Victorinox AG

Victorinox AG, based in the town of Schwyz [1] is a Swiss knife manufacturer who is best known as one of two original producers of the Swiss Army knife. The name is a portmanteau word made up of Victoria, the mother of the founder, and the INOX stainless steel.
A native of the Canton of Schwyz Group was founded in 1884 by Karl Elsener. The Victorinox group employs around 1,700 employees, including about 900 in Canton Schwyz, [2], and generated 2008 sales of 485 million Swiss francs. [4] The annual production of around 26 million units, of which 6 million to Swiss Army Knife , 7 million to other pocket tools, and 13 million to the household accounts and professional knives. The company is managed by Carl Elsener Jr.., Great-grandson of the founder. [4]

End of the 19th Century, there were already large in the German Solingen knife manufacturers, while Switzerland was still little developed economically and industrially.
The Swiss cutler Karl Elsener founded in 1884, after he had spent his apprenticeship in Paris and in southern Germany, a cutlery workshop in Ibach.
On the initiative of Karl Elsener out of the Swiss knife maker association is founded in 1891. Karl Elsener and his colleagues supply the Swiss Army knives for the first time with soldiers.
This knife should be suitable as an aid in eating, while providing tools for the maintenance of guns. Many of his colleagues, however, gave to the following year, as the operation was in the German Solingen his knives produce cost-effective. This was Karl Elsener left as the only, albeit with great losses. With the help of his relatives, he managed to achieve a moratorium and thus avert the threat of bankruptcy. With the great success of the officer and sport knife, which he developed as a lighter, more functional successor to the soldiers knife, he was later able to voluntarily compensate all his creditors with interest.
On 12 June 1897 protects the Swiss Officer's knife and sports law. This model is later than the original Swiss Army Knife around the globe known. Even if the officer does not like his predecessor knife to a defense official subject of the Swiss Army, it was later to help his company's international breakthrough. The Swiss Army Knife, as it is called, has been constantly developed and is now available in over 100 designs. After the death of his mother Victoria chose Karl Elsener in 1909 her first name as a factory mark. The company's founder in 1909 allows the characteristic emblem with the cross and shield protected by law. Today it is registered in over 120 countries as a trademark.
With the invention and proliferation of stainless steel, which plays an important role in the production of knives, 1921, from the make Victoria and the international license plates of stainless steel INOX the company name of Victorinox.
1931 was the first fully electric hardening in the world installed in Victorionx
Since November 1978, Victorinox knives are part of the team equipment of the Space [NASA shuttle five] [6]. The space agency ordered 50 of the American Master Craftsman Swiss Army Knife. NASA points but also explicitly point out that this order without permission may be commercially marketed under the name NASA in conjunction. We give you the agreement but that Victorinox press releases may be published with the statement that the knife from Ibach to standard equipment belonged astronaut.
Per second January 1979 is the private company Carl Elsener Knives in the family corporation converted Victorinox AG.
Under the brand name Swiss Army is increasing, the then U.S. distributor in the U.S. in 1989 into a watch shop.
1999 Victorinox enters the luggage market and give the U.S. TRG Group in St. Louis, the license for the manufacture and distribution.
1999 was followed by the founding of Victorinox Watch SA in Bonfol, own watch factory in French-speaking part of Switzerland. The Victorinox Foundation is built 2000th It holds 75% of the share capital of Victorinox AG. Another 15% are owned by the nonprofit Carl Elsener and Elise-Good Foundation.
2001 Victorinox launches in the U.S., a clothing line.
2002 is the sole shareholder of Swiss Army Victorinox Brands Inc. in the U.S.. Thus, sales volume increases for the first time over 400 million CHF.
2003 Victorinox takes over the American society including the NA Wenger Swiss Army Fragrance perfume labels.
2005 Victorinox acquired Wenger in the economically ailing competitors Delémont. [7]. This creates a purchase of Wenger was prevented by foreign investors, which would have been regarded as defamatory for the Swiss army knife. Furthermore, it makes the position in the knife market was further expanded. Wenger has been maintained as a separate brand and continues to be her own Swiss army knife, which differ in construction and design of the Victorinox products. Victorinox and Wenger together produce annually 25 million meters.
2006 The Victorinox Watch SA moves from Bonfol in the new watch factory in order to Porrentruy.
Victorinox founded in 2007 at the site of the headquarters of Victorinox Swiss Army Fragrance AG. The former Wenger's perfume line will be repositioned and replaced the emblem as a trademark Victorinox Victorinox Swiss Army.
At the beginning of the 21st Century saw the introduction of the Swiss Memory, a combination of knife and USB stick.
2010 Victorinox Presentation Master at CES in Las Vegas than flew after the Swiss Memory was introduced, which satisfies the knife a laser pointer, a fingerprint reader (fingerprint reader) and a Bluetooth module [8].
Today is also the Victorinox Rescue Tool offered "a rescue knife, containing, among other things, the functions handed blade with liner lock system, belt cutter, window breaker and disc saw. Victorinox also produces the current one-hand opening pocket knife with the German Bundeswehr.
In the television series MacGyver, which was produced in the 1980s and 1990s, were the Swiss Army Knife from Victorinox a trademark of the eponymous main character Angus MacGyver, this used regularly to build improvised devices or to free themselves from emergency situations.