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NNIVERSARY ISSUE

427432 | Sulzer Technical Review 2+3/2009

S

ulzer was founded in 1834 by the

brothers Johann Jakob Sulzer-

Hirzel (18061883) and SalomonSulzer-Sulzer (18091869), as well as

their father Johann Jakob Sulzer-Neuffert

(17821853). The company began as a

cast iron foundry on the outskirts of

Winterthur, which was still a small town

at the time. The workshop initially

employed two skilled craftsmen and two

day laborers. While the father continued

to focus on traditional brass casting, the

sons turned their attention to the manu-

facturing of cast iron using progressive

techniques that they had learned duringtheir apprenticeships abroad. Pumps,

presses, and various forms of machinery

used in the textile industry were among

their first products. From the outset,

quality was assigned the highest priority

at Sulzer.

The company was soon able to capital-

ize on the growth of the textile and

machine industry in the Canton of

Zurich, as well as in Eastern Switzerland

and the neighboring regions. While the

expensive brass casting business dwin-

dled, the demand for cast iron products

soared and enabled the newly estab-

lished company to expand rapidly.

Steam engine drives growth

Sulzer reached an important turning

point in 1851. At the time, the company

already had around 100 employees

working in well-equipped iron and boil-

er foundries but it had not yet developed

into an engineering works. Running the

company was consuming so much of the

Sulzer brother's time that it was hamper-

ing the development of new products.

The hiring of the talented young Englishdesign engineer Charles Brownwhose

son later went on to establish Brown

Boveri (now ABB)proved fortuitous

for the company. Brown developed

groundbreaking new steam engines for

Sulzer that were of decisive importance

for the advancement of the company. He

was a brilliant designer who was always

full of new ideas but had little interest in

the financial success of his work. Johann

Jakob Sulzer-Hirzel's talents as an entre-

preneur and salesman and Charles

Continuity and change during 175 years of Sulzer

Sulzer has made a number of important

contributions to technical progress over

the last 175 years. The company became

known globally for its steam engines and

diesel engines. While the nature of its

activities has changed over the years,

qualities such as reliability, innovation,and a global perspective still form the

basis of its success today.

Achieving technical milestones

The founders of the company,

Johann Jakob Sulzer-Hirzel (18061883) and Salomon Sulzer-Sulzer (18091869).

Brown's expertise as an inventor and

engineer thus proved a winning combi-

nation over a period of two decades.The first Sulzer steam engine left the

workshop in 1854. This successful prod-

uct was followed by the first-ever hori-

zontal valve-fitted steam engine in 1867.

During the same year, Sulzer began to

manufacture passenger ships. It also con-

tinued to develop its traditional manufac-

turing lines such as pumps and presses,

steam heating systems, and equipment

and machinery for the textile industry.

From a small company of craftsmento an industrial firm

From 1851 to 1870, the number of

employees increased tenfold to 1 000 and

Sulzer finally made the transition from a

small company of craftsmen to an indus-

trial firm. It also increasingly ventured

into foreign markets. In 1881, Sulzer

opened its first foreign branch in Lud-

wigshafen in Germany and further

expanded its global presence through

licenses, its own sales offices, and inde-

pendent agencies.

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175 YEARS OF SULZER

The Sulzer brothers also played a pio-

neering role as responsible employers.

Sulzer has always recognized that high-

ly qualified employees are the compa-

ny's most valuable asset. Considerable

importance was therefore assigned to

internal and external training from an

early stage. In addition, the company

lent its support to the foundation of the

first Swiss technical school in Winterthur

in 1874. Commencing in the 1870s,

Sulzer also began to build houses in

order to provide affordable homes for its

employees.

Sulzer diesel engine takes its place

in world history

The steam engine was the driving force

behind the industrial revolution. How-

ever, it had reached its limits by the late

19th century in view of its substantial

maintenance costs and its less than 10%

efficiency. The inventor Rudolf Diesel

(18581913) therefore began designing a

new combustion engine as an alternative

to the steam engine, and it was patented

in 1892. The following year, Sulzer

obtained the license for Switzerland and,

in 1903, obtained the rights to build and

sell this new type of engine outside of

Switzerland.

Led by Johann Jakob Sulzer-Imhoof

(18551922), the son of its founder

Salomon Sulzer-Sulzer, the company

focused intensively on developing the

new type of engine for practical applica-

tions. In 1897, the first 20 hp four-stroke

diesel engine underwent testing at Sulzer

and the company produced its first diesel

engines in 1903. With an efficiency of

over 25%, this diesel engine was superi-

or to all other thermal engines available

at the time.

