News To ensure its development, Patek Philippe has relocated its movement components manufacturing division to a renovated building adjoining its Plan-les-Ouates manufactory.
The former premises of the company L’Oréal are the site chosen by Patek Philippe to set up this brand new watchmaking machining centre. The building, ideally positioned adjacent to the manufactory, was bought in 2007, then entirely renovated to meet watch production requirements and the very strict criteria of the Patek Philippe quality mark. Fully operational since the beginning of the year, this new building houses the 350 or so employees working in the movement components manufacturing division (of the 1,300 currently based at the Geneva site).
Completed by the construction firm Losinger, the building offers a fully equipped floor space of 14,000 m2, as well as some remarkable architectural facets. The roofs have been designed to capture as much natural light as possible in the centre of production halls. In addition to vast modern machining halls and workshops, the site offers first-floor premises with a floor space of 995 m2 housing a number of workshops and administrative offices, as well as a large cafeteria able to seat 320 people and an outside car park with its own access from the chemin du Pont-du-Centenaire.
The new building improves production flows still further by locating production and machines on a single level. High-performance machines stand alongside ultra-modern tooling and fully automated, digitally-programmed machining equipment. The layout of open workshops follows a specific logic according to the type of operation or tooling for enhanced efficiency. Numerous stand-alone workstations for traditional manual finishing work have been created, thus offering optimal working conditions.
Reflecting the manufactory itself, the quality of the construction is high, not only in terms of architectural design and choice of materials but also as a result of the high-tech nature of installations and safety provisions. The building’s air conditioning, "ultra-clean" areas (dust-free), hygiene and energy balance meet the most rigorous standards.
The components manufacturing division produces virtually all movement components for Patek Philippe watches. It is organised into several production departments: bars and plates for large-scale production runs, gear-trains and machining for small production runs and timepieces with complications. It also includes logistics, quality assurance and inspection services. Nearly ten million components of more than 7,000 different types are manufactured each year for the production of Patek Philippe movements.
To strengthen its industrial structure, Patek Philippe has completed some major real-estate projects in recent years. Installed in Plan-les-Ouates since 1996 in its superb manufactory (22,000 m2), the firm relocated its watch decoration division in 2003 to a building in the nearby town of Perly (7,000 m2). Today, the addition of this new industrial capacity of 14,000 m2 on its main site means it can optimise its production flows and have space in reserve for future development of its activities.
This need for additional space is not related primarily to a desire to increase production volumes – currently around 40,000 watches a year including 10,000 ladies’ quartz timepieces – but to the high demand for watches with complications. The calibres of the latter contain an ever increasing number of components and require, in accordance with the firm’s values, a greater number of production and inspection operations, as well as additional qualified manpower.
March 09, 2010
