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SIG Combibloc Group AG, originally founded as ''Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft'' ( German for Swiss Industrial Company; in French, as ''Société Industrielle Suisse''; and, in Italian, as ''Societa Industriale Svizzera''), and later known as SIG Holding AG, is a company currently active in the Packaging industry but used to participate in firearms and railcar manufacturing as well. In 2007, SIG Holding AG was acquired by Rank Group Limited, the private investment company of
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
businessman Graeme Hart, and operated under its subsidiary, Reynolds Group Holdings Ltd., which, in March 2015, announced completion of its sale of SIG to ONEX Corporation of Canada. In 2018, SIG Combibloc secured a $1.101 billion loan, with Barclays Bank acting as the administrative agent on the transaction. The SIG Combibloc Group shares are listed on SIX Swiss Exchange and it is a component of the SMI MID index.


History

The ''schweizerische Waggonfabrik''Hermann Alexander von Berlepsch, ''Schweizerkunde: Land, Volk und Staat'', Schwetschke, 1864
p. 512
("Swiss
Wagon A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished from ...
Factory") was founded in 1853 by
Friedrich Peyer im Hof Johann Friedrich Peyer im Hof (18 June 1817, in Schaffhausen – 18 May 1900) was a Swiss politician member of the Swiss National Council during 1857–1875 (President 1859/1860). Alongside Alfred Escher, he is one of the main pioneers of rail ...
, Heinrich Moser, and Johann Conrad Neher. From 1854, it produced railway cars for the emerging Swiss railway companies. Friedrich Peyer was one of the directors of the Swiss Northeastern Railway, also founded in 1853. Their factory in Neuhausen am Rheinfall was originally powered by the nearby
Rhine Falls , photo = File:SBB RABe 514 DTZ Rheinfall.jpg , photo_width = 280 , photo_caption = Rhine Falls with Rheinfall Bridge and Laufen Castle , location = On the border between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich next to Schaffhausen, i ...
and employed 150 workers,SIG-Geschichte
''Baublatt'', 21 September 2017.
by the mid-1860s increased to 500 workers.


