Ateliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey

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ACMV Halle Inox from 1919 with ACMV bridge crane , load capacity 120 tons

The Ateliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey (ACMV) were a Swiss industrial company founded in 1842 with a focus on mechanical engineering. The headquarters in Vevey was closed in 1992. The factory in Villeneuve will be continued by Bombardier Transportation (Switzerland).

History and products

Vevey CLM V2 tractor 1939
ACMV's Pelton turbine from 1965 to 1985 at the Mubisa headquarters, Ernen
SBB Bem 550 Russian
Factory building in Vevey, 2011

Benjamin Roy founded the B.Roy & Cie. In the beginning, agricultural machines were repaired and mill wheels were manufactured. In the first two decades, the approximately 70 workers produced hydraulic machines, steam engines, presses, transmissions, various engines and agricultural machines. Then, in addition to the foundry, modern heavy machinery was manufactured, which was supplied to customers such as the King of Romania, the French government and the Italian Ministry of War. The hydraulic turbines conquered the world market (Europe, Canada, Java, America). From 1866 to 1875, 226 turbines were manufactured, 45 percent of which were exported to Europe. In addition, bridges, metal structures for canals (Cavour Canal), machine tools as well as compressors, turbines and drilling machines for tunnel construction ( Gotthard Tunnel 1874) were produced.

In 1885 Roy had to withdraw from the business and after several changes of ownership, the Ateliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey (ACMV) were founded in 1895 by Ami Chessex with a share capital of 375,000 francs. The studios were gradually enlarged with the departments of metal structures, bridges, pumps, compressors, space technology, etc. New buildings for the metal structures, administration, a water turbine test station and a factory for the «Vevey Diesel» tractor were built. Around 3300 Vevey tractors were built between 1937 and 1963. Large numbers of the army model were produced for the Swiss Army between 1941 and 1957 , including caterpillar tractors as aircraft tugs.

Problems with the outdated systems forced the company to modernize in 1962 and to limit itself to the manufacture of heavy structures (including bridge cranes for French nuclear power plants and methane gas boilers for the United States). The foundry, which was over a hundred years old, was closed and in 1962 the production of Vevey tractors was discontinued. By 1973 the logistics of the two production sectors of heavy welded constructions, hydraulic and mechanical machines as well as railway car construction (Villeneuve) had been adjusted several times.

In 1948, a factory for the production of railroad cars, mainly freight cars, was opened in Villeneuve. In 1954 the first trams were built for the Société des tramways lausannois and the Lugano-Cadro-Dino-Bahn , in 1957 the initial equipment for the Vevey-Villeneuve trolleybus , and in 1967 a first passenger carriage for the Chemin de fer Aigle-Ollon-Monthey-Champéry (AOMC ), 1977 the first multiple unit for the Chemin de fer Bière-Apples-Morges (BAM) and 1982 the first low-floor tram for the Transports publics genevois (TPG) Geneva.

Despite a reduction in the number of employees (1986: 750) and several reorganizations from 1987 onwards, it was not possible to prevent the ACMV from having to close in 1992 after being incorporated into a holding company under the umbrella of Omni Holding AG .

The manufacture of railway wagons was continued in the Villeneuve factory. The Vevey Technologies SA employed a 1996 180 people and was purchased after several hand Jump 1998 by Bombardier. In 2004 Bombardier took over the production facility for the Swiss market. In 2008 a third assembly hall was built in Villeneuve. ACMV's successors are Bombardier, Andritz Hydro in Vevey and APCO Technologies (for space and nuclear industries) in Aigle.

Turbine production in the second half of the 19th century

Benjamin Roy is one of the leading turbine manufacturers in Switzerland. The manufacture of turbines for power plants is one of the "engines" of industrialization and the export economy :

Manufacturer Period Total production exported from it
Escher Wyss AG , Zurich 1844-1875 801 turbines 65.8%
Benjamin Roy, Vevey 1866-1875 226 turbines 45% (Europe)
JJRieter , Winterthur 1854-1883 350 installations 30% (Russia, Norway)
Socin & Wick, Basel 1867-1883 320 turbines (95% Girard) 70% of the Girard turbines
Theodor Bell , Kriens 1859-1883 200 turbines 50% (of which 70% to Italy)
Machine workshop iron foundry M. Less , St. Georgen (St. Gallen) 1856-1883 130 turbines 28%
Faesch & Piccard , Geneva 1886–

literature

  • Louis Vulliemin: Le Canton de Vaud. Tableau de ses aspects, de son histoire, de son administration et ses mœurs. Librairie Delafontaine et Rouge, Lausanne 1862.
  • Henri Rieben et al .: Portraits de 250 entreprises vaudoises. 1980.
  • L'esprit d'entreprise. 1987.
  • Franz Morgenegg: Vevey tractors - Tracteurs Vevey . Flawil 1997.
  • Franz Betschon , Stefan Betschon, Willy Schlachter (ed.): Engineers build Switzerland. First-hand history of technology. Volume 2. Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich 2014, ISBN 978-3-03823-912-3 .
  • e-periodica: ACMV de précieuses archives photographiques. Cahiers d'histoire du mouvement ouvrier, Volume 15 1999
  • Simon Leresche, Laurent Tissot: 150 ans de production de turbines à Vevey (1863-2013). The Benjamin Roy à Andritz Hydro en passant par les Ateliers de Constructions Mécaniques de Vevey. Éditions Alphil-Presses universitaires suisses, Neuchâtel 2013, ISBN 978-2-940489-49-7 .

Web links

Commons : Ateliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey (ACMV)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Military vehicles: Aircraft tractor Vevey ACMV 651 Flz Schl 4x2
  2. ↑ "Schweizer Landtechnik" journal 01/2015
  3. ↑ Original instructions for the operation and maintenance of Vevey tractors ( Memento of the original from October 30, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lanz-bulldog.ch
  4. ^ City of Lausanne: Trams in Lausanne 1895-1964
  5. ↑ Discontinued railways: Trams lausannois
  6. ↑ Discontinued railways: Ferrovia Lugano-Cadro-Dino
  7. ↑ Bombardier Transportation (Switzerland): Villeneuve site: More than 60 years of competent rail technology from Vaud.
  8. ^ Archives Canton of Vaud: Charles Dubas et les Ateliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey.
  9. ^ TV Vevey: 150 ans de production de turbines à Vevey (1863-2013)
  10. ^ TV Vevey: 150 ans de production de turbines à Vevey (1863-2013)