- Wenger
Wenger is one of two companies that have manufactured Swiss Army knives. Based in
Delémont , Wenger was acquired by rivalVictorinox in 2005. [http://www.europastar.com/europastar/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000904500 Victorinox acquires rival Wenger] . May 4, 2005.]Early history
In 1893 at
Delémont in the French-speakingCanton of Jura , the industrial cutlery house of Jupiter "Paul Boechat & Co" received a contract from the Swiss Army to produce knives. In 1898, Theodore Wenger was hired to be its manager and later renamed the company "Wenger & David".One of Wenger's first acts was to acquire a manufacturer of
spoon s andfork s which he moved to a rented factory in Delemont. In 1900 a new convert|18000|sqft|m2|sing=on facility was built. Both the utensil operations and the Courtetelle cutlery production were incorporated into the new plant now called Fabrique Suisse de Courtetellerie et Services.In 1908 the Swiss army decided to split the contract, with half of the order going to Victorinox, in the German-speaking canton of Schwyz, and the other half to Wenger in the French-speaking canton of Jura. [ [http://www.wengerna.com/content1039 Company history] , Wenger] They claim they did this in the interest of national harmony, but they may also have been interested in fostering
competition .Modern history
*In 1929, after Theo Wenger's death, Kaspar Oertli gained majority share in the company.
*In 1986, the factory was modernized following a factory fire.
*In 1988, Wenger started producing watches.
*In 2005, Victorinox obtained Wenger. Wenger are advertised as the "Genuine Swiss Army Knife" and Victorinox as the "Original Swiss Army Knife".
* In 2005, Wenger introduced Evolution, a series of Swiss Army Knives with ergonomic handles. This was dubbed the "first design change to the red-handled Swiss Army Knives since their inception".
* In 2007, Wenger introduced EvoGrip, ergonomically-shaped Swiss Army Knives with rubber inserts to improve grip and safety.Other products
In addition to Swiss Army knives, Wenger also sells
watches . In Canada, due to a trademark conflict with the "Wenger Watch Company", all Wenger watches are sold under the trademark "Swiss Military", elsewhere they are branded "Wenger".Wenger also produces kitchen knives under the brand names of "SWIBO" and "Grand-Maître" and scissors under the "Swissors" name.
In North America, licensed products using the "Wenger" and "SwissGear" trademarks are owned independently from Victorinox SA, and are used to market camping equipment (particularly tents, backpacks and sleeping bags), luggage, backpacks and office/business needs.
References
External links
* [http://www.wenger-knife.ch Official site]
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