Factory tours
You’d like to know once and for all how a FREITAG bag is made and what our factory looks like from the inside? Then you’ve come to the right place.
Regular factory tours give visitors an insight into FREITAG bag production and show school classes, clubs and other interested parties how truck tarps leave the road behind them to become bags. Various members of the F-Crew from all sections of the company give regular tours of our headquarters at the Nœrd industrial complex.
In 2021, after a long break due to the coronavirus, we gave 44 guided tours in which over 900 participants gained an idea of how we think and act. By comparison, we averaged over 100 tours a year in the pre-pandemic period.
1. GROUP TOURS
You can book a Factory tour for 10 to 25 people using the form below. The tour takes between 60 and 90 minutes and is available in English, French, German or Italian.
Cost: CHF 250
Never more than that, sometimes less, payable directly at the Nœrd store by card or Twint.
REGISTRATION GROUP TOUR
2. INDIVIDUAL TOUR
If you prefer to come alone, there’s no need to register: Simply show up at the Nœrd Store at 2 pm on the first Wednesday of the month and with one to one-and-a-half hours to spare. You can check in and start the tour with other people who’ve likewise come on impulse.
Cost: CHF 20. The tour is free for children up to and including 12 years.
The tour takes place in English or German, or both if necessary, at the same time.
3. THEMED TOURS
Occasionally, we also offer themed factory tours in conjunction with an event or a particular topic. You can find an overview of scheduled tours here and register directly:
Currently, we have no themed tours scheduled.
We look forward to seeing you.
THE VIRTUAL FACTORY TOUR
1. NŒRD WATER TANK
The vast water tank holds 350,000 liters. Rainwater seeps through gravel from the roof garden into pipes that take it directly to the tank.
2. DELIVERY OF TRUCK TARPS
The factory receives 350 tons of used truck tarps annually. And FREITAG truck spotters all over Europe are on the lookout for the best ones.
3. TRUCK TARP STRIP-DOWN FLOOR
During the strip-down process, we cut all the waste off the tarps: We remove all the eyelets and anything else we can’t recycle for bag production.
4. TRUCK TARP LAUNDRY
The XXXL washing machines can take about ten pieces of tarpaulin, or around 50 to 60 kilograms per wash (at 65°C). The tarps are washed using water from the rainwater tank.
5. TRUCK TARP DRYING ROOM
The last of the rinsing water from each wash cycle is collected and then reused for the rinse cycle of the next load of tarps. The washed tarpaulins are dried with cold air in a separate room.
6. BAG DESIGN
FREITAG’s bag designers decide how the bags are going to look. Individual pieces are cut out of the tarp using a set of transparent stencils.
7. PREPARATION FOR SEWING
After cutting, the individual bag parts are given a number to avoid mix-ups when they are sewn together.
8. SEWING THE FREITAG BAGS
The FREITAG bags are sewn together in Switzerland or not-too-distant neighboring countries.
9. PROTOTYPES
Starting from the first design ideas on paper, a specialized team cuts out the patterns, and the prototypes are sewn using these as a basis.
10. QUALITY CONTROL
After sewing, the bags undergo stringent quality control at the factory. They are then packed in boxes and sent to our stores and partners worldwide.
11. ONLINE STORE
More than 4,500 unique items are available at the FREITAG Online Store. Before going online, each product is photographed from all angles. This way, you can be sure you aren’t buying a pig in a poke.
12. BIOPOINTS
FREITAG offices all have “biopoints”, or centralized trash and disposal centers. Employees can separate their waste and get rid of it here. In tarpaulin bags, of course.
13. FREITAG OFFICEs
While planning the FREITAG offices, we spent a long time looking for suitable office furnishings. In vain. That’s why we set to work developing a workstation tailored to the needs of the F-Crew.
14. F-CREW
Today, the FREITAG family comprises around 250 employees. Of these, about 150 work at the headquarters in Zurich.
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