VSSM

Name

VSSM

Legal name

Verband Schweizerischer Schreinermeister und Möbelfabrikanten VSSM

Website

https://vssm.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

VSSM is the Swiss trade association for joinery and furniture manufacturers in German- and Italian-speaking Switzerland, serving 1,892 member businesses through vocational training, collective labor agreements, technical licensing, and member support services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wallisellen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from approximately 1,892 member businesses. Membership fees fund core association activities including training, lobbying, and member services. Specific fee tiers are available to members only.
2. Educational Programs and Diplomas: Revenue from the Höhere Fachschule Bürgenstock (HFB) offering diploma programs including Dipl. Holztechniker:in HF, Schreinermeister:in with federal diploma, and various continuing education certificates.
3. Product Sales (SchreinerShop): Sales of professional books, training materials, work clothing, and promotional merchandise through the SchreinerShop online platform.
4. License Products: Fees from licensing fire protection products and related technical documentation to member businesses.
5. Insurance Products (Erfulllungsgarantien): The association acts as surety/guarantor for performance bonds (Erfüllungsgarantien) for member businesses, providing this service as a member benefit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

VSSM is a Swiss employers' and trade association for joinery and furniture manufacturing businesses, providing membership services including vocational training (apprenticeships and continuing education), technical certification (Online-WPK for CE marking, fire protection, soundproofing licensing), collective labor agreement negotiation, political representation, business consulting, and marketing services. It operates the Höhere Fachschule Bürgenstock (HFB) vocational school, publishes the SchreinerZeitung trade newspaper, runs the SchreinerShop e-commerce platform, administers performance bonds, and connects consumers to member businesses via the schreiner.ch portal.

