Victorinox
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Victorinox (Template:IPAc-en<ref>Victorinox AG - YouTube</ref>) is a knife manufacturer and watchmaker based in the town of Ibach, in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. It is known for its Swiss Army knives. Since its acquisition of rival Wenger in 2005, it has become the sole supplier of multi-purpose knives to the Swiss army. It is the world's biggest manufacturer of pocket knives; additionally, the company licenses its logo for watches, apparel, and travel gear.
HistoryEdit
FoundingEdit
The company was founded in 1884 as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, the workshop of Karl Elsener in Ibach.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1891, Elsener co-founded {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} an association of Swiss knife manufacturers. This began their relationship delivering knives to the Swiss army. In 1892, most of Elsener's knife craftsmen left knives manufacturing as it became apparent that Solingen manufacturers could deliver at a lower price. Elsener persisted in competing with Solingen, hence incurring severe financial losses.
Elsener's {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} was patented in 1897, and was later marketed internationally as the Original Swiss Army Knife. This knife was not adopted by the Swiss Armed Forces as ordnance, but its commercial success allowed the company to recover financially.
Upon the death of his mother in 1909, Elsener named the brand "Victoria" in her honor. The same year, the Swiss coat of arms was introduced as the company logo. In 1921, the company changed its trade name to the present "Victorinox", a portmanteau of "Victoria" and "inox", an abbreviation for acier inoxydable, French for stainless steel. Its legal name was officially changed in 1979.Template:Citation needed
Original versus GenuineEdit
From 1908 to 2005, the delivery of knives to the Swiss Armed Forces was shared with Wenger. A compromise between the two companies stated that Victorinox would market their knives as the "Original Swiss Army Knives", while Wenger would market theirs as "Genuine Swiss Army Knives". Wenger was acquired by Victorinox in 2005. Knives actually made for the army (as opposed to the generic "Swiss Army" trademark) are known as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ("soldier knives"). These were produced in five generations, known by the date of their introduction as models 1890, 1908, 1951, 1961 and "08" (with minor variants within each generation). Model 1890 was originally produced by Wester & Co, Solingen, and produced by Elsenser in competition with the Solingen manufacturer. Models 1908 and 1951 were also produced by several companies in Germany and Switzerland. Model 1961 was produced exclusively by Victorinox and Wenger, and Model 08, introduced after the acquisition of Wenger, is exclusively manufactured by Victorinox.
Swiss army issued knives: 1890–2008Edit
As issued by the Swiss Army.
- Wester & Co 2.JPG
Modell 1890
- Swiss Army pocket knife, 1900.jpeg
Modell 1908
- SAK 1951.JPG
Modell 1951
- Swiss Army Knive opened.jpeg
Modell 1961 (1994 variant)
- Soldatenmesser 08-2.JPG
Soldatenmesser 2008
Victorinox in North AmericaEdit
In 1972, the Forschner Butcher Scale Company of New Britain, Connecticut became the exclusive Victorinox distributor for the United States. In 1981, the company went public, and Charles Elsener, president of Victorinox, acquired a significant percentage of its shares. In 1983, it was renamed the Forschner Group, Inc. In the 1980s, Forschner registered the Swiss Army name as a trademark in the USA. In 1992, Precise Imports Corp., a U.S. and Canadian importer of Wenger knives, sued and Forschner retained the rights to use the trademark on its compasses, timepieces, and sunglasses, while Precise could use it in marketing other non-knife items. In the mid-1990s, Forschner changed its name to Swiss Army Brands, Inc. (SABI).Template:Citation needed
In 2001, Victorinox teamed up with SABI to establish an international watch company, Victorinox Swiss Army Watch AG. In August 2002, Victorinox acquired all remaining shares of SABI to gain control of the Swiss Army trademark. Previously, SABI had sold the Swiss Army branded watch in North America and—under the license—the Victorinox branded watch outside North America. But afterwards, the combined Victorinox Swiss Army brand has been marketed worldwide.Template:Citation needed
Wenger acquisitionEdit
On 26 April 2005, Victorinox acquired Wenger, the other official supplier of the Swiss Army knife,<ref name=guard-cut-down>Template:Cite news</ref> announcing that it intended to keep both brands intact, only separate entities.
