USM

USM is a Swiss company from Münsingen near Bern. Ulrich Schärer founded it in 1885 as a metalworking business, and the name combines his initials with the first letter of Münsingen. The company is still run by the Schärer family. In the 1960s Paul Schärer Jr. and the architect Fritz Haller developed the modular furniture system that made USM known worldwide.

Range

• USM Haller: modular system of chrome plated steel tubes, ball joints and panels for sideboards, shelves, desks and display units, in series production since 1969
• Additional furniture such as tables and Kitos office furniture lines that use the same steel system
• Many colours and sizes, with parts that can be rebuilt or extended later

Positioning

USM Haller has been part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York since 2001. The system is expensive and sold through dealers and USM stores, but its modular design allows parts to be reused and rearranged. The family ownership is documented on the company's own history pages, and there is no non-European parent.