This breakthrough marked the begin-

ning of a period of constant technical

advancement that would translate into a

major success story. The range of uses of

the diesel engine rapidly expanded from

stationary equipment for the generation

of electricity to inland water vessels. The

maiden voyage of the Monte Penedo

part of the Hamburg Sd shipping line

on the route from Hamburg to Rio

Grande do Sul in Brazil in 1912 represent-

ed another milestone. This cargo ship,

which was fitted with two two-stroke

diesel engines, was the forerunner of all

of today's ocean liners.

Continuity and change

The broad range of activities that Sulzer

was engaged in during the 19th century

increased even more significantly during

the 20th century. Thanks to its own inno-

vative strength in the field of technology,

as well as a number of acquisitions,

Sulzer positioned itself as a leading man-

Sulzer Technical Review 2+3/2009 | 33

An early Sulzer diesel engine with 120 hp, fabricated for

the cement factory Walenstadt in 1904.

The groundbreaking

Sulzer steam engine

in a sales brochure

from 1880.

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ufacturer of locomotives, compressors,

textile machines, and numerous other

products. However, the company

streamlined its activities towards the end

of the 20th century. Several fields of busi-

ness were discontinued entirely but most

were merged with the operations of other

companies and still exist today outside

Sulzer .

The company currently consists of four

divisions: Sulzer Pumps, Sulzer Metco,

Sulzer Chemtech, and Sulzer Turbo

Services.

Sulzer has been developing and pro-

ducing centrifugal pumps since 1857 and

is thus one of the world's oldest pump

manufacturers. It knew how to help

shape technical developments and to

continuously find new applications for

its pumpsranging from irrigation

plants in the 19th century to pumps for

the extraction, transportation, and refine-

ment of oil and gas that dominate the

product range of Sulzer Pumps today.

At the end of the 1950s, Sulzer began

producing internal components for sepa-

ration columns. Static mixers, separation

technology, and process technology are

now part of the broad range of offerings

supplied by Sulzer Chemtechparticu-

larly for the hydrocarbon processing

industry. Commencing in 1985, Sulzer

made a series of acquisitions that enabled

Sulzer Metco to secure a leading position

in the surface technology sector. Sulzer

Turbo Services, which is today one of the

largest independent providers of mainte-

nance and repair services for thermal

turbo machinery, originated from

Sulzer's former turbine construction

business.

Ready for the future

From the industrial revolution of the 19th

century to the modern knowledge-based

society of the 21st century, the nature of

technological challenges has altered

dramatically. Sulzer has always suc-

ceeded in adapting to changing market

conditions by continuously creating

innovative, high-quality products that

reflect the company's reputation forexcellence.

Bernhard Ruetz

Director of theVerein fr wirtschaftshistorische Studien,

which conducts research into economic historyPublisher of Schweizer Pioniere der Wirtschaft undTechnik (Swiss Pioneers of Business and Technology)

Vogelsangstrasse 528006 Zrich

Switzerland

Since 1857

Sulzer develops

and produces

centrifugal pumps.

Key activities of Sulzer since 1834.

1830 1850 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 2009

Casting, since 1834

Hydroelectric power, 18402000

Heating and building services, 18412001

Steam boilers, 18411993

Steam engines, 18541952

Centrifugal pumps, since 1857

Steamships, 18671934

Refrigeration, 18772001

Piping and vessels, 18771994

Reciprocating compressors, 18782002

Diesel engines, 18971989

Steam turbines, 19031963

Locomotives, 19061998

Turbocompressors, 19061998

Heat pumps, 19382001

Waste combustion plants, 19411994

Gas turbines, 19472001

Projectile weaving and other textile machines, 19522002

Nuclear technology/valves for nuclear power plants, 19531997

Vacuum columns, since 1959

Medtech, 19622001

Paper machines and Nipco rolls 1968-1997

Static mixers, since 1972

Surface technology, since 1985Turbomachinery service, since 1990

Fuel cell systems, 19972005

Mixing and cartridge technology since 2006

Mist eliminators since 2006

Process technology since 2009

The history of the founding of Sulzer is the topic ofVolume 40 of the Schweizer Pioniere der Wirtschaftund Technik (Swiss Pioneers of Business andTechnology) series, which was published in 2000.

Volume 40 can be ordered at no charge atnews@sulzer.com (only available in German).