Milestones
1929
The founding convention of the Association for the Promotion of the ETH Institute of Industrial Engineering and Management (BWI) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) is held on June 26th with the participation of several well-known exponents of Swiss industries. Prof. Dr. A. Rohn, president of the Swiss School Council, becomes president of the association.
The ETH Institute of Industrial Engineering and Management (BWI) opens on October 1 with four employees under the guidance of Prof. Dr. E. Böhler. The focus of activities lies on general enterprise research. At the same time, a specialized library is set up.
1931
Prof. R. de Vallière is named professor for enterprise science and takes over the direction of the BWI. Initial courses are offered on work physiology, fabrication, and company organization.
1932
The first issue of the management journal Industrielle Organisation is published.
1933
Official teaching activities begin in the winter term.
1936
Courses in Industrial Engineering and Management become part of the curricula of Department of Mechanical Engineering.
1950
Prof. E. Schmidt is appointed as professor for enterprise science and production techniques and becomes director of the Institute
1951
Revision of the curriculum places a stronger focus on production techniques. The SKU (Schweizerische Kurse für Unternehmensführung, Swiss Courses on Enterprise Management) is founded.
1954
Prof. Dr. h.c. W. Daenzer is appointed as professor for enterprise science and production techniques and becomes director of the Institute. Prof. Daenzer’s work formed the core of the development of the problem solving methodology of “Systems Engineering” (SE) at the BWI.
1959
The Institute, now about 40 employees’ strong, moves to new quarters at Zürichbergstrasse 18
1968
A new curriculum no longer binds enterprise science to manufacturing techniques, and the course offerings in specialized areas are expanded.
1970
Prof. Dr. A. Büchel is appointed professor to fill the new second chair at the Institute.t.
1974
Postgraduate study in enterprise science (Nachdiplomstudium in Betriebswissenschften) is introduced on a provisional basis.
1975
Prof. E. Brem is named to succeed Prof. Dr. h.c. W. Daenzer.
1980
The postgraduate program becomes officially established.
1982
The Institute is granted a third chair, for the field of enterprise management, and Prof. Dr. Dr. H. Tschirky is appointed. The curriculum is adapted to fit the course of studies of the Department for Mechanical Engineering.
1983
The field of enterprise economics is integrated into the center with a fourth chair. Prof. Dr. A. Seiler is appointed to the chair and stays until 1987, at which time he founds his own professorship outside the BWI.
1984
The society for the promotion of the BWI devotes a part of its capital to the founding of the new "Stiftung für Forschung und Beratung am BWI" (foundation for research and consulting at the BWI). The foundation’s board of trustees is appointed from representatives of the promotion society and the Executive Board of the ETH Zurich. The director of the foundation is Prof. E. Brem. The leadership of the institute, by contrast, is henceforth assumed by the three professors together, with the board of directors changing on a rotating basis.
From its profits, the foundation finances research projects as well as the public BWI library, which develops into the leading management library. The following areas (formerly department for research and consulting at the BWI) are commercially run
- Publishing house and management journal IO
- Consultancy in commercial sciences (later “Leadership and Organization“), building design and production, business administration, computer science
- Further education and training
1987
Prof. F. Huber is elected to succeed Prof. E. Brem in the field of Produkt und Produktionsprozess (product and production process) and to direct the foundation.
1989
The course offerings at the BWI are expanded and integrated into the newly founded Department for Industrial Management and Manufacturing Sciences (IIIE).
1991
Prof. Dr. P. Schönsleben succeeds Prof. Dr. A. Büchel in the areas of Logistics, Planning and Control, and Information Management.
1993
The teaching capacity of the BWI is increased with the designation of Dr. P. Frauenfelder and Dr. R. Züst as assistant professors. Dipl. Ing. ETH M. Baertschi becomes a regular guest lecturer.
