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.

Legendary Skid Chair

It is this mix of pioneering spirit and the search for a substantial solution that is common theme through the company’s history. Co-creation is the recipe for success thanks to which VS has succeeded in initiating pioneering developments in the industry. Creative coexistence with major figures from architecture and design has, among other things, led to one of the most successful products of post-war history: more than six million examples of the Skid chair, which VS developed with architect Karl Nothhelfer, have been sold. With this chair, VS not only sealed the end of the school bench, but also led schools into freedom of movement. The legendary chair was so light that children could carry it themselves – out of the classrooms and towards freer forms of teaching.

Entry into Office Furnishing

How do people communicate with each other? What do they need to concentrate? How can they develop new ideas better? These questions are central to learning as much as to work. The step from the world of education to work was therefore small. Since 1992, VS has developed holistic and custom-fit solutions for workplaces in banks, car manufacturers, the Siemens headquarters or the ECB, but especially for SMEs, such as HiPP or the healthcare company medi. In future, the world of work will change even more and more rapidly than it already has. “People are demanding and increasingly more self-aware: they want the best possible conditions so that they can achieve their best possible performance. They won’t be palmed off with any old emergency solution,” says Philipp Müller, speaking from experience.

Opening the VS School Museum

Typical VS: Without much fanfare, to celebrate its 100th anniversary VS opened its first Museum of School Furniture on the plant site. In this VS was also writing a new chapter in cultural history, in which the development story of school furnishings as opposed to residential furnishings were finally given appropriate appreciation. VS had brought together the exceptional collection of German and foreign historical items over decades. The driving force behind the museum was Philipp Müller’s father, Prof. Thomas Müller, VS Managing Director until 2019. At the time, Thomas Müller put in a nutshell what distinguishes VS from a “normal” furniture manufacturer: “With this undertaking, we can greatly contribute to the education and further development of children. That is a wonderful task. But there’s still a lot to do because it’s a never-ending subject.”

Digital Division

Everything from a single source. For decades, VS has been playing this trump card as a direct sales furniture manufacturer. The well thought out company strategy, which moved from diversification after internationalisation, has contributed to the success. In 2007, VS developed the very new “Digital” division to be able to offer holistic solutions for all of the needs of the modern information and knowledge society, from kindergarten to university. The digital future needs to catch up quite a lot, especially in schools, which was shown by the coronavirus pandemic at the latest. 

Fourth Generation

“Sustainability has always been part of the way we see ourselves,” says Philipp Müller, who took over the Managing Director position from his father Thomas in 2016. In 2019, the handover of all business to the fourth generation was completed. He is aware of the responsibility the family company bears towards people, the environment and society. “We have never manufactured throw-away products, our furniture was always supposed to be durable – and it is. Quality is just as important as the design. For bestsellers, such as the chairs developed with Verner Panton, we use production facilities for many years – another aspect of sustainability.” Ecological responsibility is not only part of our heritage and thus a matter of personal importance but is also part of the successful company strategy.

Work 7 is given the go-ahead

The groundbreaking ceremony for Plant 7 will take place on 19 October 2020. The construction of the two-storey building will begin in the ‘Am Schneekasten’ industrial area in Tauberbischofsheim.

Start of production in plant 7

On 2 January, table assembly will start production in the new Plant 7. We now have capacities available here in an area of 17,000 square metres, spread over two floors.