Nussbaum's 109th anniversary

In 1903, Marie and Rudolf Nussbaum-Bürgi established a trading company for fittings and plumbing tools on the premises in the center of Olten, still used by the company today. Initially their operation was purely a trading company. Four years later, though, they decided to build their own foundry so they could influence decisions relating to the product range. Installers could buy whatever they required from Nussbaum, from normal taps to stand-pipes for fire brigades, gas taps and incandescent gaslights, brass pot handles and brass oven controls. A steady increase in demand led to the establishment of R. Nussbaum & Co. AG in 1920. Following the unexpected death of the company founder, his four sons took over company management in 1928. The time that followed was both difficult and successful. Gradually, over an extended period to 1968, the scepter was passed on to the third generation. By this time, Nussbaum numbered 300 employees.

For a long time, the company fulfilled all kinds of customer orders, even for very small series. At the end of the 1960s, however, Nussbaum decided to focus on its traditionally strong area of fittings for construction, industry, and laboratories. The company thrived and increased its production facilities, moving the foundry to Trimbach b. Olten, acquiring a large warehouse in Wangen b. Olten, considerably expanding its manufacturing facilities in Olten, and bringing the number of offices in Switzerland to 11. By developing its own installation systems, Nussbaum strengthened its market leadership and achieved major increases in sales.

At the end of 2002, the fourth generation of the Nussbaum family – Dr. Roy Nussbaum and Urs Nussbaum – took on overall operational responsibility for the successful company, as Delegates of the Board of Directors. The company has continued to develop under this new leadership: an automated central warehouse was commissioned in 2004 and a new production plant in 2009, while the customer training center “Optinauta” opened in Trimbach near Olten in 2011. New branches have been opened in Gwatt-Thun (2008), Zug (2009) and Buchs SG (2011). In addition, notable product innovations – such as the launch of the world’s first range of nickel-free stainless steel pipes in 2007 and the introduction of Optiflex-prOfix in 2009 – meant that sales in 2010 exceeded CHF 170 million for the first time.
At the beginning of 2012, the Executive Management team was increased to six members with the addition of Michael and Andreas Nussbaum, themselves fourth-generation Nussbaums.
Current structure of the Executive Management team and Board of Directors team