Firearms

They produced the Prélaz-Burnand 1859, invented by gunsmith Jean-Louis Joseph Prélaz and forestry inspector Colonel Ėdouard Burnand (father of Swiss painter Eugène Burnand). In 1860, the rifle won a competition held by the Swiss Federal Ministry of Defence, resulting in a contract to produce 30,000 pieces. This rifle was adapted as the M1863. Upon receiving the contract to produce rifles, the company name was changed to reflect its new emphasis on machined production, becoming ''Schweizerische'' ''Industrie'' ''Gesellschaft'' (SIG); in English, Swiss Industrial Company; and, in French, ''Société Industrielle Suisse''. SIG produced other firearms, including Mondragón Rifle, which was produced between 1908 and 1910. The
SIG P210 The SIG P210 (Swiss Army designation Pistole 49, the civilian model was known as SP47/8 prior to 1957) is a locked breech self loading, semi-automatic pistol designed and manufactured in Neuhausen am Rheinfall (Canton of Schaffhausen, Switzerl ...
pistol was developed in 1937 based on the French Modèle 1935 pistol, and was adopted by the Swiss military in 1949 as the "''Pistole 49''". This pistol's frame design incorporates external rails that fit closely with the slide, thus eliminating play in the mechanism during firing. The P210 was noted for its good accuracy. The Petter-Browning patent was a refinement—and
John Moses Browning John Moses Browning (January 23, 1855 – November 26, 1926) was an American firearm designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms many of which are still in use around the world. He ...
's last design—of the Browning Hi-Power (P35). In 1975, the Swiss military replaced the P210 with the P220, dubbed the "''Pistole 75''", which was the first product of a partnership with J.P. Sauer & Sohn. In a 1984 bidding contest to provide more than 300,000 sidearms to the US military, the
SIG Sauer P226 Sig used as a name may refer to: *Sig (given name) *Sig, Algeria, a city on the banks of the Sig River *Sig Alert, an alert for traffic congestion in California, named after Loyd Sigmon *Sig River, a river of Algeria also known as Mekerra sig (lo ...
was defeated by
Beretta Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapon Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and milita ...
's
92FS The Beretta 92 (also Beretta 96 and Beretta 98) is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. The Beretta 92 was designed in 1975, and production began in 1976. Many variants in several different calibers co ...
which was awarded the contract for the M9 pistol. The
SIG SG 510 The Sturmgewehr 57 is a selective fire battle rifle designed by Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (now SAN Swiss Arms) of Switzerland. It uses a roller-delayed blowback system similar to the H&K G3 and CETME rifles. The AM 55 entered service ...
, or Sturmgewehr 57, battle rifle was produced by SIG from 1957 to 1983. Its appearance was vaguely similar to the German MG34 light machine-gun, due to its ventilated barrel jacket. It employed roller-delayed blowback, as used on the
CETME CETME () is a Spanish government design and development establishment. While being involved in many projects CETME was mostly known for its small arms research and development. The CETME Model 58 and CETME Model L are its most notable project ...
/ HK rifles. The only
general purpose machine gun A general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) is an air-cooled, usually belt-fed machine gun that can be adapted flexibly to various tactical roles for light and medium machine guns. A GPMG typically features a quick-change barrel design calibered f ...
produced by SIG was the SIG 710-3, which is based on the MG42. During the 1970s, SIG purchased both Hämmerli and J.P. Sauer and Sohn, resulting in the formation of SIG Sauer. Due to Swiss restrictions on the export of military weapons, SIG entered into a relationship with the German company J.P. Sauer & Sohn, in order to give SIG access to the global firearms market. In January 1985, SIGARMS was established in Tyson's Corner, Virginia, where its handgun models P220 and P230 were imported into the US from Sig Sauer in Germany. In 2007, SIGARMS changed its name to SIG Sauer. SIG Arm's division was purchased in 2000 by L & O Holding, and is now known as SIG SAUER AG.


Railways

In the late 1970s, SIG was the designer and builder of
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
's newest
streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...
, the CLRV L1. Only the first six CLRV cars were made by SIG (out of an order for 10, as the rest were cancelled for cost-saving measures). The remaining 190 L2 vehicles, along with 52 articulated variants, were made by
Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population i ...
, Ontario-based
Urban Transportation Development Corporation The Urban Transportation Development Corporation Ltd. (UTDC) was a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada. It was established in the 1970s as a way to enter what was then expected to be a burgeoning market in advanced l ...
(UTDC), now a subsidiary of Bombardier Transportation, which had, in late 1991, negotiated a $17 million subsidy from the
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
government for the purchase. In the early 1980s, SIG was the designer and builder of the
Utrecht sneltram External links * Bestuur Regio Utrechtis the public transportation authority in the Utrecht region Regiotram Utrechtmanages tram system assets U-OVis the website for public transport in Utrecht Qbuzzoperates trams and buses on behalf of Bestuu ...
trams. 27 were ordered and delivered in 1983. Replacement plans were commenced in 2016 and rolled out in two phases. Scheduled replacement began with first vehicles retired during 2017 - 2018 and final run in July 2020. The tilting system of the SBB RABDe 500 was developed by SIG. The railway branch of SIG was sold in 1995 to Fiat Ferroviaria. File:Sbb rabde500.jpg, SBB RABDe 500 File:CLRV TTC Streetcar No 4004 (8063115473).jpg, SIG-built CLRV L1 4004 in Toronto File:TEE Northlander in Zwolle.JPG, SBB RAm TEE I train set in ONR
Northlander The ''Northlander'' was a passenger train operated by the Ontario Northland Railway in Ontario, Canada. The ''Northlander'' operated six days per week year-round in both directions and connected Cochrane with Toronto. The train typically consi ...
service


