Exploring a century through historical tools and objects

Tools and materials such as hammers, cables and bricks used in the V-ZUG Gourmet Academy.

Creativity, agility, leadership, teamwork: these soft skills are often hailed as the key to success in today’s marketplace. But it’s only when the abstract becomes tangible that a manufacturer can begin to thrive. A selection of objects and production tools at V-ZUG’s headquarters from different eras of its history remind us that ideas must take shape in order to become reality.

Bunker saddle

The V-ZUG archive is currently located in an underground space that was a bunker back in the 1930s. In the event of a power failure, the people in the bunker would still be able to operate the air purification system by pedalling on a two-seat stationary bicycle.
Metal carafe

This metal carafe conserved in the ZUGORAMA museum was never mass produced or sold. It was just a sample to show that, among its versatile range of products, the V-ZUG factory also made beautiful enamelware.
Karl’s hammer
“I really like it. When you hit a machine tool component, nothing gets damaged because of the copper on top,” says Karl Birchler, 62, a toolmaker who has worked for V-ZUG for 34 years.
Production smock

“I first used it in 1989. At the time, all production employees wore a jacket like this,” says engineer Hilmar Meienberg, 51. Today, V-ZUG employees are no longer required to wear a smock and can freely combine different elements of a clothing kit designed to comply with safety requirements while also identifying them as one of the team.
Circular brush

There was a time when sporting shiny shoes was extremely important. This circular brush was the central element of an electric shoe-shiner sold by V-ZUG in the 1960s. Now conserved in the ZUGORAMA museum, it is a testimony to the wide range of home appliances that the company used to produce.
V-ZUG Eye

Every year, V-ZUG receives many calls from customers who have questions about their appliances. Technicians can check what’s going on by connecting this digital tester called V-ZUG Eye to the customer’s appliance, just as a doctor would with a stethoscope.
Technical drawing

This technical drawing from 1945 shows a component of a greenhouse watering can (manufactured as a 2.5- and a 4.5-litre version). Now completely digitised, the V-ZUG archive currently contains around 170,000 product specifications and 140,000 drawings like this one, testament to decades of research into metal household accessories and appliances.
Oven stone

Coming up with a new high-performance oven involves years of development and testing. To avoid wasting expensive food in the process, researchers in V-ZUG’s food engineering department sometimes place a stone like this one in the oven to see how it reacts to different heating conditions.
Parisian spoon

“While cooking, we collect leftovers which can be reused for soups and purees,” says Reto Stefania, 50, an International Demonstrator at the V-ZUG Gourmet Academy. He uses this Parisian spoon to scoop out the pulp from potatoes, apples, pears, eggplants and other fruit and vegetables.