Perfect symbiosis
In the high-tech environment of Bühler in Uzwil, there is a hidden little oasis of craftsmanship – the sewing section. A place that triggers nostalgic feelings. Hardly anyone knows that two super-friendly women with needle and thread ensure that our machines are completed with a bit of fabric.
Stefanie Heyn, December 2024
Beside the old “woodshed” up the ramp in the middle of the Bühler Uzwil area, there are seven sewing machines in the center of the light-flooded hall. Two women are busily working on various fabrics as pop music plays in the background. The Bühler sewing team consists of the duo of Manuela Vampiro-Doenni, who has been a seamstress at Bühler for seven years, and Alexandra Krebs, who joined the team in April this year.
The passion for sewing and the team spirit of the two women is palpable. Manuela is a trained saleswoman and previously completed a degree in home economics. “I mend and make everything at home,” she says happily. Alexandra, who is actually a baker/pastry chef, previously did a similar job at a Bühler supplier and also enjoys tailoring in her free time.
Their passion is their profession. Martin Bollhalder, currently team manager for Wood & Plastic, has been with Bühler for 26 years and is the supervisor of the sewing team. His only sewing experience consists of sewing together lengths of fabric for the decoration of the carnival costume of the local carneval group. “We did it differently and pushed the lengths of fabric through the sewing machine,” he recalls, laughing out loud. Sewing is something special, not everyone can do it. “That's one of the difficulties. I can’t use it to balance out capacity here. Sewing is a job in its own right. We support the entire production process in Uzwil with our work.” In addition to the sewing room, Martin is also responsible for the gluing process, the upholstery shop, the rubber seal production and the mechanical processing.
Long ago, the sewing department consisted of eight women. Back then, the employees' work clothes also fell within their area of responsibility. At that time, the plansifter was still being produced in Uzwil, for which hundreds of sockets were needed. Meanwhile, the number has shrunk to two and “mostly we make the parts that connect a fixed part to a vibrating machine,” Martin explains. “We make a lot of different parts,” Manuela says about the diversity of the tasks. The two women receive the orders from the production planning department and then know which material they must cut and what must be sewn together and in what way, or where something must be sewn in. Sometimes they also sew fabrics together for prototypes that will be shown to customers. But they sew exclusively for machines. Working clothes are no longer their responsibility. Manuela says: “It does happen that people come to us with a small seam to be closed.” Just to get it done quickly.
It does happen that people come to us with a small seam to be closed.
Manuela,
saleswoman
Otherwise, the seamstresses are not visited very often. Until recently, they were accommodated in a small, cozy room in the “woodshed". They still have to get used to the new, open, large location. But you are welcome to stop by and say hello, perhaps armed with coffee and croissants.
They will not be getting any more visits from animals at the new location either. “I was shown the sewing room. When I started work, the lady from the HR department said later that it was a good thing I hadn't seen the mouse,” Manuela recalls. It wouldn't have made a difference for her.
The complete variety of products made in the sewing room is impressive. Manuela and Alexandra work with a wide range of materials on the sometimes very old sewing machines. Martin proudly explains: “Everything is still made by hand. The whole variety cannot be reproduced by a machine.”
Caution is required here as well; a moment's inattention can result in blood flowing when the pointed needle pierces a finger. The plasters are close at hand so that blood does not damage the material. When sewing with wire baskets, where a fabric is sewn around them, gloves are mandatory due to the risk of injury. The two women also do hard work when they must sew in various rubber rings that can hardly be pulled apart, over and over again. The black ones are difficult: “You sew a piece, then you pull again and then you sew again,” Manuela explains. They don’t need any upper arm training on days like these.
Anyone who has ever tried to cut something straight knows how difficult it can be. A hot knife is used with great skill to cut the material so that it does not fray. According to Martin, how quickly one can use this machine is a matter of skill. “The difficulty is finding the right speed to guide the knife. If you're too slow, the material will darken and burn.” Alexandra adds: “You can’t keep pressing it either. It’s a combination of cutting and pressing. Otherwise the knife gets bright red and hot.”
In addition to bleeding fingers and knives that are too hot, coffee and other liquids spilling over the products pose a danger. But even if you want to cut the thread with scissors and accidentally cut into the fabric, which happens especially with extremely sharp and new scissors, the hard work can be undone in the blink of an eye.
Frequently, the thread can come out of the machine. While this might be a real nuisance for some people, it’s not a problem for these two skilled seamstresses. With their eagle eyes and sure instincts, the thread is back in place in no time. “You have to be able to do that because the thread often comes out. It can get stuck on something so quickly and then it’s out again,” explains Alexandra.
Alexandra, originally from Appenzell, is very accurate anyway, as she practices target shooting in her free time. The two are very happy where they are. “We have a good time together,” says Alexandra. Manuela jokingly replies: “I have to behave. Alex can shoot.” Manuela, who is from Niederuzwil, also has quieter hobbies, such as hiking, gardening or swimming in the ocean.
“Not many people know about us. I already noticed at the Welcome Days that no one knew that there was a sewing shop at Bühler,” says Alexandra. “Everyone thinks of clothing when they think of sewing,” explains Manuela. But even high-tech machines often need some fabric.
Gupfenstrasse 5
Uzwil
9240
Switzerland
