Escher Wyss & Cie.
The Escher Wyss AG, originally Escher, Wyss & Cie.. , Was a Swiss industrial company with a focus on engineering and turbine construction until it was acquired by Sulzer AG 1969. The company was headquartered in Zurich.
History and products
The company Escher Wyss & Cie. was founded in 1805 by Hans Caspar Escher and Salomon von Wyss in Zurich as a second mechanical spinning of Switzerland, according to the General Societät the English cotton mill in St. Gallen, Escher himself waiting had made. The company's headquarters was located at the Neumühlestrasse, where parts of the former bastion of paradise were included in the factories. Until 1892 the area was a vast factory complex with its own power plant at today's Neumühlestrasse -Quai. On the former business premises today the cantonal administration building " Walche " and " Kaspar Escher - house ». To the maintenance and preparation of the spinning machines and the necessary for the operation of hydroelectric power plants arose own engineering activity that has worked in the fields of textile machinery, water wheels and turbines, pumps, transmission systems and later in shipbuilding and in the manufacture of steam engines, steam ships and steam locomotives. The company also operated a separate foundry at the lower Stampfenbachstrasse. In 1860 the mill was closed and the company focused on the engineering.
1889 management decided to move the factory from the city of Zurich in the then independent municipality Aussersihl because the relations of production in the Neumühlestrasse had become unreasonable. Especially the lack of siding was a problem represents the workers had the finished products with ropes go up in Stampfenbachstrasse, where they were brought at night by horse and cart to the station. (→ For more details on the new site, see below. )
Until the turn of the century Escher Wyss made a name internationally through innovation in the areas of steam and water power. World leader was Escher Wyss in particular in the field of hydraulics. On many historic steam engines and old power plants can still plaques imprinted with the company name " Escher, Wyss & Cie.. " Find.
After the First World War, the company focused on the world market and was one of the largest exporters of industrial products in Switzerland. In 1931, a consortium of banks, the majority of the company to prevent a collapse of the export operation, hit hard by the global economic crisis. Nevertheless, the company had 1935, the canton and the town obtained by a job guarantee with concurrent loss guarantee alive for two years. At the same time the name was changed to Escher Wyss AG. Finally bought Jacob Schmidheiny 1937, the long-established company. The Group's headquarters remained in Zurich, where at times over 2000 workers were employed. In the late 1960s came Escher Wyss despite technological leadership in a sales slump, as cheaper competitors entered the market, the global hydropower plant boom came to an end and the products manufactured by Escher Wyss machines turned out to be very durable.
1966/69 Escher Wyss and its subsidiaries was acquired by Winterthur industrial group Sulzer. 1981 put Sulzer part of an internal reorganization of the group companies " Escher Wyss AG, Zurich ", " Bell Maschinenfabrik AG, Kriens / Lucerne ", " Escher Wyss GmbH, Ravensburg " " De Pretto -Escher Wyss SpA, Scio, Vicenza " to Division " Escher Wyss " together. In 1983 the integration of the Department of Thermal Turbomachinery in the Escher Wyss AG, which on their name to " Sulzer -Escher Wyss AG " changed. In 1984, the daughter in Ravensburg this designation. Also in 1983 was the expansion in the U.S. with the acquisition of a company in the greater Cincinnati, the paper machines produced. They operated under the name " Sulzer -Escher Wyss Inc., Middletown ." Sulzer -Escher Wyss held stakes in the company Andritz AG in Graz, Austria, ( hydraulic, paper machines ), Dominion Bridge - Sulzer Inc. Montreal, Canada, and TEISA in Mexico. In 1985, she also expanded their range of thermal turbomachinery by the U.S. companies " Hickham Industries, Inc., La Porte, Texas," and " Turbo Systems International, Inc., Latham, New York" have been applied. The focus of the production was now in the fields of hydraulic and thermal turbomachinery. In addition, the group in the areas of equipment for hydroelectric power stations, fiber cement plants, process plants and components Nipco rolling and rolling mills, variable pitch propeller for ships, foundry products and manufacturing worked for a third party.
