1898

VS launches

It all started with a success. In 1898, VS developed the most successful school bench by far in Germany: the “Rettig-Bank”, according to a design by the architect Wilhelm Rettig. The raised foot board made it easier to get in and out. When it came to cleaning the classroom, the two-seater could simply be folded to one side, thanks to a tilt fitting – tremendous progress in terms of hygiene. It was the first of many pioneering VS products in 125 years – products that were to establish themselves all over the world and were therefore frequently copied. Many patents and groundbreaking process innovations followed that made VS’s name worldwide and to this day have secured its position as European market leader in direct sales of school and office furniture.

VS led schools into the 20th century with their pioneering “first-born”. “Now, in the 21st century, in principle we are asking ourselves the same questions are we were then: How will we learn in the future? How will we work?”, says Managing Director Philipp Müller, who is the fourth generation to head the company. “Getting to grips with these questions, seeking answers and finding solutions – that’s a new challenge for every generation. And it's incredibly satisfying, as it always has been.”

1914

Helping to Shape Education

Where does this passion for education come from? “When my great grandfather was a little boy, he played with Mario Montessori,” says Philipp Müller. “He was the only son of Maria Montessori, who often came to our house and reformed education with her belief that children don’t learn by following rules and reproducing behaviours. They learn by discovering and trying out their own strengths and abilities in an environment that is suitable for this self-determination.” When Maria Montessori gave her first lecture in Berlin, Valborg Müller, the wife of VS founder Paul Johannes Müller, was sitting in the room. She persuaded her husband of the Italian’s vision. From 1913, VS was the only manufacturer of Montessori teaching materials for the German market and retained this status until the 1930s. “Today, we manufacture highly flexible furniture for all-day schools and offer a wide range of furnishings for nurseries and universities. But we continue to be guided by the original aim of the reform movement of those days: to create a supportive learning environment so that children can enjoy learning well with good teaching,” says Philipp Müller.

"My great-grandparents maintained a very close friendship with Maria Montessori. Additionally, my great-grandmother served on the board of the German Montessori Society."
Philipp Müller, Managing Partner

There are many more exciting co-creation stories, for example about the free-form table by architect Günter Behnisch, from which VS developed an office furniture system and furnished the German Bundestag with it in 1986. Or the 1994 cantilevered versions by design legend Verner Panton, with which VS gave ergonomic chairs a permanent place in German schools for the first time, and which many people still believe is the best school chair in the world. Sitting and moving is good, but moving is better. A key question for VS here is therefore: “How can we design learning worlds so that they are more mobile? Because learning needs movement. It takes the whole body, not just the head,” says Philipp Müller. Answers come about in exchange with experts in exercise, education and design, in trying out with partner schools. The users themselves provide inspiration by the way in which they interact with VS furniture. “Children in particular sometimes have astonishing ideas that have helped us to quite a few strokes of genius,” says Müller.

Chairs and frames being transported on roller conveyors of the VS conveyor system

“That's why employers are increasingly required to create worlds of work that are attractive, from the design of the room to the working hours and offer all of the opportunities for networking. The furnishing of home offices will also become more important,” predicts Müller. Incidentally, as an employer of a good 1,200 employees at the Tauberbischofsheim site he is watching this very carefully: “Two thirds of the people here work in production. That’s why we are intensively seeking solutions there as to how we can make workplaces and working environments more attractive, more ergonomic and, as far as possible, more flexible.”

Project room with VS high table TriUnion, Hokkis, mobile partition walls and interactive whiteboard

We integrate interactive media – and offer displays and boards, peripheral devices, secure connection solutions and simple device management from a single source. As a premium partner of various manufacturers, we are your reliable partner for all hardware and software issues and offer a wide range of services.

“Naturally, we ask ourselves how the digitisation of schools can be advanced. It’s not just a matter of swapping chalkboards for touch displays. The technology has to be incorporated in the room and teaching concept of the school concerned. Teachers need support in this so that they can incorporate the media in their educational concept. Not least, the IT support must be sorted out,” says Philipp Müller.

Sustainability has always been part of the way we see ourselves.
Philipp Müller, Managing Partner

“In production, when considering the consumption of resources and energy we continuously optimise to further improve our already good values,” says Müller. Example of the circular economy: here, too, VS is thinking ahead. “Naturally, we think a lot and develop concepts for how our products can be better returned to the technical cycle. We have our products certified to FEMB level, some also by Cradle to Cradle. We offer a spare parts service so that repairs are possible, even after decades of use. We sell ex-display furniture in the factory shop or donate it. We do a lot, and we are always doing more.”

VS crew in matching 125th anniversary shirts at the VS Open Day

In September, we celebrate our 125th anniversary with a big party for all our employees and an open day for the general public.

The world is turning ever faster. VS is keeping up with the pace and often actually sets it. 125 years – a long time to be seeking innovation in tables and chairs. “Our Education, Office and Digital divisions are extremely lively. There are always new developments to advance people as learning beings or to support them even better. That keeps curiosity alive. Especially because these are divisions that decisively shape our company. A person spends around 12,000 hours in lessons, and forty years at a workplace on average. The right furniture is therefore a major foundation, when learning, when thinking, when working. In this respect, for 125 years VS has been offering what young people today are looking for: purpose.

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125 Years of VS History: Learning and Working in the Future | VS

125 Years of VS History: Learning and Working in the Future | VS

125 Years of VS How Will We Learn and Work in the Future?

1898

1914