Victorinox has had a different strategy, seeking to turn the symbol of Swiss quality and reliability into a can't-do-without product for high-tech aficionados. In their merger announcement, they said they would keep their separate identities and product lines. The combination saves the struggling and much smaller Wenger and ensures that the renowned Swiss knife franchise does not fall into foreign hands. In response, the manufacturers have been reinventing one of the world's best-known and most enduring tools, and now they are merging to try to revive their market. And while the companies rushed to adjust, Sept. Military sales of the knives - used to assemble and disassemble rifles and to open rations - dwindled in the 1990's as the Swiss military shrank. Commercial sales would later flourish, with the knives being exported to 150 countries. The Swiss Army started equipping every soldier with a pocket knife as far back as 1896. All told, more than 500 versions are on the market, but that has not deterred the companies - Victorinox and Wenger, both based in Switzerland - from rolling out even more.
They have added a bevy of new versions, including one with a flash memory stick, several with digital features and another with a handle that glows in the dark. 11 attacks.īut the knives' two manufacturers, which announced last week that they were joining forces, have been counterpunching.
SALES of Swiss Army knives - the staple of campers, Boy Scouts, do-it-yourselfers and travelers, not to mention Switzerland's citizen-soldiers - plunged as much as 50 percent after stricter airport security rules were imposed in the wake of the Sept.
0 kommentar(er)
