New factory offers profile-turning services

The specific nature of Tavadec’s production is the result of a family heritage whose history has been closely bound up with small-scale machining for more than sixty years. Each time this heritage is passed on, a new impulse is set in motion, particularly in 1988 with the creation of the company, and in 1998 with the arrival of the new generation at the head of the business, namely Cédric and Didier Monnin, respectively Sales Director and Technical Director.

Over the years Tavadec has continued to develop and modernise. The old premises became too cramped, and production capacities reached saturation point. The management therefore looked to the future by building a new structure more in keeping with the economic and strategic reality of key sectors served by the firm, and able to keep pace with the needs of the watch industry and its own rapid growth.

The new factory has a total floor space of 3,000 square metres on two floors. The company N. Humair SA – a polishing workshop half-owned by Tavadec SA – is installed on the ground floor, while Tavadec occupies the entire upper floor. By putting this synergy in place, Tavadec can offer its clients total control over the production of parts.

A large proportion of components produced by the firm have a diameter of less than a millimetre. However the company’s adaptability is evident from the sectors it serves, which range from high-end watchmaking to electrical connections, technical equipment, medical applications and many more besides.

Thanks to a well-established network of subcontractors, Tavadec oversees control of all stages necessary in the finalisation of parts and can offer a complete one-stop service, backed up by advice, from the initial quotation to delivery.

The new building meets high safety standards. Utilising every inch of space, the layout improves the production flow and allows substantial gains in productivity: a wooden floor reduces the risk of falls and slips in workshops while enhancing the comfort of employees; triple glazing improves the building’s heat and noise insulation; a heat recovery system and high-tech treatment of air and water are fully integrated. Photovoltaic solar panels and a heat pump round off the facilities with a view to optimising the building’s energy efficiency.

The need for increased production capacity as a result of further growth of the business has already been anticipated: unused space is available which will allow a 25% expansion of the current inventory of more than a hundred CNC or cam-controlled lathes, gear-cutting machines and other production equipment already in operation on the new premises.

October 23, 2014