News A few months after the acquisition of ArteCad and less than three years after the establishment of two movement workshops - in La Chaux-de-Fonds and in Cornol - TAG Heuer continues its industrial integration by building a manufactory in Chevenez.
On 3 May this year, in blazing sunshine and in the presence of administrative and cantonal authorities and the media, Jean-Christophe Babin, President and CEO of the brand, announced the creation of a manufactory dedicated entirely to the production of the 1887 mechanical calibre. At the end of 2013, a building with a floor space of around 2,000 m2 will be erected on the outskirts of the village of Chevenez, not far from Porrentruy. As is right and proper, the symbolic first stone was laid in the form of a Plexiglas cube containing the 1887 movement, itself sealed in a block of concrete. This symbol will subsequently be exhibited inside the new building.
From 2013, TAG Heuer will manufacture, mount and assemble key components of the 1887 Calibre in Chevenez. Launched two years ago, this movement is currently produced in Cornol and in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Nearly 100 new jobs will be created eventually in Chevenez, while 50 jobs will be repatriated to other production sites. Operations to manufacture and mount mechanical movement components, currently carried out by the firm Cortech, will be transferred to the new Chevenez site, thereby allowing TAG Heuer to refocus its Cornol entity on watch cases, and as a result increase their production capacity significantly. In parallel, TAG Heuer has announced that it is already working on an all-new mechanical chronograph movement, developed entirely in-house, to broaden its range. The latter will complement the 1887 Calibre in terms of construction, performance and volumes.
Echoing the TAG Heuer building in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and because Jean-Christophe Babin is conscious of the importance of renewable energies, the roof of the Chevenez plant will be fitted with photovoltaic panels that will contribute to the firm’s independence in terms of electricity consumption. Other environmentally-friendly measures are planned, such as the development of car-sharing. Bus lines will also be upgraded, and even extended as far as Montbéliard.
In terms of personnel, Jean-Christophe Babin has stated that he would like to recruit primarily at a cantonal level. However it is clear that Swiss labour alone will be insufficient, despite efforts made by the Canton of Jura to promote technical skills among young people.
Over the last eight years, TAG Heuer has invested heavily in the vertical integration of its production. In 2004, Cortech, specialising in the manufacture of watch cases, started production at a brand new site in Cornol. Around 150 people work there at present. In 2010, a luxury watchmaking workshop was set up in La Chaux-de-Fonds, specialising in complicated products such as the Mikrograph, the Mikrotimer, the V4, etc. In 2011, TAG Heuer acquired ArteCad, a dial manufacturer based in Tramelan employing 230 people. TAG Heuer has invested large sums in recent years to speed up its vertical integration and above all double its production capacity of mechanical movements. To date, around 50,000 1887 calibres are produced. After the opening of the Chevenez factory, this figure is expected to double.
May 25, 2012
