A new building in Merishausen

The first swing of the pickaxe represents much more than the start of construction of a new production site, marking as it does the brand’s determination to consolidate its presence on the Schaffhouse site and create attractive working conditions for its employees. 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 the most important employer in the region.

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 floor space of 13,000 square metres, while the building’s capacity allows for up to 400 workstations.

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 the product of IWC’s philosophy and its dedication to climate protection and ecological responsibility. Alongside water heat recycling and heat recovery ventilation systems, it also uses groundwater heating and cooling methods, and it goes without saying that the insulation measures meet the Minergie standard. The firm will also be able to cover a significant share of its energy requirements with the photovoltaic system that is planned to cover a large section of the flat 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.  

October 09, 2014