1969 was an eventful year. Elvis landed in the charts with “In the Ghetto”, Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon and Jimi Hendrix wrote music history in faraway Woodstock.
Franz Palkoska and Leo Hüsser didn’t fly to the moon and they weren’t at Woodstock either. In fact, they were far too busy founding their own Volvo House in the canton of Zug. To use Neil Armstrong’s famous saying, “One small step for mankind, but one big step for all friends of the Swedish car brand in Switzerland.”
A lot has happened since those days: New models saw the light of day, the showroom was enlarged and the range of services steadily expanded. Today, the friendly Volvo dealership in Zug is known not only for its cars but also for its friendly service and good coffee.
What hasn’t changed is our enthusiasm for people and cars. It is the drive that drives us and makes us strive to become just that little bit better every day. Anyone who sells exceptional cars must also offer premium service and friendliness premium reliability. Whether it’s financing, new or replacement acquisition fleet management or service and repair: We are happy to be there for you!
If you have any questions, we are happy to offer you a non-binding consultation.
Our doors are open for you.
Leo Hüsser and Franz Palkoska found a general partnership and rent Gottfried Herzog’s garage business for 10 years.
Leo Hüsser and Franz Palkoska are able to purchase the garage and found the public limited company HÜSSER + PALKOSKA AG.
On 1 January 1995, Stephan Palkoska takes over as managing director, Franz Palkoska retires.
On 20 July, the ground-breaking ceremony for the largest construction project in the 35-year history of our company is held. A completely new garage is being built, including a separate diagnostic centre.
A second workshop is integrated to increase the capacity of technical operations. The spare parts warehouse is relocated and reduced in size at the same time. This creates space for 3 additional lift workplaces, which corresponds to an expansion of 60%.
The contracts for the sale of the company are signed at the end of July. Stephan and Mary Palkoska hand over the company to the new business owners Jan-Andrea Christen and Sepp Kälin.
“With our passion for cars, we are your regional contact for concerns about Volvo vehicles. Visit our garage and let us advise you.”
“With our many years of experience in handling Volvo vehicles, we are happy to support you. In doing so, we pay the utmost attention to customer needs.”
Leo Hüsser takes up his position as workshop manager with the previous owner of the garage, Mr. Gottfried Herzog.
Gottfried Herzog takes over the VOLVO A representation for the canton of Zug. Franz Palkoska takes over the position of customer service inspector at the VOLVO importer Fritz Häusermann in Zurich.
For reasons of age, Gottfried Herzog is looking for a successor who can continue the garage business.
Leo Hüsser and Franz Palkoska found a general partnership and rent Gottfried Herzog’s garage business for 10 years.
Leo Hüsser and Franz Palkoska are able to purchase the garage and found the public limited company HÜSSER + PALKOSKA AG.
10th anniversary of the company. Large anniversary exhibition on the company’s own premises. Company outing with all employees and their relatives in a coach to Lake Garda and South Tyrol.
Unexpected death of Gottfried Herzog.
HÜSSER + PALKOSKA AG buys the petrol station on Sihlbruggstrasse with the associated area totalling 900 m^2 from SHELL-SWITZERLAND. Conversion into a modern self-service petrol station with credit cards and banknote machine.
PS: Petrol prices 1981: Super 1.27, unleaded 1.26, diesel 1.24.
Triple anniversary year: 15 years of HÜSSER + PALKOSKA AG, 20 years of VOLVO in the canton of Zug, 30 years of VOLVO in Switzerland.
Big anniversary exhibition on our premises.
Garage extension with workshop office, two additional workplaces, cloakroom for the staff and tyre storage room. Enlargement and reorganisation of the spare parts warehouse and partial renovation of the existing premises. Installation of the new wastewater treatment plant, undergrounding of a new 60,000-litre fuel tank, installation of new petrol pumps and a new BICA filling station, redesign of the forecourt at the garage and filling station.
Our first EDP system (IBM 36) is put into operation.
20 years of HÜSSER + PALKOSKA AG. Anniversary exhibition on our premises and in the Oberdorf Centre in Baar. Company outing with the entire staff and their relatives by car to Salzburg.
Renovation of the car park behind the garage with partial roofing, renewal of the flat roof over the washroom and the spare parts store, partial renovation of the existing building.
Conversion of the SHELL filling station to the latest and environmentally friendly active gas recirculation system.
On 1 January Stephan Palkoska takes over the management, Franz Palkoska retires. We lease the petrol station to Shell, which carries out a complete renovation.
On 20 July, the ground-breaking ceremony for the largest construction project in the 35-year history of our company is held. A completely new workshop is being built, including a separate diagnostic centre. The previous workshop will be cleared to make room for our showroom and the new reception area. The upper floor and the roof are also renovated and the offices modernised. Completion and opening of the extension at the beginning of September 1999.
1 December: we are the first garage in Switzerland to achieve ISO certification for environmental protection 14024.
April: we put our newly built car wash into operation.
January: we launch our new software incadea.engine, which replaces the previous system on AS/400. 2 powerful servers and 5 new PC workstations are purchased.
February: Installation of a PC-controlled wheel aligner.
July: Renovation of the 2nd half of the upper floor begins. Space is created for archives and storage.
December: Renewal of the ISO 14024 environmental label by SQS.
September: new bike hotel for 900 customer bikes is built.
Renewal of the IT system to more powerful servers
Installation of the Drester wheel washing machine
A second workshop is integrated to increase the capacity of technical operations. The spare parts warehouse is relocated and reduced in size at the same time. This creates space for 3 additional lift workplaces, which corresponds to an expansion of 60%.
The Volvo Next-Face is realised. The showroom gets a parquet floor as well as modern LED lighting, which brings an electricity saving of 80% compared to the old lighting. At the same time, the showroom is equipped with new furniture from Volvo.
Replacement of the existing WWTP with a new BIO wastewater treatment plant
Implementation of the Volvo programmes VPS (Volvo Personal Service) and VRE (Volvo Retail Experience). Also this year, the gantry car wash will be replaced.
The contracts for the sale of the company are signed at the end of July. Stephan and Mary Palkoska hand over the company to the new business owners Jan-Andrea Christen and Sepp Kälin. The successful change of generations is an important milestone for the successful continuation of the company.
Implementation of the Volvo programmes VAC (Volvo Accessory Centre)
Spring: Installation of the charging infrastructure for e-mobility in and around the building
August: Signing of the contract for the Polestar Service Point
January: we launch our new DMS software BME, which replaces the previous system Incadea. The entire IT infrastructure is renewed.
October: creation of in-house English courses for staff (with the help of an external English teacher)
Installation of various new equipment, including; Hunter balancing machine with force measurement function, additional recessed washroom lift, replacement of previous car lifts and much more.
Once upon a time… That’s how almost all fairy tales begin. What I am about to tell you is not a fairy tale, but the true story of one of the most impressive experiences in my professional life. Namely, when I met Singyle Wangchuk, the King of the Himalayan state of Bhutan. This is the beginning of a story that sounds almost like a fairy tale, but was and still is one of the most striking impressions in my professional life.
Full articleError validating access token: The session has been invalidated because the user changed their password or Facebook has changed the session for security reasons.
