Private company

Oerlikon Works

Swiss engineering company (1876-1967)

Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon was a Swiss engineering company based in the Zürich district of Oerlikon known for the early development of electric locomotives. It was founded in 1876 as the Werkzeug- und Maschinen-Fabrik Oerlikon by the industrialist Peter Emil Huber-Werdmüller, and occupied a large site immediately to the west of Oerlikon railway station.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

1876Founded1
  • Industryelectrical industry, manufacture of machinery and equipment, mechanical engineering1
  • HeadquartersZurich1
  • Legal formjoint-stock company1

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Maschinenfabr Oerlikon 1930
Photo: unbekannt; eingescannt und hochgeladen von sidonius 08:24, 25 April 2006 (UTC), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon was a Swiss engineering company based in the Zürich district of Oerlikon known for the early development of electric locomotives. It was founded in 1876 as the Werkzeug- und Maschinen-Fabrik Oerlikon by the industrialist Peter Emil Huber-Werdmüller, and occupied a large site immediately to the west of Oerlikon railway station.2

The story

Founded by Peter Emil Huber-Werdmüller in 1876.1

Leadership

Who has led Oerlikon Works, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Chief executive

  1. Dieter Bührle1956–now
197019801990200020102020

Products and brands

  • locomotive
  • rolling stock

Listed on Wikidata.1

Subsidiaries and ownership

Owners

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1967Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1956New chief executive Dieter Bührle becomes CEO1
  3. 1936Acquired Acquired by Emil Georg Bührle1
  4. 1876Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
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  3. 3