Wenger is one of two companies that have manufactured
Swiss Army knives. Based in
Delémont, Wenger was acquired by rival
Victorinox in 2005.
Early history
In 1893 at
Delémont in the
Canton of Jura, in Switzerland, the industrial cutlery house of
Paul Boéchat & Cie 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 & Co. S.A..
One of Wenger's first acts was to acquire a manufacturer of
spoons and
forks which he moved to a rented factory in Delemont. In 1900 a new facility was built. Both the utensil operations and the Courtetelle cutlery production were incorporated into the new plant now called Fabrique Suisse de Coutellerie 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 part of the canton of Bern. They claim they did this in the interest of national harmony, but they may also have been interested in fostering
competitive pricing.
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 acquired Wenger. Wenger are advertised as the "Genuine Swiss Army......
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