Enduring diversity

Rather than tying itself down to a single product category, furniture manufacturer Embru is able to develop and produce all kinds of different furniture at its own manufacturing facilities – thanks to the scope of its production capabilities and the expertise of its craftsmen, who have been with the company for many years. In its modern production halls, the firm still produces furniture all the way from A to Z: profiles are welded, metal sheets stamped, tubes bent into shape, particleboards milled, edgings stuck on, bed frames assembled and surfaces finished to perfection.

Embru was founded as an iron and metal bed factory in Rüti in the Canton of Zurich back in 1904 and has been developing and producing metal and wood furniture ever since. In the 1930s, it added modern tubular steel furniture to its repertoire and began collaborating with well-known architects. The first height-adjustable school desks originate from the same period and separated the chair from the table construction for the first time. After the second world war, Embru increasingly turned its attention to developing more sophisticated hospital and nursing beds – they too became height-adjustable, initially using a hydraulic mechanism and later powered by electricity. Today Embru employs more than 200 staff and is a leading supplier of school, nursing and office furniture. Its design classics can be found in many a Swiss living room.

Practicality and innovation are two characteristics shared by all Embru’s furniture. Take the office furniture collection eQ, for instance, the first modular system that can be assembled entirely without tools. The metal eQ modules are designed to be timeless; produced to the highest standards, they are both versatile and durable, making them a particularly sustainable option. The company is also the last genuine Swiss manufacturer that makes school furniture, and produces hardwearing work stations for students at all kinds of schools and all levels of education. As a result, almost everybody in Switzerland has sat at an Embru desk at some time in their life, be it at primary school or in a university lecture hall. Thanks to its in-house development and production expertise, Embru is also successfully reinforcing its important role in the hospital and nursing home sector with its new development of the Fortuna nursing bed.

But the firm’s wide-ranging product portfolio also includes various design classics: from 1930 to 1950, it produced modernist Swiss furniture in collaboration with protagonists of the era’s New Building movement, including Max Ernst Haefeli, Marcel Breuer and Alfred Roth. These items are exhibited in museums and much sought-after among collectors. Today, Embru is producing these classics again according to the original plans.

Modern technology, ergonomics and the ideal choice of materials and colours play a crucial role in all Embru’s furniture. In addition, its outstanding manufacturing quality guarantees the products’ longevity, while its rational and ultramodern production methods ensure the company is well equipped to face whatever challenges the future may bring.

EMBRU: Business administrator Pascal Huber has been at Embru-Werke AG in Rüti since 1995 and became managing director in 1996. For him, one thing is certain: producing the furniture in Switzerland is a matter of general principle and not up for discussion. “We are very committed to our home town of Rüti and feel an obligation to our employees, many of whom have been with us for years. That’s also why we invest so heavily in our machinery.” Embru also makes its extensive knowledge and production expertise available to other firms.

Photos: Johannes Marburg Photography, Geneva (3), Simone Vogel (3)


Embru-Werke AG
Rapperswilerstrasse 33
8630 Rüti
Tel: 0041 (0)55 251 11 11
Fax: 0041 (0)55 240 88 29
embru@info.ch
www.embru.ch