“Today’s ground-breaking ceremony is about more than just marking the start of construction for the new production facility,” comments IWC CEO Georges Kern. “It is a commitment to Schaffhausen as the home of IWC and to attractive workingconditions for our employees. It is also testament to the positive work being done by both the city and the Cantonof Schaffhausen to create the ideal conditions for IWC to continue producing unique timepieces.”
With 800 employees at its headquarters, IWC Schaffhausen is not only one of the most important employers in the region, but is an ambassador for the city’s image across the globe.
Upon completion of the new building in October 2016, IWC 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 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 not just the product of IWC’s philosophy and its dedication to climate protection and ecological responsibility.An example of this is the triple-insulated glass facade which ensures that the interioris flooded with light.
“Alongside water heat recycling and heat recovery ventilation systems, we also use groundwater heating and cooling methods, and it goes without saying that our insulation measures meet the Minergie standard", said George Kern. "We will also be able to cover a significant share of our 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 technologyand controlled by motion sensors. Also planned is an intelligent waste and recycling management system to facilitate the reuse of waste from the production process. 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.
