastic toothpick, tweezers, a slim ballpoint pen, and a straight pin, housed in a hard plastic case of approximately 82 × 50 mm in size, with an inch ruler on one side and metric measurements on the other.

Victorinox has long produced other kitchen cutlery under their own name and the Forschner brand name. In 2011 Victorinox stopped using the Forschner name and produces the same knives with the Victorinox name.

Victorinox also produces the bayonet for the Swiss Stgw 90 assault rifle. The bayonet has an overall length of 310 mm and a muzzle ring diameter of 22 mm. The 177 mm long blade is single-edged and it has no fuller. The bayonets were manufactured exclusively for the Swiss Army by Wenger and Victorinox (before the two companies merged).

SwissTools are Victorinox's multi-tools, i.e. a pair of pliers with other tools folded into the grips.

A number of pocket and wrist watches are sold with the Swiss Army brand.

Victorinox has licensed its name to TRG Group to produce branded travel gear and business accessories.^[7]

A number of Emissive Energy Corps products have been redesigned and rebranded as Victorinox LED flashlights. Most are available with a knurled aluminium body, similar to Swiss Army knives.

Gallery

Soldatenmesser 08, as issued by the Military of Switzerland.
Stgw 90 bayonet, as issued by the Military of Switzerland.
Victorinox Presentation Master.
Victorinox SwissTool multi-tool.

References

↑ „Victorinox: more than a Knife - a Worldbrand“, nachrichten.ch, 6. April 2009
↑ Kanton Schwyz
↑ Victorinox - Das Unternehmen
↑ BBC (2012-04-06). "Revealed: The Swiss Army knife". BBC News. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
↑ NASA. "NASA confirm use of Victorinox knives". Retrieved 2006-12-11.
↑ MoMA. "Victorinox Swiss Officers' Knife Champion (no. 5012)". Retrieved 2010-06-20.
↑ TRG Group. "TRG Group, About Us". Retrieved 2012-02-09.

External links

v t e Knives and daggers

List of daggers List of blade materials

Types of knives	Aircrew Survival Egress Knife Athame Balisong/Butterfly Ballistic Ballpoint pen knife Bayonet Boline Bolo Boning Boot knife Bowie Bread knife Cane knife Cheese knife Chef's knife Cleaver Clip point Combat knife Commander Corvo CQC-6 Dagger Deba bōchō Diving knife Drop point Electric knife Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife Gerber Mark II Ginsu Grapefruit knife Gravity knife Gunong Hunting dagger Hunting knife Jacob's ladder Karambit Kīla Kirpan Kitchen knife Kukri Laguiole knife Machete Mandau Mezzaluna Misericorde Mora knife Multi-tool Nakiri bōchō Navaja Neck knife Nontron knife Opinel knife Palette knife Pantographic knife Parang Penknife Penny knife Pocket knife Putty knife Puukko Rampuri Rondel dagger Sabatier Sami knife Santoku SARK Scalpel Seax Sgian dubh Sharpfinger Shiv Sliding knife Smatchet SOG Knife Straight razor Strider SMF Survival knife Swiss Army knife Switchblade Taping knife Throwing knife Tomato knife Trench knife Tumi Ulu Utility knife Warrior knife X-Acto Yanagi ba Yatagan

Types of daggers	Anelace Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife Arkansas toothpick BC-41 Bagh nakh Baselard Bichawa Bollock dagger Cinquedea Dirk Ear dagger Emeici Facón French Nail Hachiwara Hunting dagger Janbiya Kaiken Kalis Kard Katar Khanjar Kris Mark I trench knife Ocean Edge Knife Parrying dagger Poignard Push dagger Seme Shobo Sica Stiletto Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife Tantō Marine Raider stiletto V-42 stiletto Yarara Parachute Knife Yoroidōshi

Knife manufacturers	Aitor Al Mar Knives American Tomahawk Company Bear MCG Benchmade Böker Buck Knives Caber Camillus Cutlery Company Cattaraugus Cutlery Company Chris Reeve Knives Cold Steel Columbia River Knife & Tool Cuisinart Cutco Cutlery DOVO Solingen Dexter-Russell Eikhorn Ek Commando Knife Co. Emerson Knives Erizo F. Dick Fällkniven FAMAE Fiskars Füritechnics Gerber Legendary Blades Global Golok Hanwei Imperial Schrade J. A. Henckels KA-BAR Kershaw Knives KitchenAid Korin Japanese Trading Company Kyocera Leatherman Mad Dog Knives MercWorx Microtech Knives Morseth Murphy Knives Ontario Knife Company Opinel Pro-Tech Knives Randall Made Knives Ranz Rigid Knives Rösle SOG Specialty Knives Sabatier Aîné & Perrier Spyderco Strider Knives Survival Aids TEKNA Thiers Issard Victorinox W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Walther arms Wenger Western Knife Company Wilkinson Sword Windlass Steelcrafts Wüsthof Yarara Ltd

Knifemakers	A.G. Russell American Bladesmith Society Rex Applegate James Black Blackie Collins John Nelson Cooper Ernest Emerson Jerry Fisk Phill Hartsfield Bill Harsey, Jr. Gil Hibben Knifemakers' Guild Zanjan Knifemakers Jimmy Lile Bob Loveless Bob Lum William F. Moran Ken Onion Ralph Osterhout Walter Doane "Bo" Randall, Jr. Chris Reeve Jody Samson William Scagel Robert Terzuola Michael Walker Buster Warenski Daniel Winkler

Book:Knives and daggers Category:Knives / Daggers

v t e Hand tool manufacturers

Current	Apex Tool Group Allen Armstrong Tools Crescent GearWrench K-D Tools Lufkin Nicholson SATA Tools Wiss Xcelite Bondhus Buck Bros. Channellock Cornwell Tools Digitool Solutions Disston Saw Works EGA Master Eklind Emerson Ridgid Empire Level Estwing Felo FEW Fiskars Gerber Gardner Bender Gedore Gray Tools Hazet Heyco Ideal Industries Pratt-Read SK Hand Tools Western Forge Klein Tools Knipex KUKKO Leatherman Lie-Nielsen Toolworks Lisle Corporation Lowell Corporation Matco Tools Martin Tool & Forge Newell Rubbermaid Irwin Lenox Park Tool PB Swiss Saltus Sandvik Snap-on Bahco CDI Torque Products J.H. Williams Tool Group Stahlwille Stanley Black & Decker Blackhawk Bostitch Facom Mac Tools Proto Sidchrome Stanley Hand Tools Textron Greenlee Klauke Paladin Tools Techtronic Industries Milwaukee Thorsen Manufacturing Tomé Fèteira Toptul Vaughan Victorinox Wenger Wera Tools Wescott Wiha Tools Witte Tools Wright Tool

Historic	Coes Wrench Company Forest City Screwdriver and Drill Company Goodell-Pratt Hinsdale Indestro McKaig-Hatch New Britain Machine Company North Brothers Manufacturing Company ‎ Utica Tools Bonney Forge Herbrand Vlchek

House brands	Ace Hardware Ace Tools AutoZone Duralast Blain's Farm and Fleet Duracraft Canadian Tire Mastercraft The Home Depot Husky, Workforce Lee Valley Veritas Lowe's Kobalt Menards Masterforce Sears Craftsman

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