The Swiss Army Knife: Made In China?

Posted by Keith Hahn, Jul 19, 2007, 12:58pm

ChineseBroadSword1.jpg You know outsourcing production to China is out of hand when the Swiss Army Knife could have a "Made in China" label on it as early as this year. This has some Swiss people very angry, measured by the ever decreasing number of marshmallows in our hot chocolate.

Alois Kessler, a lawyer and retired Swiss Army colonel, is petitioning the Swiss Defense Ministry over a WTO rule that may enable the knives to be made in China. Kessler is arguing that the knife qualifies for a WTO exemption and that non-Swiss bidders would fail to meet Swiss environmental and quality control standards.

Victorinox AG has been producing Swiss Army knives domestically since 1909. Customers include the actual Swiss Army, the pope, a couple of hipsters, that weird kid in your 6th grade shop class, senile veteran grandparents (that's not rust sonny, it's Kraut blood) and 5.5 million others annually.

Peter Lyoth, spokesperson for the Swiss Defense Ministry, proclaims the need for a new Swiss Army knife (pictured) and will not comment on whether it will be ordered from China or not.

Officer Petitions Military to Keep the Swiss Army Knife Swiss [Bloomberg]

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Posted in: China

Comments

Posted by General Tsing Shi Tao "The Nuke", Jul 19, 2007 1:20PM

China will manufacture and export Swiss Army knife products whether or not Victorinox AG likes it...

Posted by , Jul 19, 2007 1:21PM

whoooooooooooooooooooooooooo CARES!?!?

Posted by RandomGirl, Jul 19, 2007 1:27PM

"This has some Swiss people very angry, measured by the ever decreasing number of marshmallows in our hot chocolate."

Hilarious.

Posted by anonymous, Jul 19, 2007 1:51PM

Fuck the gooks. Considering the shoddy, life-threatening products coming out of China in recent years, keeping Swiss Army Knives SWISS might be a very good idea in the long run.

Posted by divinity09, Jul 28, 2007 11:26AM

Glad to see such mature and stimulating comments here. I think that this is a disastrous turn of events- it is very disheartening to think that a company as committed to quality and national production could be swayed by the cheaper/faster concept. It will be a sad fact if the official swiss army's knife is sourced from China.

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