1999 Sulzer sold the company's hydropower section ( "Sulzer Hydro ") to the Austrian VA Technologie AG (VA Tech) and 2001 the area of turbo compressors to the German MAN. The hydropower sector of VA Technologie AG had at their purchase by Siemens will be sold in 2005 because of a condition of the EU antitrust authorities in 2006 to the company Andritz and was provisionally still continue to operate until December 31, 2008 VA Tech Hydro GmbH. On 1 January 2009 the company was renamed Andritz Hydro GmbH was. Within the Andritz Hydro GmbH Brand Names of Escher Wyss will continue to manufacture propellers in Ravensburg using.
The Escher- Wyss site
The company acquired in 1889 in the lower hardware a 153'800 m² plot on which it is left to create by the company Locher & Cie, a spacious modern manufacturing facility. 1891, work began on the 2160 m² large Boilermakers who was also home to the hull assembly. 1892-1894 the central machine factory was built, which occupied 15,000 sqm area with ten parts hall. In addition, the foundry hall with 6350 m² was performed simultaneously, which was connected by railroad with Maschinenfabrik. The complex had more buildings connected as the forge. The whole system was designed so that materials and manufacturers could be moved as efficiently as possible and without loss of time. For the power supply Escher Wyss had built in Bremgarten - Zufikon its own power plant, which transferred over a distance of 15 kilometers phase current to Zurich, which was converted into a separate power center in alternating and direct current. As a reserve also was ready a 1000 kW Zoelly steam turbine plant. A completely autonomous supply the factory with energy was thus ensured, together with a 250 hp steam engine for the light reserve. The then built 46 m high factory chimney with the characteristic water reservoir of 50 t capacity is still visible landmark of the plant. The Escher Wyss Maschinenfabrik was until well into the 20th century as an example of a modern machine factory.
Around the complex Escher Wyss be more factories set up operations, so that developed there until the turn of the century a new industrial district of Zurich. The intersection of Sihl Quay, hard road and Limmat Street was renamed after the businesses in Escher -Wyss-Platz. There was the neoclassical administration building on the prominent corner. The company also gave the district in which it was in his name (Escher Wyss). Besides Zurich had Escher Wyss offices, including in Ravensburg, Leedorf, Lindau and Schio and operated a worldwide licensing and export network.
The former group area in the lower hardware in Zurich was sold gradually Sulzer since the beginning of the 1990s, to redeem capital for its core business. At that time arose a violent dispute between real estate companies and the head of the municipal building department, Ursula Koch, who wanted to get an industrial production on the site. To date, at least six hectares of industrial use are obtained mainly the Escher Wyss successor company MAN Turbo AG and Andritz Hydro.
The Escher- Wyss site presented the most extensive urban development zone of Zurich West dar. Numerous buildings have been built there since 1990, the Techno Park ( 1993), the Novotel, Ibis and Etap, office, commercial and residential developments, " West Park " and "Puls 5 ," and modernized, as the mobimo skyscraper ( Bluewin Tower ). Some industrial buildings were redeveloped, about the Boilermakers, in what is now the playhouse under the label of " Shipbuilding " as an allusion to the former ship manufacturing in the building operates a branch, the foundry building, which is integrated into the complex " Puls 5 ," or the Administration Building, which was rebuilt in 2001 for " Bluewin Tower " (also known as " mobimo high-rise "). In addition, three new roads were built, the foundry, shipbuilding and Technoparkstrasse. The turbine space in the heart of the former industrial site became the largest square of the city of Zurich.
Large parts of the former Escher -Wyss Areal went in 2002 in the possession of Allreal Holding. The remaining plants are partially listed building, like the former administration building by the architect Robert Landolt (1954 ), the fireplace the production floor or the « shipbuilding » Hall.