Polydec inaugurates its new building

The large number of guests who had been invited and attended on 19 May had an opportunity not only to discover the new Polydec facility, but also to view a show presided over by Claude Konrad (Chief Executive Officer) and the French-speaking actor, Jacques Mooser.

As a sub-contractor specialising in the production of small high precision components, Polydec makes over 40 million pieces every month, in particular for the automobile, watch, electronics and medical industries. In this field, more than 20 million spindles destined for instrument panels and injection systems leave the workshops every month. No less than 50% of all the cars on the road worldwide incorporate components made by this firm.

History
Putting aside the figures for a moment, the early days of this Bienne-based firm are a matter of great interest. One Saturday in January 1985, at aperitif time, Claude Konrad and his cousin Jean-François Konrad decided to create a new business. In those days, the intention was to arrange their timetable to suit their own wishes, for instance to be able to go to the beach in the afternoon and work in the evening. They had no inkling that Polydec would grow to become the business as we know it today. The upshot is that they never went to the beach in the afternoon but certainly did have to work on many evenings! After asking the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne (EPFL) and its Swiss German counterpart, the Federal Polytechnic School of Zurich (EPFZ), to perform a market research study, they decided to begin profile-turning using five antique Petermann P4 machines. One year later, they bought a share of the Konrad & Cie company, managed by Claude Konrad’s brother. In 1992, Polydec became a limited company. Four years later, the business moved into a brand new building, at 14 rue de Longeau. To handle the expansion of its activities, Polydec opened an office in Chicago, called Polydec International Inc. in 2005. Business went from strength to strength and a second building, alongside the main structure, was inaugurated in 2007. At 15.38 on 5 March 2008, Polydec produced its 2,000,000,000^th component. Just over one year ago, the company moved into its new premises at rue du Long-Champ 99 which were inaugurated in mid May.

Acquired in 2014, the building needed extensive refurbishment before it could be occupied. The architect responsible for the works admits that he spent many sleepless nights in the course of the eleven short months he was given to create the prestigious facility in which 64 staff members work today. Of the 10,000m² of restored floor space, Polydec now occupies half… so that the directors can look to the future with confidence.

Components designed to meet extreme criteria
Polydec’s skills reach the very limits of machining by chip removal. Recently, the company produced steel components with a diameter of just 0.07 mm (equivalent to the diameter of a hair) and with a length of 0.3 mm. They are then polished and tempered. While this is an extreme case, the business regularly produces components with a diameter of 0.3 mm, including many machining operations by piercing or polygon-turning. When such dimensions are reached, the machine no longer reacts in the same way and the cutting speed is reduced to near zero. The firm regularly produces components with tolerances of +/- 2 µ, or, in extreme cases, +/- 1 µ. While high tech production resources are needed to achieve such precision, the operatives’ dexterity also plays a major role.

To ensure the production of components which satisfy extreme criteria, Polydec benefits from standard ISO 9001 and ISO/TS 16949 certification for the motor industry. The quality processes are totally integrated and are part of the firm’s recipe for success. The desire for complete control begins already when an offer is submitted. Before an order can be confirmed, it is analysed by an APQP (anticipated quality planning and product control plan). This important phase enables the design of the components to be guaranteed when the order is confirmed, so avoiding subsequent problems as far as possible.

Working for several different industrial sectors, Polydec is highly flexible because each domain involves specific constraints in terms of finish, visual inspection or verification of the dimensions. When precision in the order of a few microns is required, measuring tools are working at the very limit of their capacity. Constant adjustment to client needs and criteria is therefore necessary.

An ode to industry of olden times in Bienne
The Polydec directors wanted to offer their guests an original inauguration. The stage setting for this event naturally focused on the history of the firm but not just on that… They also looked at the industrial past of Bienne, in the course of which some great names have made their mark in the past two centuries. A good many participants were reminded of bygone days when Claude Konrad spoke of the bicycle maker Cosmos, Phoebus lamps which were fitted on bicycles, Biennophone radios, Calenda typewriters, Burger & Jacobi pianos, the motor manufacturer General Motors, or even earlier, Henriod Frères. To illustrate each of these firms, the managing director presented a product made by the factories concerned. He even went so far as to show a Cadillac made in Bienne (back in 1958) to the thrilled audience and a Henriod vehicle built in 1897, the Duc Kellner model, which also delighted the astonished guests who were surprised to discover the lengths to which Mr Konrad had gone to flesh out his presentation.

At the end of this rich historical section, the stage setting once again astonished the audience. In a theatrical fashion, Claude Konrad let down the curtains which had been draped over the walls of the conference room and behind a glass wall the guests now discovered magnificent, bright, airy and clean workshops equipped with the latest generation of machinery. And it was time for the visit to begin!

With over 5 billion components produced - a record reached on 31 May 2016 - just over 50% of the company’s output goes to the motor vehicle industry making it one of the very closed circle of manufacturers of components for the actuators (micro-motors) of dashboard instrument hands. With this move, the management has prepared the future by offering a prestigious setting for the highly sophisticated competences of the experts who are proudly perpetuating the industrial heritage of the city of Bienne.

June 08, 2017