100 Years of Fritz Studer AG
1912 The Jungfrau Railway up to the Jungfraujoch, 3454 m above sea level, is completed and inaugurated 路 1913 PVC, the first
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Fritz Studer on his early entrepreneurial career 4
UNACCUSTOMED TO DESIGNING, I USUALLY WORKED UNTIL LATE INTO THE NIGHT ON THE DRAWINGS, THEN ON THE MODELS.
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hard plastic, is invented 路 1915 The world's first all-metal airplane, the Junkers J1, is built 路 1916 The Trans-Siberian Railway,
the longest railway in the world, is completed 路 1917 The German surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch develops a moving prosthesis
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The Art of Grinding STATE OF THE ART INNOVATION PRODUCTS CUSTOMERS People SERVICE STUDER IN THE PUBLIC EYE STUDER TODAY Future
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THE ART OF GRINDING
Perfect objects of art Resting on the laurels of success? You must be joking. That is not an option even for such a successful machine manufacturer. Not even one celebrating its one hundredth anniversary. There is no reason to simply cling to tradition. And excellence is an absolute prerequisite for product quality. Changes in the machine industry are occurring ever more frequently. What is valid today may already be obsolete by tomorrow – this means that innovations are required, and new challenges must be taken on. Constantly.
1912
Many of the rooms at Fritz Studer AG in Steffisburg give the impression of exhibition spaces in modern museums. Great importance has been attached to art in the company for many years. A marvelous philosophy – anyone expecting oil stains and the smell of metal is surprised by large paintings and exclusive flower arrangements, those expecting noisy machines find none – only sophisticated, high-tech systems. STUDER machines are technological objets d'art that will enhance any machine
Foundation without clear prospects
In February Fritz Studer leaves the Dixi machine factory in Le Locle, where he was head of manufacturing. A mechanical workshop becomes available to rent in Steffisburg. Fritz Studer founds the company with a workforce consisting of a retired foreman, a novice lathe operator and three apprentices, with no assured work prospects and no design program. The workshop has no grinding machine for machining precise parts. He promptly decides to build his own cylindrical grinding machine. The 33-year old patents silent reverse of the table as his first invention. Fritz Studer (1879–1964)
· 1918 Watchmaker Mido G. Schaeren & Co. AG is established in Solothurn · 1919 Ernest Rutherford artificially converts nitro-
gen into oxygen · 1920 In the United States a broadcast station starts the first regular radio program · 1921 German chemist
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shop. Hardly surprising, as the staff of Fritz Studer AG are specialists in the art of grinding. They adhere to a corporate culture which provides added value. On a daily basis. And this is essential. To be industry leader is one thing - to remain it is a fine art. It goes without saying that market performance must constantly develop and be aligned to ever changing standards. It is necessary to draw conclusions from history and, in particular, to
gain impetus from experiences and conflicts, in order to keep the company in its leading position, agile and healthy in the face of constantly growing challenges. To respond to customer requirements openly and positively and to provide solutions more quickly than the competition must continue to be the goal. The success of Fritz Studer AG has always been dependent on the quality of its work. More precise, more reliable, quicker. For the past one hundred years.
Fritz Winkler discovers another aggregate state: plasma · 1922 Englishman J. Harwood invents the self-winding wristwatch
1914
Prototype at the Swiss National Exhibition 1914
Shortly before the registration closing date for the National Exhibition in Bern in December 1912 Fritz Studer decides to exhibit a machine. Although assembly can begin in September 1913, Fritz Studer is running out of time. Various modifications cause delays, and the time lost cannot be regained. The prototype machine is delivered late to Bern – nevertheless, it attracts a great deal of interest and orders follow from the clock and watch industry and from foreign precision factories.
· 1923 The first diesel engine is installed in a truck · 1924 Ford is the first manufacturer to fit its A-series with safety glass as
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