Develops and manufactures washing machines, dryers and system solutions for households, commercial and industrial use
Schulthess Maschinen AG
Cham ZG · Wolfhausen ZH · Worblaufen · Vienna (AT) · South Yorkshire (GB) · Redruth (GB) · Pieve di Soligo (IT) · Shanghai (CN)New on Amplifa
About Schulthess
Schulthess Maschinen AG is a Swiss traditional company founded in 1845 and a manufacturer of washing machines, dryers, washer-dryer towers and laundry system solutions for private, commercial and industrial customers. The product range extends from semi-professional washing machines with a 7 kg capacity to industrial machines with up to 120 kg capacity; it is complemented by dosing systems, detergents, mangles and ironing and finishing equipment. Production takes place just in time to order at the Swiss plant in Wolfhausen ZH, enabling short delivery times and flexible adaptation to customer requirements. Wash drums are made of high-quality chromesteel that is 100 percent recyclable. In addition to its equipment business, the company offers laundry planning, maintenance, multi-brand service and IoT solutions (washMaster, serviceMaster). The headquarters are located in Cham ZG; with around 600 employees, revenue of CHF 160 million, 34 export countries and subsidiaries in Austria, the United Kingdom, Italy and China, Schulthess is internationally positioned.
- Site
- Cham
- Processes
- Development and production of washing machines, dryers and system solutions, Just-in-time manufacturing to order, Maintenance and repair of washing machines, dryers and dishwashers (all brands), Clean service (professional cleaning/disinfection of machines), Laundry planning and project development (evaluation to commissioning), Mangle service (initial and replacement wrapping for mangles, all brands), Washing machine manufacturing (starLine 7 kg to maxLine 16–90 kg, industrial machines up to 120 kg), Ironing and finishing equipment (form finishers, trouser toppers, mangles)
- Materials
- Chromesteel, Plastic (explicitly not used for wash drums), Plastic
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, IATF 16949
- Founded
- 1845
- Employees
- ~600
- Industries
- Retirement and care homes, Hotels and accommodation, Hospitals and clinics, Campsites, Wash saloons and self-service laundries, Fitness centres
- 01
Development and design
- 02
Procurement
- 03
Manufacturing (just in time to order)
- 04
Assembly of machines and systems
- 05
Quality inspection
- 06
Installation and commissioning
- 07
Maintenance and service (incl. multi-brand service)
- 08
IoT-based monitoring (serviceMaster)
Materials & Technology
Chromesteel
Used for outer and inner wash drums – hygienic, extremely durable and 100 percent recyclable.
Plastic
Used in equipment construction, but according to the company deliberately not for wash drums.
Sites
Cham ZG
CHHeadquarters
Wolfhausen ZH
CHProduction
- Part weight / size
- Capacities 7 kg to 120 kg
- Lot size
- Small series to single-unit series (just in time to order)
- Materials
- Chromesteel
- Washing machine product lines (starLine, topLine, proLine, maxLine)
- Dryer production (proLine with Smart Dry Function)
- Washer-dryer tower manufacturing (Superb, Spirit ECO, Supersonic, Supreme, Leggera)
Wolfhausen ZH
CHSubsidiary Permatech (dosing systems and detergents)
- flowDos dosing system
Worblaufen
CHSubsidiary Chemie AG
Vienna
ATSubsidiary Schulthess GmbH
South Yorkshire
GBSubsidiary Wolf Laundry Ltd
Redruth
GBSubsidiary Brewer & Bunney Ltd
Pieve di Soligo
ITSubsidiary GMP s.r.l.
Shanghai
CNSubsidiary Schulthess
Equipment & System Solutions
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development and production of washing machines, dryers and system solutionsAssembly | – | – | – | – | Chromesteel |
| Just-in-time manufacturing to orderAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Maintenance and repair of washing machines, dryers and dishwashers (all brands)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Clean service (professional cleaning/disinfection of machines)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laundry planning and project development (evaluation to commissioning)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mangle service (initial and replacement wrapping for mangles, all brands)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Washing machine manufacturing (starLine 7 kg to maxLine 16–90 kg, industrial machines up to 120 kg)Assembly | – | – | 7 kg capacity – 120 kg capacity | – | Chromesteel |
| Ironing and finishing equipment (form finishers, trouser toppers, mangles)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Detergent production and dosing systems (FLOW line, Permatech flowDos)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washing machine product lines (starLine, topLine, proLine, maxLine) | Schulthess | – | – | – | Wolfhausen ZH (production) |
| Dryers (proLine with Smart Dry Function, tumble dryers) | Schulthess | – | – | – | Wolfhausen ZH |
| Washer-dryer towers (Superb 505/605, Spirit ECO WA4850/WT4860, Supersonic, Superb, Supreme, | Schulthess | – | – | – | – |
| flowDos dosing system | Permatech (Schulthess) flowDos | – | – | – | Wolfhausen |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Certificates
Schulthess is certified to ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environment) and ISO 45001 (occupational safety). Production follows APQP/production process specifications just in time to order at the Swiss plant.
| Evidence | Wolfhausen ZH |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 | |
| ISO 45001 | |
| IATF 16949 |
Company History
- 1845
Founding of the Bauspenglerei Kaspar Schulthess sheet metal business in Zurich
- 1890
Expansion of the business through the purchase of the Ornamentfabrik Künzli & Co., Zurich
- 1904
Manufacture of the first washing appliance
- 1917
Move into the production buildings in Wolfhausen (ZH)
- 1920–1940
Increasing focus on washing appliances for households and commercial purposes
- 1943
Conversion of the collective partnership into a joint-stock company
- 1949
Invention of the punched-card control for washing machines
- 1951
Production of Europe's first automatic household washing machine
- 1952–1954
Expansion to a full product range (4 to 230 kg)
- 1961
Introduction of the legendary green Schulthess machines
- 1968
Opening of Schulthess Vienna – first site outside Switzerland
- 1978
Launch of a washing machine with microprocessor (Computer 38)
- 1991
Merger of headquarters and plant in Wolfhausen; acquisition of Merker AG, Baden
- 1995
Renaming to Schulthess Maschinen AG
- 2000
Acquisition of Alpha-Innotec GmbH (Germany) and Calmotherm AG (Switzerland)
- 2011
NIBE becomes the new owner
- 2013
Launch of the WMI commercial machines
- 2015
Launch of the Spirit generation for single-family homes
- 2016
Launch of the Spirit generation for multi-family buildings
- 2018
Acquisition of Ferrum Waschtechnik AG