Triumph International AG

Triumph International AG is a manufacturer of lingerie and sleepwear for women and men. Its products are marketed under such brand names as Form & Beauty, Amourette, BeHappy, Triaction, Slipi, Sloggi, Mamabel, Night & Home, BeeDees and HOM. Although founded in Germany, the company is now headquartered in Switzerland.

Basic Information

Country of incorporation

Switzerland

Ownership status

Private

Number of employees worldwide

More than 30,000.

Financial information

Total revenue

Annual Sales 2006: USD 1,600,000,000 [1]

Detailed Information

Company history

In 1886, founders Braun and Spiesshoffer started operations in a barn in Heubach, Germany. The name "Triumph" was registered as trademark in 1902 and became Europe's largest corsetry manufacturer during the 1930s. In 1933, the company opened its first international branch in Zurzach, Switzerland, where the global holding company is based today. After World War II, the expansion continued in Norther Europe, and on to Southern Europe, Asia and the Middle East during the 1960s. The corporate structure was decentralized, a business strategy that enabled customers in each country to be served by locally based designers and business partners with particularly strong commitments to regional fashion trends and cultural conditions. During the 1970s, the company entered the Brazilian markets, took over ´House of Jenynsª in Australia and launched licensing production in South Africa. Production, sales and export subsidiaries were founded in the Philippines and Thailand, together with licensed sales operations in Indonesia and a subsidiary in Chile; production works in China followed in 1980. In the last fifteen years, the company has added countries, including Uruguay, Canada, New Zealand, Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, and in Eastern Europe, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Russia. It has established production plants with ultra-modern technology in Bangkok and Morocco, and - heralding the opening of the Chinese market - opened branches in Shanghai and Peking, while continuing to operate its first production plant in Heubach.

Business scope

Brands

• Triumph
• Sloggi
• Bee Dees
• Vaisere
• HOM
• Form & Beauty
• Amourette
• BeHappy
• Triaction
• Slipi
• Mamabel
• Night & Home

Suppliers

Company produces in a range of countries, including China, Malaysia, Hungary, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Vietnam, Tunisia, South Africa.

Identified suppliers:

• Seardel (South Africa)
• Bodyline (Sri Lanka)
• Triumph/Body Fashion (Thailand)

Governance

Board members & affiliations

• Wolfgang Spiesshofer, chairman of supervisory board
• Dieter Braun, vice chairman of supervisory board
• Gerhard Geuder, member of management board
• Wolfgang Schulze, member of management board
• Gerhard Reimer, member of supervisory board

Corporate Accountability

Labor

Global

• 2001: adopts code of conduct (download from "code of conduct" section)
• 2001: joins Global Compact, but does not comply with reporting requirements [2]

Campaigns:

• 1999 dispute in Thailand: The labor union at Triumph International of Thailand Ltd. said in a statement Triumph had closed their factory in Bang Plee in the outskirts of Bangkok on July 17. They want the company to give them an 8% wage rise for the coming two years, according to officials from the labor ministry. The company, which makes swim suits, sportswear and lingerie under the Triumph brand, as well as for adidas, Jockey, and other brands, had informed their 5,000 workers management decided to cut their wage increases in the next three years.
• 1999 dispute in Philippines: BPMTI (Triumph union) went on strike last November 18, 1999 after reaching a deadlock on CBA negotiation. The union demands for a P140.00 total wage increase over the next three years with increase on other economic benefits, while the Company offered a CBA package of P45 wage increase without any additional on the current benefits. Union officials also expressed concern over the management's strategy to pattern its dealings with its Philippine workers with the labor dispute in its Thailand plant. Triumph International Philippines also manufactures for Marks & Spencer, Mast, and Victoria's Secret.
• 2001: protests against Triumph's refusal to quit production in Burma, including 1.5 km of barbed wire bras hung at the companies Belgian offices. Company closes factory in 2002.

Major reports:

Environment & product safety

"Triumph International's philosophy is that the environment should be given the same high level of importance as the company's economic and social concerns.In December 1998, Triumph received the Best Environment Management award from Austrian Industry not long after gaining ISO 14001 and EMAS certification.Triumph International AG Austria also received certification of its conversion to 'environmental-conscious innovations, ideas and production processes that represent all humanistic and ecological standards' under OEKO-TEC STANDARD 1000. The company was the first in Austria and the third in Europe to fulfill all the certificate's criteria," states on its website.

HQ Contact information

Promenadestrasse 24
Zurzach
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 (56) 269 91 91
Fax: +41 (56) 269 92 03
Web site: http://www.triumph.com