Victorinox begins production of the Swiss Army knife at Ibach, 1891

Background. The Swiss Army sought a new folding pocket knife in the late 1880s, officially designated Modell 1890 in January 1891. Due to insufficient Swiss production capacity, the initial order for 15,000 knives was placed with Wester & Co. in Solingen, Germany. This context set the stage for domestic manufacturing efforts by Karl Elsener in Ibach.

Production Start. Karl Elsener, owner of a business in Ibach that made surgical equipment, set out to manufacture the knives in Switzerland in 1891. His workshop, which later became Victorinox, began production of the Modell 1890 knives in late 1891, in competition with the German supplier. Elsener's entry represented Swiss domestic production of the military knife alongside the German manufacturer.

Competition. Elsener's production in Ibach was in competition with the German manufacturer. In 1892, most of Elsener's knife craftsmen left as Solingen manufacturers could deliver at a lower price. In 1891, Elsener co-founded the Schweizerischer Messerschmiedverband, an association of Swiss knife manufacturers.