IWC celebrates construction of new production facility
As one of the world’s leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC is once again investing in its Schaffhausen home, the location of the company’s head-quarters since 1868. The watch manufacturer celebrated the go-ahead for work to begin on the new production and technology centre in the Merishausertal on the outskirts of Schaffhausen with a traditional ceremony.
Members of IWC Management and numerous esteemed guests gathered to mark the forthcoming commencement of building work on IWC’s new manufacturing centre in a manner befitting the occasion. IWC CEO Georges Kern was joined by Cantonal Councillor Reto Dubach, as well as Peter Neukomm and Raphaël Rohner, heads of the municipal council’s finance and building departments.
Schaffhausen facilities expand for third time in 10 years
“Today’s ground-breaking ceremony is about more than just marking the start of construction for the new production facility,” comments IWC CEO Georges Kern, emphasizing the significance of the event. “It is a commitment to Schaffhausen as the home of IWC and to attractive working conditions for our employees. It is also testament to the positive work being done by both the city and the Canton of Schaffhausen to create the ideal conditions for IWC to continue producing unique timepieces.” With an investment totalling around 40 million Swiss francs, this new building represents the largest expansion of production facilities to date. It follows the addition of the East Annex in 2005 and the West Annex in 2008 to the premises in the old town, which were constructed to meet growing demand. With 800 employees at its headquarters, IWC Schaffhausen is not only one of the most important employers in the region, but is an ambassador for the city’s image across the globe. The company was able to secure development rights for the 20,000-square-metre site thanks in no small part to the residents of Schaffhausen, who 2 years ago voted with a majority of over 80% in support of the luxury watch manufacturer’s plans, demonstrating the trust they place in their local employer.
New building consolidates manufacturing process
Once again, IWC is sending out a clear signal with the construction of the modern manufacturing centre. “Over the past 10 years, IWC has grown from a niche company into a global brand, and we want to keep growing a little more each day,” says Georges Kern of the ambitious building project. “The large site allows us to design the building with a view to creating optimized, carefully coordinated lean production and logistics processes, which will enable us to further improve our ability to compete internationally.” Upon completion of the new building in October 2016, the Schaffhausen-based watch manufacturer will relocate the case and parts manufacturing departments along with the movement assembly to the Merishausertal. State-of-the-art workstations will be provided for a total of 250 employees across a fl space of 13,000 square metres, while the building’s capacity allows for up to 400 workstations.
Attractive building in accordance with latest standards
The large expanses of green and the elegant architecture of the two-storey flat-roofed construction ensure that the staggered building complex blends seamlessly into the topography of the Merishausertal. The new manufacturing centre is not just the product of IWC’s philosophy and its dedication to climate protection and ecological responsibility; the experience gathered from the new-build projects undertaken over the past 10 years has also strongly influenced plans for the building. An example of this is the triple-insulated glass facade which ensures that the interior is flooded with light. “We are continuing on from where we left off in 2008 with the West Annex, and implementing only the highest possible standards,” continues Georges Kern. “Alongside water heat recycling and heat recovery ventilation systems, we also use groundwater heating and cooling methods, and it goes without saying that our insulation measures meet the Minergie standard. We will also be able to cover a significant share of our energy requirements with the photovoltaic system that is planned to cover a large section of the fl roof.” Lighting in the building and the surrounding area will be equipped with LED technology and controlled by motion sensors. Also planned as part of the infrastructure is an intelligent waste and recycling management system to facilitate the reuse of waste from the production process. A canteen will also provide meals for the staff. IWC has been a certified carbon-neutral company since 2007, and in line with this commitment will also provide its employees with a smart fortwo electric car. A final progressive initiative comes in the form of charging stations for the car and for e-bikes.
Facts and figures for the planned IWC manufacturing centre
Location: Merishausertal
Total investment: CHF 40 million
Total floor space: 13,000 m2
Length of building: 121 m
Width of building: 40.5 m
Workstation capacity: 250 employees
Start of construction: 29 September 2014
Planned move into the new building: from October 2016
Architects : ATP kfp architekten ingenieure, Zurich, RMA Rainer Müller Architekten, in cooperation with Christoph Grainger-Herr, Executive Brand Architect at IWC Schaffhausen