Product overview

VSSM is a Swiss trade association for carpentry businesses and furniture manufacturers offering a comprehensive portfolio of services structured around professional development, technical certification, industry advocacy, and member support. The core offerings include initial and continuing vocational education programs through the Höhere Fachschule Bürgenstock, technical certification via Online WPK and Lizenzprodukte (fire protection, sound insulation, security), and industry publications through SchreinerZeitung. Supporting services include the SchreinerShop e-commerce platform, construction guarantees, apprenticeship resources via SchreinerApp, a member business directory (Schreinersuche), and the Dachkampagne umbrella marketing initiative. The association also administers collective labor agreements, training funds, and compensation schemes for members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online-WPK (Werkseigene Produktionskontrolle) Online factory production control system enabling member businesses to manage CE marking documentation required for construction products under the Construction Products Act (BauPG). Provides compliance documentation and quality control workflows for joinery products entering the Swiss construction market.
• SchreinerApp Mobile application for joinery apprentices providing access to training materials, professional development resources, and apprenticeship support content for both EBA and EFZ training pathways.
• SchreinerShop E-commerce platform offering specialist books, training materials, work clothing, and promotional items for VSSM members and the joinery trade.
• SchreinerZeitung Weekly trade magazine covering joinery industry news, technical topics, business management guidance, and association updates for member businesses.
• Höhere Fachschule Bürgenstock (HFB) Association-owned higher vocational school offering diploma programs and seminars for the joinery trade, including Dipl. Holztechniker:in HF, Schreinermeister:in with federal diploma, and continuing education certificates. Located on Bürgenstock in canton Nidwalden.
• VSSM-Baugarantie (Construction Guarantees) Performance bonds and construction guarantees (Solidarbürgschaften) with VSSM acting as surety/guarantor for member businesses. Provides financial backing for member companies' construction contracts.
• Lizenzprodukte (License Products) Licensed certification products for regulated construction items including fire protection doors, sound insulation documentation, and security labeling. Members license these products for use in their operations.
• Schreinersuche Online search directory connecting consumers with VSSM member carpentry businesses across Switzerland, supporting consumer lead generation for member businesses.
• MAEK (Militär- und Ausbildungsentschädigungskasse) Military and training compensation fund administered by VSSM for member businesses, handling compensation for employees in military service or vocational training.
• Berufsbildungsfonds BBF-S Vocational training fund supporting professional education initiatives and apprenticeship development for the joinery sector.
• Gesamtarbeitsvertrag (GAV) Schreinergewerbe Collective labor agreement negotiated by VSSM with trade unions Unia and Syna, setting industry-wide wage and working condition standards for the Swiss joinery sector. Declared generally binding by federal authorities as of 1 March 2026.
• Weiterbildungsangebote (Continuing Education Programs) Structured continuing education pathways including Montagespezialist:in, Fertigungsspezialist:in, Spezialist:in Betriebsdigitalisierung, AVOR-Spezialist:in, Projektleiter:in, Produktionsleiter:in, Schreinermeister:in, and Dipl. Holztechniker:in HF.
• Grundbildung (Vocational Training) Initial vocational training programs including Schreinerpraktiker:in EBA (2-year) and Schreiner:in EFZ (4-year) apprenticeship pathways with full Bildungsverordnung and Qualifikationsverfahren frameworks.
• SchreinerMeisterschaften (Carpentry Championships) Career competition program spanning from cantonal Sektionsmeisterschaften through Regionalmeisterschaften, the Swiss National Team, SwissSkills, and WorldSkills Berufsweltmeisterschaften for aspiring carpentry professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Represents majority of joinery businesses in German and Italian-speaking Switzerland
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Atlas Holz AGcoreOthersAssociation partner providing wood materials expertise and sponsorship support. Atlas Holz is one of five principal association partners whose contributions benefit both the central association and cantonal sections.
• OPO OeschgercoreOthersAssociation partner providing hardware and fittings expertise. One of five principal association partners supporting VSSM activities.
• PermapackcoreOthersAssociation partner providing packaging solutions expertise. One of five principal association partners.
• SWICAcoreOthersHealth insurance company offering preferential conditions to VSSM members as part of the association partner program.
• Triviso AGcoreOthersAssociation partner providing IT/business solutions. One of five principal association partners.
• FordminorOthersVehicle partner offering preferential purchasing conditions for VSSM members on Ford vehicles.
• BottminorOthersVehicle equipment partner providing van racking and fitting solutions at discounted rates for VSSM members.
• BPminorOthersFuel card partner offering BP fuel cards with preferential rates for VSSM members.
• FRECEMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFédération Romande des Employeurs de la Métallurgie et du genre. Co-manages the revision of basic training programs (Grundbildungen) for the joinery trade with VSSM, including the development of new qualification procedures.
• Schweizerischer Gewerbeverband (sgv)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss Trade Association. VSSM is a member and participates through this membership in influencing national SME policy and labor regulations.
• Schweizerischer ArbeitgeberverbandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss Employers Association. VSSM participates as a member, contributing to and influencing national employment and labor policy.
• LignumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss Wood Promotion. VSSM cooperates on wood industry promotion and climate neutrality initiatives, including the 'Zeit für Holz' campaign.
• SuvaminorOthersSwiss National Accident Insurance Fund. VSSM coordinates with Suva on construction worker safety regulations including the Bauarbeitenverordnung (bauAV).
• SIA (Schweizerischer Ingenieur- und Architektenverein)minorOthersSwiss Society of Engineers and Architects. VSSM participates in SIA Norm 118 commission reviewing standard contract terms for construction work.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Schreinerverband Österreichs: Austrian trade association for the joinery/cabinetmaking sector. Directly comparable as a German-speaking neighbor trade body offering apprenticeship oversight, collective labor agreements, and continuing education for carpentry SMBs.
• Bundesverband Holz und Kunststoff (BHKH): German federal association for joinery, furniture, and interior fit-out ( Tischler- und Schreinerhandwerk ). Comparable as a larger German-speaking trade association with collective bargaining, vocational training, and technical certification services for the same professional group.
• FRECEM (Fédération Romande des Employeurs de la Métallurgie et du genre): Romandie employers' federation that co-manages basic training revisions with VSSM. Operates the same trade-association model (collective labor agreements, vocational training co-management) in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, making it the geographic counterpart and most direct functional peer.
• Holzbau Schweiz: Swiss trade association for the carpentry/wood-construction sector ( Zimmerei und Holzbau ). Directly comparable to VSSM as a domestic trade body organizing apprenticeship, training, and collective bargaining for Swiss wood-based trades, often overlapping membership scope with VSSM in the wood value chain.
• Lignum (Holzwirtschaft Schweiz): Swiss wood-industry umbrella organization promoting wood use and coordinating industry positions. Comparable as a domestic sector association overlapping with VSSM on wood promotion ('Zeit für Holz') and policy representation for the same customer base.

Emerging players

• Woodwork Career Alliance (WCA): US non-profit that sets standards and credentials for the woodworking industry. Comparable in providing curriculum, credentialing, and career-pathway frameworks for the carpentry trade, but focused on education standards rather than full employer representation.
• British Woodworking Federation: UK trade association for woodworking and joinery businesses. Comparable in providing training, certification, and member services to a similar SMB joinery constituency, but operating in a different regulatory and apprenticeship system.

Broad incumbents

• Schweizerischer Gewerbeverband (sgv): Umbrella association for Swiss SMEs of which VSSM is a member. Comparable as a broader trade body in the same Swiss SME ecosystem influencing national labor and SME policy, but operating across all trades rather than specializing in joinery.
• Schweizerischer Arbeitgeberverband: Swiss Employers' Association, the national employers' body of which VSSM is a member. Comparable in that it represents employer interests in national labor policy and collective bargaining structures, but at a multi-industry level rather than joinery-specific.

Regional players

• Fédération Française du Bâtiment (FFB): French building federation covering construction trades including carpentry. Comparable as a Western European trade association organizing apprenticeship and collective representation for the same professional group, but operating under the French legal/social framework rather than Switzerland's.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/VSSM2011
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInch.linkedin.com/company/verband-schweizerischer-schreinermeister-und-m%C3%B6belfabrikanten
• Instagraminstagram.com/vssm_schreiner
• TikToktiktok.com/@diemaschinenschweiz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VSSM