Shower head made in Switzerland: How much home is really in it?
2/2/2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Christian Walker
You've probably already stood under a rain shower from Neue Duschenwelt AG. We took a look at how the Swiss hand showers are made - and what they have in common with handguns.
«Of course the sun is shining here!», I think to myself as we drive out of the Gotthard tunnel. Photographer Christian Walker and I have been travelling for three hours. One more lies ahead of us. Our destination: San Vittore in the Italian-speaking part of the canton of Graubünden. Or, to be more precise, a family business that makes shower heads. Located in the middle of the pampas.
With a hearty «Ciao!» and a broad grin on his face, Matteo Nobili welcomes us. He is the Managing Director of Neue Duschenwelt AG (NDW), which sells its products under the brand Diaqua, among others. We follow him into the meeting room. The millennium interior brings back memories of times gone by. But Matteo explains at that moment that the family business has come a long way since his father founded it in 1999.
What hasn't changed is the claim to manufacture high-quality bathroom products in Switzerland.
Before we take a look at the production, Matteo invites us outside again. He proudly points to the façade of the building. It is almost completely lined with solar panels. «This covers up to 70 per cent of the electricity
needed for production.
of the electricity required for production.» He would prefer to rely entirely on solar power, but at least it's a start.
We move on to the first production hall, where POM showers are manufactured. It is unexpectedly quiet, bright and tidy. Almost eerily quiet. Only three robot arms move in a steady rhythm, while a trolley independently stacks empty crates on top of each other. «Two people operate the machines in this area, the rest runs automatically», explains Matteo.
Really «Made in Switzerland»?
An extruder moulds the basic frames for POM shower heads every minute. The company produces two to three different models here every day. Depending on the size of the order, that's between 1500 and 6000 units a day. Matteo explains that the mould design is developed in close collaboration with an Italian designer.
I want to know whether other production steps are outsourced abroad. «The chrome plating of the showers is done in Italy. Since the Basel-based company Galvaplast fired in 2019, we have unfortunately been unable to find a Swiss partner that offers this work step at acceptable conditions. Because it is the most cost-intensive step in the production process, we had to resort to this measure. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to offer the product at an affordable price», answers Matteo and continues: «What we can't buy in Switzerland for financial reasons comes from either Germany or Italy. We only order the rubber for the studs from China - they simply have the best material for it».
The fact that the hand showers are allowed to carry the Swiss Made label despite some of the materials and process steps being sourced from abroad is due to the fact that at least 70 per cent of the manufacturing costs and the key production steps take place in Switzerland.
Stainless steel showers for elegant hotel guests
Matteo speeds up his pace and asks us to follow him quickly. We end up in the second production hall and stop in front of a cage. Inside, a laser cutter has just started removing moulds from a metal plate. This is the first production step for the stainless steel shower heads, which are manufactured entirely in the Swiss factory. They remind me of the rain showers I know from hotels. And I'm exactly right. Because the hand showers - apart from the rubber mat - are made of stainless steel, they cost two to three times as much as the POM models. The main customers are hotels.
Next door, we meet an employee who is inserting the rubber mat into the shower heads. She is one of around 50 employees. The employees either come from the region or commute to San Vittore from the Italian border.
The employee skilfully inserts one mat after the other. Every move is perfect. At another station, an employee rinses the showers with water. «Each shower head undergoes at least 100 test runs before it goes on sale», Matteo explains. This is how NDW ensures that the quality meets customer standards.
Material, as with firearms
Further back in the hall, Matteo hands us two of the finished shower heads. The stainless steel parts are seamlessly joined together and look as if they have been cast from a single mould. It's as if I'm holding a hand mirror that has been polished to a mirror finish.
But I am really surprised by the POM shower head ready for dispatch. Not because it looks particularly unusual, but because I realise that the shiny shower head in my home is probably not made of metal at all, but of chrome-plated plastic. Yes, I was probably a bit naive. But Matteo's words snap me out of my thoughts: «Inside, we use the same material that is used in a Glock», «The gun?» asks Christian. «Exactly» Matteo continues, «that's why the showers are heat-resistant». His guiding principle is:
"We focus on high-quality products that customers only have to buy once"
I ask him how long the chrome-plated surface will remain scratch-free. He assures me that they will last a lifetime with the right care. People often use cleaning agents that are too aggressive or sponges that are too rough when cleaning, which attacks and damages the materials.
The shower showroom
For our last stop, the showroom, we climb a flight of stairs at the end of a long corridor. Matteo turns to us before opening the door and warns us «Don't be surprised at all the Lego models». I can't imagine what he means until I take the first step into the room. The bricks are piled up everywhere.
Reconstructed scenes from the city of Rome, the Black Pearl and several spaceships from Star Wars are lined up one after the other. The showers on display are drowned out by all the bricks - we are all distracted. «My father's hobby», explains Matteo. «Likeable», I think to myself.
Header image: Christian Walker
Painting the walls just before handing over the flat? Making your own kimchi? Soldering a broken raclette oven? There's nothing you can't do yourself. Well, perhaps sometimes, but I'll definitely give it a try.
Background information
Interesting facts about products, behind-the-scenes looks at manufacturers and deep-dives on interesting people.
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