Towards a new manufacturing base with increased transparency
IWC's new factory, the IWC Manufaktur Zentrum, was completed in August 2018. Planned from scratch, the factory combines the ideal flow of visitors as a watch factory and, more than that, an excellent visitor experience. Before the factory opens to the public, we would like to first introduce the entire factory.
Movie by Kô Oda
Interview and text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
A 30-minute train ride north from Zurich Central Station takes you to Schaffhausen Station, which faces the German border. Exit the north exit, transfer to a local bus, and continue north for another 20 minutes. At the end of a hill that opens up through a valley, you'll find IWC's new factory, the IWC Manufaktur Zentrum. The factory has two floors above ground and one below, covering a total floor area of 13,500 square meters. Currently employing 238 people, it has the capacity to accommodate up to 400, making it a fairly large facility. When I visited last year, it was under construction, but after 21 months and a cost of 42 million Swiss francs (not including machine tools), it was finally completed on August 23, 2018.
For many years, IWC used its headquarters and factory in the Baumgartner district of Schaffhausen. However, the building, which was completed in 1874, was deemed too small even in the late 1950s. This is why IWC assembled its movements outside Schaffhausen during this period (a practice that was later discontinued).
