News Short of space in its premises on the chemin de la Vuarpillière, the brand intends to double its capacity with a new building adjacent to the current manufacture. Work starts in March, with fitting-out of the interior scheduled for 2015.
Nine years ago, Hublot had 36 employees and was already based in Nyon, in a building also occupied by the Salvation Army. In 2009, the brand moved across town to a new manufacture located on the chemin de la Vuarpillière. Today, to keep pace with its growth and continue the vertical integration of its production, it has begun work on a second building which will more than double its operational floor space. The symbolic first swing of the pickaxe was made on 3 March by Jean-Claude Biver, chairman of the brand and president of the Watchmaking Division of the LVMH group, and Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot.
This new entity, located next door to the existing building, will be dedicated mainly to the production of components for proprietary movements and watch cases. Microengineering workshops with a full inventory of CNC machines, together with decoration workshops, electroplating, general mechanical and washing stations, will take up their new quarters in August 2015. The after-sales department and some administrative functions will also join them.
The current building will at the same time be reorganised to allow for expansion across the entire ground floor of the Innovation, Research & Development department, whose activity focuses largely on new materials - Magic Gold in this instance - and movements with grand complications.
This will also allow the ASF (component assembly), T1 (movement assembly), T2 / T3 (watch head and watch assembly) departments, and the Complications Workshop, to redeploy and expand in order to stay abreast of the firm’s growth.
Lastly, the production unit in Gland, which focuses mainly on the manufacture of carbon fibre cases and components, as well as the precious stone setting unit, will be able to join the main site in Nyon.
In the final analysis, 8,000 square metres will be constructed with the help of the Coretra architectural practice, based in Nyon. More than a hundred jobs will be created, taking the firm’s workforce to more than 400 employees in Switzerland. The project also represents an investment of around 20 million francs for the company.
Some key dates
- 2004: Jean-Claude Biver becomes CEO of the brand. Ricardo Guadalupe joins a few months later as his number two.
- 2008: Carlo Crocco sells the brand to the LVMH group.
- 2009: inauguration of the new manufacture in Nyon (6,000 m2). Launch of the first proprietary movement, Unico.
- 2010: Opening of a Grand Complications department (with the takeover of machines and employees of BNB Concept).
- 2011: launch of Magic Gold, a scratchproof gold and ceramic alloy
- 2012: Jean-Claude Biver hands the reins of the firm to Ricardo Guadalupe, who becomes CEO. Jean-Claude Biver takes on the role of chairman
- 2013: invention of the first bright red ceramic.
March 19, 2014
