I recently had the pleasure of spending the day at Bernina’s headquarters in Steckborn, Switzerland. My visit kicked off with a breathtaking view from the Bernina factory, perched above the sparkling waters of Lake Constance. Just across the lake, you can see the landscape of Germany—it’s an incredible sight!
My first stop was the production line for the brand-new Bernina 990. These machines are expertly built by skilled craftsmen, adhering to Bernina’s rigid standards. After assembly, each one goes through several dedicated stations, where highly trained technicians fine-tune every detail as part of Bernina’s rigorous quality control process. After all these tests are complete, the sewing performance team test sews each machine using a variety of fabrics and stitch types. From there the machines are passed onto the packaging team to be boxed up for shipment.
My next stop was the inspiring Creative Center, where Bernina hosts exclusive classes and events for their local customers. I was lucky to hear from Hanspeter Ueltschi, the owner of Bernina, who shared the six key pillars that have driven their success since 1932:
- Family-Owned
- Quality
- Innovation
- Inspiration
- Education
- A Consistent Focus on the Customer.
Being family-owned allows them to make thoughtful, long-term investments and decisions, keeping the future bright. In recent years, Bernina has made significant investments in three distinct sewing categories: Longarm Quilting with the professional performance Q Series; Overlockers with the amazing air thread L850, L860 and L890 machines; and now top of the line Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery with the amazing new B990! All three of these product lines offer unique features and advantages not found on any other brand of machines.
 Mr. Ueltschi welcomes the group to the Bernina Creativity Center. |
 Mr. Ueltschi congratulates Paul & the Quality team for the great response to our B990 introduction program in Washington. |
I had the privilege of being among the first to visit the newly expanded sewing lab. This incredible space is home to 29 specialists, including professional quilters and passionate sewing enthusiasts, all dedicated to exploring every aspect of machine creativity—from sewing and embroidery to quilting and serging. Here they create stitches, test stitches and stitch quality, test software and create actual garments and quilts with a critical eye for sewing performance and stitch perfection. They work closely with the engineering department to facilitate constant improvement in current and future products. According to Karin the lab manager of the longarm quilting group, “We are all Quilters and we have the eyes of the quilters….we test everything.”
My visit to the R&D department was especially exciting. While they were not able to share any information on the various future products they are working on, it was extremely impressive to learn that their team now totals over 60 full time engineers. This includes new teams dedicated to longarm quilting and computer technology as well as a special group of folks who work in the Innovation Lab. One of the engineers demonstrated a custom computer program they developed to perfect the new Integrated Bernina Stitch Regulator on the B990. While the original design worked beautifully on solid-colored fabrics, they weren’t satisfied with its performance on fabrics with complex designs and color variations. It took nearly a year of fine-tuning to get it just right! They redesigned and reprogrammed until they were confident it would perform perfectly on all fabrics.
The Ueltschi family continues to make huge investments dedicated to the future of sewing. Their stated mission is to strengthen passion for sewing, quilting and embroidery. To reinforce the mission, the whole team was wearing embroidered shirts that proudly stated, “We are a family of inspired doers.” Through education, innovation and technology, Bernina’s overriding goal is to create a joyful user experience. Bernina continues to invest in their people, their products and the future of sewing. From the small village of Steckborn Switzerland, it’s clear to see a bright future for the world of sewing.
I am grateful for the opportunity to tour Bernina’s impressive facility. It was truly inspiring to witness their team's incredible craftsmanship, high standards, and unwavering dedication. Not only are Bernina machines of the highest quality, but it’s clear that their commitment to innovation, precision, and customer satisfaction runs deep throughout the entire company. I came away from the visit more impressed than ever and proud to offer Bernina machines in our stores.
Sincerely,
Paul LaPonte, Owner