History

Of that time to the day after tomorrow

Schmidlin production building in Oberarth with a mountain backdrop under a blue sky.
1947

  1. 1947

    Porträt des Gründers der Wilhelm Schmidlin AG in historischem Schwarz-Weiss-Foto.

    Wilhelm Schmidlin AG founded

    Wilhelm Schmidlin founds the first, and to this day only, steel bathtub factory in Switzerland.

  2. 1948

    Historical black-and-white photo of the manufacturing building in Oberarth with a logo on the façade.

    First factory building constructed

    The first factory building is constructed next to the forge.

  3. 1961

    Factory building extended

    Striking factory extension for the enameling plant and the press hall.

  4. 1961

    Historical black-and-white photograph of the company founder’s daughter inspecting a measuring cylinder.

    Margrit Wullschleger-Schmidlin joins the company

    Margrit Wullschleger-Schmidlin joins the family business and puts the enameling plant with chamber furnaces into operation.

  5. 1962

    Historical black-and-white photograph of employees working at a large press machine shaping bathtubs.

    Deep drawing press commissioned

    The 630-ton deep drawing press is used to draw and form bathtubs seamlessly from a single workpiece. Wilhelm Schmidlin is the world’s first supplier to succeed in using an ingenious 3-pass process to draw bathtubs 45 cm deep.

  6. 1962

    Tile flange tubs developed

    Wilhelm Schmidlin launches its tile flange tubs, which are just as contemporary today as they were when first marketed.

  7. 1969

    Eduard Wullschleger joins

    Eduard Wullschleger joins the family business.

  8. 1974

    First industrial robot introduced

    The first industrial robot is commissioned for enamel spraying.

  9. 1980

    Bathtubs in a modern production facility on an overhead conveyor line.

    Production modernized

    A lightweight propane gas-fired continuous furnace and the new state-of-the-art enameling plant are installed.

  10. 1982

    2-pass deep drawing process introduced

    Schmidlin switches to the 2-pass deep drawing process.

  11. 1986

    Porträt der Geschäftsleitung der zweiten Generation der Wilhelm Schmidlin AG.

    Company taken over by the second generation

    Eduard and Margrit Wullschleger-Schmidlin take over as owners of the company.

  12. 1992

    1-pass deep drawing process introduced

    Schmidlin switches to the 1-pass deep drawing process.

  13. 1997

    Showroom of Wilhelm Schmidlin AG with several bathtubs displayed in a modern, bright environment.

    First showroom opened in Oberarth

    Schmidlin opens its first showroom in Oberarth.

  14. 2007

    Portrait of the third-generation management of Wilhelm Schmidlin AG in the production hall with bathtubs on the overhead conveyor line.

    Management taken over by the third generation

    Since 2007 the destiny of the company has been in the hands of Beat and Urs Wullschleger.

  15. 2008

    Schmidlin construction lab in Oberarth – modern building for training and product testing.

    Engineering laboratory opened

    The company’s in-house engineering laboratory opens.

  16. 2009

    Modern production hall of Wilhelm Schmidlin AG with hanging raw bathtubs and automated production lines.

    New enameling plant commissioned

    A new enameling plant boasting state-of-the-art production technology is built and commissioned.

  17. 2010

    Moderner Ausstellungsbereich mit freistehender Whirlpool-Badewanne und Designbadewanne vor dekorativer blauer Wandgestaltung.

    Showroom extended

    Schmidlin opens the expanded showroom in Oberarth, now encompassing 400 square meters.

  18. 2011

    Company taken over by the third generation. SchmidLEAN introduced

    Urs Wullschleger and Beat Wullschleger take over as owners of the company.

  19. 2011

    SchmidLEAN introduced

    SchmidLEAN, based on the Kaizen philosophy, is introduced.

  20. 2013

    New logistics center built

    The new logistics center is built and commissioned.

  21. 2015

    Four modern urinals on a concrete wall, partially with integrated flushing systems and dividers.

    ECOPUR urinal launched

    Schmidlin launches the ECOPUR urinal. Economical, robust and with a screen for entertainment, it is ideal for heavily used restroom facilities in public spaces.

  22. 2017

    New chamber furnace commissioned

    The new chamber furnace is commissioned, which allows larger parts than before to be enameled, such as kitchen splashbacks up to 4 meters in size.

  23. 2018

    Schmidlin logo in blue lettering with a horizontal line.

    New brand identity launched

    Schmidlin updates its brand and drops all previous verbal and visual additional elements.

  24. 2018

    Modern kitchen with a magnetic Schmidlin backsplash and integrated holders for kitchen utensils.

    Glazed titanium steel kitchen splashback launched

    The company introduces a new solution for the heavy demands of kitchen workspaces.

  25. 2019

    Group photo at the 8th Family Business Award ceremony on a stage in front of a large event backdrop.

    1st Prize in the Family Business Award

    The 2019 “Family Business Award”, established by the AMAG Group to recognize Swiss family businesses that demonstrate outstanding commitment to sustainability, is presented to Wilhelm Schmidlin AG.

  26. 2019

    Modern meeting room with Schmidlin whiteboard on a dark wall.

    Whiteboards and blackboards launched

    Schmidlin introduces its frameless whiteboards and blackboards, which are suitable for use as writing boards and/or magnetic boards.

  27. 2019

    Honorary presidency for Margrit Wullschleger-Schmidlin

    Margrit Wullschleger-Schmidlin is appointed honorary president.

  28. 2021

    New pressing shop commissioned

    The new pressing shop is commissioned, featuring automation and enabling edge trimming.

  29. 2022

    Raw manufacturing expanded

    A third building to expand Schmidlin’s raw manufacturing capabilities opened in the fall of 2022.