Packaging

The first packaging machines were produced in 1906 on behalf of the Lausanne-based company SAPAL (Société Anonyme des Plieuses Automatiques). Most of SIG's earlier packaging equipment efforts were focused on small dry food items such as chocolates and candy. Following the 1982 FDA approval of
hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscous than water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usually as a dilute solution (3%â ...
sterilization; on June 28, 1983, SIG acquired Doboy Packaging Machinery, Inc. of
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. SIG COMBIBLOC INC. was then incorporated on September 1, 1983, in Columbus, Ohio, where production commenced in 1984. In 1989, through the acquisition of PKL in
Linnich Linnich is a town in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the River Rur (Roer river), approx. 10 km north-west of Jülich. Economy Linnich is the home of SIG Combibloc, the specialist fo ...
, Germany, SIG entered the field of aseptic carton liquid packaging, later known as SIG Combibloc. In 2000, SIG concentrated solely on food and beverage packaging technology. Management directed revenues from the sales of SIG Sauer and Rocktools to acquire global businesses, including ''Krupp Kunstofftechnik'' (Corpoplast/Blowtec/Kautex brands) and HAMBA in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
; Ryka Blow Molds in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
; and a substantial portion of the Italian conglomerate SASIB. The food-related (dry) businesses were organized under the SIG Pack division, while the beverage-related (wet) businesses formed SIG Beverages. Aseptic liquid packaging remained separate under SIG Combibloc. This strategy, however, was proven not to be effective; Difficulties integrating vastly different businesses and employee cultures resulted in operational execution issues. In particular, high-profile commissioning and installation failures at SIG Beverages in 2003 and 2004 ultimately resulted in significant financial losses. A refocusing towards primarily aseptics and PET blow-molding resulted in a high number of divestitures and plant closures. The former SASIB wet businesses Simonazzi, Alfa and Meyer/Mojonnier were sold to Tetra Laval in 2005, while HAMBA and Kautex and Blowtec were sold separately to private investor groups. The food packaging businesses were sold to Robert Bosch Verpackungstechnik in 2004. The former SASIB dry unit Stewart Systems (bakery products) was sold to UCA Group in 2004, then merged with AMF Bakery Systems in 2008. Laser-guided vehicle manufacturer 80, part of the 1999 SASIB acquisition, was sold back to its original Italian owners in 2004. The considerably slimmed-down SIG Beverages unit, manufacturer of
PET bottle Although PET is used in several applications, (principally textile fibres for apparel and upholstery, bottles and other rigid packaging, flexible packaging and electrical and electronic goods), as of 2022 only bottles are collected at a substa ...
blow-molding machinery, was sold off to the German company
Salzgitter AG Salzgitter AG is a German company, one of the largest steel producers in Europe with an annual output of around seven million tonnes. With over 100 subsidiaries and associated companies, the Group is structured in five divisions – Steel, Tr ...
in March 2008. This sale encompassed the subsidiaries Corpoplast, Asbofill, Plasmax and Moldtec.


SIG Combibloc

Today, SIG Combibloc focuses on aseptic packaging. In 2016, the company introduced Combibloc RS Composite, a composite structural inner layer which increases system stability and reduces the carbon footprint of carton packs. In 2017, SIG introduced the first individual
QR code A QR code (an initialism for quick response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave. A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that can contain information about th ...
s with digital sourcing transparency, tailored for dairy product consumers."SIG Combibloc & Languiru Cooperative Launch New Digital Technology"
''Brand Packaging Magazine'', May 31, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2018.


See also

* TetraPak


References


External links

*
SIG Group - LinkedIn
{{Authority control Rolling stock manufacturers of Switzerland Tram manufacturers Packaging companies of Switzerland Firearm manufacturers of Switzerland Neuhausen am Rheinfall Onex Corporation 2007 mergers and acquisitions 2014 mergers and acquisitions Swiss brands Electric vehicle manufacturers of Switzerland Companies listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange SIG Sauer