In 1924, wagon maker journeyman Josef Fischer decides to take the courageous step of self-employment in a modest wooden barn at Ufergasse 4. The success story of the ski factory begins in Ried with money borrowed from relatives and Fischer’s associate Georg Grösslbauer. Josef Fischer, untiring in striving to achieve his goals, forges ahead with the expansion of his company at every opportunity, despite difficult financial circumstances. Upon his death in 1959, his successors inherit the Fischer ski company from him which, under his leadership, has made 500,000 pairs of skis.
A DYNAMIC AND ADVENTUROUS COMPANY FOUNDER
A WOODEN BARN AS THE FIRST COMPANY LOCATION
FROM WAGON MAKER TO SKI INDUSTRY
CONFLICT OF GENERATIONS WITH A HAPPY ENDING
FOUNDER LEAVES BEHIND A LEGACY OF ONE MILLION FISCHER SKIS
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The year 1959 is a dramatic one in the history of the Fischer ski factory. Josef Fischer senior passes away in February, his children Josef junior and Selma Sturmberger are now in charge of the company. Josef Fischer junior reorganises the company throughout, with innovative ideas in all areas – in both production and sales. He hires new employees who help to realise his visions. He plans a new factory. It is a change process which already begins, however, in the middle of the 1950s prior to the death of his father. A process which enables the company under the leadership of Josef Fischer junior to become the largest and the most modern ski factory in the world.
INNOVATIVE IDEAS IN ALL AREAS
THE LAST SKI KAISER: “MISTER SKI” JOSEF FISCHER
SELMA STURMBERGER – THE “VOICE IN THE BACKGROUND”
INTERVIEW THE FISCHER TRIUMVIRATE
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The 1960s and 1970s are a period of constant growth, as Fischer rises to become a world leader. This meteoric development gains impetus from the first major successes in Alpine racing, with Egon Zimmermann’s victory in the 1964 Olympics as a climax. The new ski factory goes up in Ried-Angerwaschen and is gradually expanded to become the world’s largest by the early 1970s. Launching out in new directions, Fischer starts making cross-country skis in 1971 and soon takes the lead in this field. Tennis rackets are manufactured for the first time in 1974. Fischer founds Sport AG, involving mergers with the companies Löffler, Kästle and Dynafit.
FROM ONLOOKER TO OLYMPIC WINNER
INTERVIEW EGON ZIMMERMANN
FISCHER CROWNS THE SKI KAISER
FISCHER BUILDS THE WORLD’S LARGEST SKI FACTORY
INTERVIEW FRANZ KLAMMER
THE METEORIC RISE TO THE NORDIC NUMBER ONE
INTERVIEW TONI INNAUER
APPAREL & TENNIS – FISCHER BRANCHES OUT INTO NEW FIELDS
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New methods, new processes, new materials – Josef Fischer is always on the lookout for innovations to bolster the success of the Fischer brand. The boss’s ideas are the starting point for groundbreaking new products which revolutionise the market for skis. Fischer enables a large team of developers with state-of-the-art facilities to break new ground. That is how Fischer, with its know-how in the field of fibre composite materials, becomes a supplier to the aerospace industry. But Fischer is not just a technological pioneer; it is the first ski manufacturer to relocate part of their production to eastern Europe. A new ski factory, set up in Mukachevo in Ukraine, also turns out to be vital for the company’s future.
FISCHER CONSOLIDATES ITS REPUTATION AS A HIGH-TECH HOT SPOT
INTERVIEW ANDREAS GOLDBERGER
FACC – FISCHER TAKES TO THE SKIES
MUKACHEVO – KEY PRODUCTION SITE IN EASTERN EUROPE
INTERVIEW THOMAS WASSBERG
INTERVIEW BJØRN DÆHLIE
INTERVIEW VEGARD ULVANG
INTERVIEW KRISTIAN GHEDINA
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In the new millennium, after the difficult years 2007 and 2008, Fischer concentrates on its core competences. The shareholdings in FACC AG and Fischer Composite Technology are sold off and the Business Unit Tennis is closed down. Fischer focuses on Alpine and Nordic skiing: in these core areas the company becomes a single-source supplier – Fischer now develops not only skis but also boots, bindings and poles. By concentrating on this core area the company succeeds in consolidating its position. On the company’s 90th anniversary, Fischer – the last Austrian ski manufacturer in family ownership – takes the stage as an up-to-date and highly successful flagship enterprise, manufacturing innovative hightech Alpine and Nordic skiing products for the whole world.
FROM A SKI FACTORY TO A SINGLE-SOURCE SUPPLIER
INTERVIEW GREGOR SCHLIERENZAUER
SUCCESSFUL FOCUS ON CORE COMPETENCES
INNOVATIONS IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
INTERVIEW MAGDALENA NEUNER
HOCKEY STICKS FROM FISCHER GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
A LEADING COMPANY WITH COVETED JOBS
INTERVIEW IVICA KOSTELIĆ
INTERVIEW SVEN FISCHER
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What a way to celebrate a 90th anniversary: Fischer sets a new medals record at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Fischer’s performance in Russia is impressive, winning 103 out of the 159 medals possible in the Nordic disciplines. The Alpine athletes are also pleased about five medals. In its 90th year the familyowned company based in Ried im Innkreis confirms its position as the clear number one in ski racing in impressive style.
108 OLYMPIC MEDALS FOR THE “FISCHER FAMILY”
90 YEARS OF TECHNOLOGY FROM FISCHER
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