In 2006, the company had a workforce of 900 employees. Its daily output was about Template:Val Swiss Army knives, Template:Val multi-tools, and Template:Val household kitchen knives. Approximately 90% of its production is exported to more than 100 countries. To avoid thisTemplate:Clarify, they set aside profits during boom periods to supplement recessionary periods as well as temporarily contracting employees to other companies as outsourced labor during recessions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 30 January 2013, Victorinox announced that the company was merging Wenger's knife product lines with the Victorinox brand to strengthen its competitive position internationally.Template:Citation needed
Bushcraft usageEdit
The Farmer model was adopted by the Bushcraft community as their folding knife (circa 2005).Template:Citation needed
Luggage and clothingEdit
In 2014, Victorinox acquired the TRG Group from Centric Group. For several years, TRG Group was the Victorinox licensee for the manufacturing of luggage and travel-oriented products. Victorinox integrated TRG Group in the company as the Victorinox Travel Gear division.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2017, Victorinox decided to close the apparel division with the purpose of focusing in other core product lines.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ProductsEdit
Swiss Army knivesEdit
The Swiss Army knife is the best-known product by Victorinox. Originally the sole supplier, Victorinox has shared the contract with Wenger since 1908. 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.<ref name=guard-cut-down />
Swiss Army knives are widely used outside the army (and civil sales represent most of the turnover<ref>Template:In lang "Les couteaux Victorinox proposés au catalogue de l'armée américaine", Radio télévision suisse, 10 July 2017 (page visited on 10 July 2017).</ref>). They are multi-functional tools, and many sizes and functional combinations are produced. NASA astronauts each have a Victorinox knife at their disposal as standard equipment, Victorinox knives have also been taken to Mount Everest and the Arctic as well. Template:AnchorThe "Champion", Victorinox's flagship model, prior to the introduction of the "SwissChamp" in 1986, is displayed in the New York Museum of Modern Art's Permanent Design Collection.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
SwissCardEdit
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 82 × 54.5 x 4.5 mm in size, with an inch ruler on one side and metric measurements on the other. Victorinox produces three types of SwissCards, the Classic, the Quattro and the Lite model. All three models differ in the number of functions they provide, ranging from 10 (Classic) to 13 functions (Quattro and Lite).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CutleryEdit
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 has since manufactured the same knives only with the Victorinox name.
Professional knivesEdit
Victorinox make a range of household and professional (NSF certified) food preparation knives. They offer chef's knives, bread, carving, filleting, deboning, paring, Santoku and specialized knives such as a cheese knife. Victorinox models are made with molded plastic handles, wooden handles or riveted handles. Most models have stamped blades, but one series has a forged bolster. They also have no ricasso – the flat section of the blade located at the junction of the blade and the heel. Most models use stainless steel blades and one type is also available with ceramic blades.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>
BayonetsEdit
Victorinox also produces the Sturmgewehr 90 bayonet for the Swiss Sturmgewehr 90 assault rifle.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>sigsauer-2018-catalog.pdf</ref> 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 both Wenger and Victorinox before the two companies merged.
TimepiecesEdit
In 1989, Victorinox entered the timepiece business in the United States under the brand name "Swiss Army".<ref name="HISTORYOFVICTORINOX">"Victorinox: History", swissarmy.com, Victorinox corporate website</ref>
Victorinox has various collections of watches which range from luxury dress watches to rugged diving watches. They feature mechanical and quartz movements. Collections include Infantry, Heritage, Divemaster, Airboss and I.N.O.X. The timepieces are all produced in Switzerland.
In 2014, Victorinox introduced the I.N.O.X. range of watches which it claims are resistant to high levels of shock, including being run over by a tank.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
OtherEdit
Victorinox produced a fashion line up until the late 1990s, but retired from this project in 2017.<ref>"Victorinox gibt die Mode auf", NZZ, 17 February 2017.</ref>
In 2012, Victorinox licensed its name to luggage manufacturer TRG Accessories to produce branded travel gear and business accessories.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Victorinox acquired TRG Accessories from Centric Group in 2014.
A number of Emissive Energy Corps products have been redesigned and rebranded as Victorinox LED flashlights.Template:Year needed Most are available with a knurled aluminium body, similar to Swiss Army knives. Similarly, SwissTools are Victorinox's multi-tools, i.e. a pair of pliers with other tools folded into the grips. In 2018, Victorinox marketed a perfume under the name "Swiss Army", and registered "Swiss Army" and "Swiss Military" as trademarks under US law. In October 2018, the Swiss Federal Office for Defence Procurement (Armasuisse) sued Victorinox, demanding the removal of these trademarks from the marketplace. The context of the lawsuit is a 2012 parliamentary motion by state councillor Thomas Minder requesting the active protection of trademarks such as "Swiss Army", "Swiss Military" or "Swiss Air Force" on the part of the federal authorities. Victorinox argued that it does own the (English-language) trademarks "Swiss Army" and "Swiss Military".<ref>Maurizio Minetti, Der Bund gegen Victorinox vor Gericht: Streit um «Swiss Military» Luzerner Zeitung, 18 October 2018.</ref>
GalleryEdit
- Victorinox SwissChamp Closed.JPG
"Victorinox SwissChamp", with multiple tools
- Bayonet SG550.JPG
Bayonet for the Sturmgewehr 90, as issued by the Swiss Army
- Victorinox Multitool.jpg
Victorinox SwissTool multi-tool
- Victorinox pokrowiec.JPG
Victorinox knife pouch
- Victorinox kitchen cutlery.jpg
Victorinox kitchen cutlery
- Victorinox-Climber.jpg
Victorinox Climber
- Victorinox-Electrician-Alox.jpg
Victorinox Electrician
- Victorinox-Money-Clip.jpg
Victorinox Money-Clip
- Victorinox-Weekender.jpg
Victorinox Weekender
- Victorinox-Spirit.jpg
Victorinox Spirit
- Victorinox-111mm.jpg
Victorinox One-Hand Master RT
- Victorinox-Craftsman.jpg
Victorinox Craftsman
- Victorinox-Broker.jpg
Victorinox Broker
- Victorinox-Pioneer.jpg
Victorinox Pioneer
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Knives Template:Tool manufacturers Template:Authority control Template:Coord