1996
By midyear, the BWI foundation forgoes its consulting activities and concentrates on providing graduate and postgraduate courses of study. Ownership of the io- Fachverlag is handed over to Orell-Füssli publishing company. The BWI remains editor of the the io management journal, while the HandelsZeitung Fachverlag AG becomes its new publisher.
1999
On May 11th the Board of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) votes to create the Center for Enterprise Sciences. The Board thereby supports the development within teaching and research from business science to enterprise science. The new Center for Enterprise Sciences (BWI) is created on October 1st, 1999 through a metamorphosis of the ETH Institute of Industrial Engineering and Management (BWI), which has just celebrated its 70th anniversary. The new center is under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dr. Hugo Tschirky and Prof. Dr. Paul Schönsleben.
2000
The industrial management and manufacturing sciences department curriculum is reconsidered. Major changes point towards an introduction of a bachelor and master’s degree at the graduate level, and an engineering-oriented MAS (Master of Advanced Sciences) at the postgraduate level.
The foundation BWI changes its name to the “Foundation for the promotion of research and training in enterprise sciences at the ETH Zurich“. The foundation’s mission is extended to enterprise sciences at the ETH Zurich. Priority is given to support measures oriented towards enabling young people to assume corporate responsibility in technology-intensive companies. The management further education continues to be led under the brand “Foundation BWI Management Further Education”.
2001
The io management journal becomes the ‘io new management’ journal and adopts an appealing layout to become a leading European journal for enterprise sciences. The Center for Enterprise Sciences (BWI) remains the editor.
2004
Prof. Dr. Dr. Hugo Tschirky became Professor Emeritus. The new “Department of Management, Technology, and Economics (D-MTEC)” is replacing the former “Department of Industrial Management and Manufacturing (D-BEPR)”. Accompanying this transition, the whole staff leaves Zürichbergstrasse 18, where the various chairs had held residence since 1959. Together with others of the established and some of the newly founded chairs of D-MTEC, the Center for Enterprise Sciences BWI moves on to brand new premises at Kreuzplatz 5 on 1 December.
2005
The second course of the Executive MBA-SCM starts under the management of the ETH in cooperation with the Forum-SCM, an association of major European companies.
The foundation and the newly formed D-MTEC at the ETH Zurich (Department for Management, Technology, and Economics) decide upon a support partnership. Since this time, the foundation has been concentrating its support activities on supporting research at the D-MTEC and sees itself as the “MTEC Foundation”. The foundation’s board of trustees consists of three representatives from industry (one of whom is the President of the board of trustees), a representative of the Executive Board of the ETH Zurich and the principal of the D-MTEC.
2008
The Executive Board of the ETH Zurich approves a fusion of the two seminar organizers “BWI Seminars“ and “Foundation BWI Management Further Education“. The “BWI Management Further Education” is launched on 1 January under unified leadership and responsibility and, in the four subject areas of project management, leadership, supply chain management and management techniques, offers around 150 events with approximately fifty different titles, both publicly and within companies..
2009
BWI celebrates its 80th anniversary. It changes its name to BWI Center for Industrial Management, or BWI Betriebswissenschaftliches Zentrum. This is due to the fact, that the Department's label MTEC is now well introduced. So one of the aims of the former Center for Enterprise Sciences, that is to indicate a more comprehensive concept of Management, is fullfilled by D-MTEC. Hence, we bring back the denomination of BWI closer to its original denomination.
2013
The io management journal and the journal “Informationsmanagement” become “IM+io – the journal for innovation, organization and management”. IMC, “information multimedia communication AG”, Saarbrücken, owned by Prof. August Wilhelm Scheer, is the new publisher. The professors of D-MTEC play an important role in the editorial committee.
2014
The BWI MWB, Management Weiterbildung BWI AG, is launched on Jan. 1st as an independent company, maintaining its strong link to the BWI Center for Industrial Management. BWI-MWB continues to offer, in the four subject areas of project management, leadership, supply chain management and management techniques, around 150 events with approximately fifty different titles, both publicly and within companies.