# Jobs in the manufacture of machinery and equipment

A map of a former edition of the Atlas of Switzerland, the national atlas published by ETH Zurich. It opens only in the desktop atlas (version 4) for Windows and macOS, not in the web atlas; see the links below.

- Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/jobs-in-the-manufacture-of-machinery-and-equipment/
- Short title: Manufacture of machinery and equipment: jobs
- Map id: 795
- Categories: Economy and Energy › Industry › Manufacture of machinery and equipment
- Keywords: Economy, Industry, Labour, Labour force
- Published: 2020-11-04
- Last revised: 2022-02-10
- Content language: English
- Other languages: [Deutsch](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/de/thema/beschaeftigte-in-der-maschinenbauindustrie.md), [Français](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/fr/theme/emplois-dans-la-construction-de-machine-et-equipements.md), [Italiano](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/it/tema/addetti-nella-fabbricazione-di-macchinari-e-apparecchiature.md)

## Description

Mechanical engineering existed in Switzerland before 1800. Artisans constructed spinning wheels and looms for the cottage industry and water wheels for different industries, including associated transmissions and machinery such as mills, saws and stampers. In French-speaking Switzerland, various instruments related to the watchmaking industry emerged. To set up the first mechanical spinning mills, 1,800 English mechanics had to be brought in and essential components imported. Since importing entire plants as well as getting foreign experts to operate and maintain them was extremely costly, mechanical workshops were attached to the spinning mills (e.g. Honegger, Rieter). Over time, these workshops began building the machines or at least the components themselves by copying foreign prototypes. This paved the way to the development of machine factories – sales in the mechanical engineering sector increased, while the spinning industry lost out.

*Transition to general mechanical engineering*
In its infancy, the mechanical engineering sector focused not only on metal but also on timber processing. However, iron and steel started to become increasingly dominant in the middle of the 19th century. As water wheels were no longer sufficient in many places due to their low efficiency, businesses began constructing turbines in the 1840s/1850s (Escher, Wyss & Cie.).
More areas of focus emerged towards the end of the 19th century, with steam engines being joined by steam turbines, which were mainly exported for power stations and also for ships (e.g. Sulzer). Different companies dedicated themselves to improving combustion engines and achieved remarkable success particularly with large diesel engines. There were early successes too in the automobile industry. In addition to several small car manufacturers, the first decade of the 20th century saw the establishment of a department at Saurer which would soon begin specialising in lorries. Exports in this new sector flourished until the end of the First World War.

*Advancement into a leading industry*
However, the rise of the electronics industry was a pivotal factor. Even before the 19th century, the Swiss mechanical engineering sector was able to supply all the electrical equipment required (low and high voltage), from turbines to generators and transformers to sockets (Brown, Boveri & Cie., Meuron & Cuénod). At the same time, an electrical device industry emerged, made possible by the huge success of this new form of energy.
The huge boom in mechanical engineering at the turn of the century was reflected in both the employment and foreign trade statistics. However, in 1900 and despite having a good 35,000 employees, the mechanical engineering sector was far behind the textile and clothing and construction industries, and even lagged behind the watchmaking, food and timber industries. Around a third of products were sold abroad, but compared with the textile industry, export revenues remained modest.

*Mechanical engineering as an export industry*
Even before the Second World War, mechanical engineering grew to become the strongest export sector, with a good two thirds of total production going abroad. In terms of employment figures, it also overtook the textile and clothing industry in the 1930s. After the Second World War, the Swiss credit policy played a considerable role in the mechanical engineering sector, helping it to make a great contribution to the rebuilding of Europe. In the 1950s, it overtook the construction industry in terms of the number of employees and remained the most important employer in the secondary sector until the 1980s.
However, since the 1970s, the structure of the mechanical engineering sector has been at risk and it suffered significantly during the crises of 1974-1975, 1982-1983 and 1991-1993. Its hesitant engagement with microelectronics only complicated matters further. In the 1980s, almost three quarters of production was exported abroad. From the late 19th century onwards, the biggest purchasers were almost always Germany and France, and Italy to a lesser extent. In the second half of the 20th century, the US arrived on the scene as a new bulk buyer. Since its peak during the economic boom in the 1950s and 1960s, the global market share has dropped significantly and, in the 1990s, stood at 2 to 3%, which nevertheless gave Switzerland a place in the top ten world ranking. In 2000, the mechanical engineering sector still held a relatively strong position on the global market in its traditional areas of paper processing, textiles and machine tools. Today, the mechanical engineering sector not only includes large enterprises. Instead, small (20-100), medium-sized (100-500) and large enterprises (over 500) each account for around a third of employees.

## Sources

- HLS (2009): [Maschinenindustrie](https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/013984/2009-12-08/)

## Data sources

- Atlas der Schweiz: Administrative Einheiten 1:1 Mio. (Gemeinden, Bezirke, Kantone)
- Atlas of Switzerland: [Administrative Einheiten 1:500.000 (Gemeinden, Bezirke, Kantone)](http://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/)
- ETH Zurich: [Atlas of Switzerland](https://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/)
- FSO (2020): [Statistik der Unternehmensstruktur](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/industrie-dienstleistungen/erhebungen/statent.html)
- swisstopo [J160089] (2010): [Gemeindegrenzen GG25](https://shop.swisstopo.admin.ch/de/products/landscape/boundaries3D)
- swisstopo [J160089] (2010): [Landeskarte 1:500.000](https://shop.swisstopo.admin.ch/de/products/maps/national/lk500)

## Data owners

- [Atlas of Switzerland (AoS)](http://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/)
- [Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO)](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/)
- [Swiss Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo)](http://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/)

## Citation

The terms of use ask to name the Atlas of Switzerland and the data owners, and to keep the source references in exports, screenshots and embeds. Cite the map as:

> Atlas of Switzerland (2022): Jobs in the manufacture of machinery and equipment. ETH Zürich. Map data © AoS, FSO, swisstopo. https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/jobs-in-the-manufacture-of-machinery-and-equipment/

## Links

- Map page, with the description and sources and a button that opens the map in the desktop atlas: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/jobs-in-the-manufacture-of-machinery-and-equipment/
- Open the map in the desktop atlas (version 4), where it is installed: adsglobe://map/795
- Download of the desktop atlas (version 4) for Windows and macOS: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/ads4-download/

## Related maps

- [Major industrial, trading and service companies](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/major-industrial-trading-and-service-companies.md) (id 526, former edition, desktop atlas only)
- [Establishments in the manufacture of machinery and equipment](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/establishments-in-the-manufacture-of-machinery-and-equipment.md) (id 796, former edition, desktop atlas only)

For the use and citation of maps and data, see the [terms of use](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/terms-of-use/).