Positive Coating in the hands of the next generation

Pierre-Albert Steinmann, founder and current CEO, and Isabelle Droz, director, are passing on the torch to Pierre-Albert’s three children. The company is being taken over by the brother and sister trio Lucien, Benoit and Ophélie, who have been passionate about the family business adventure from the very beginning.

In less than 20 years, Positive Coating has become a leading company when it comes to decorative and functional coatings. Its expertise has won over the largest watch manufacturers and stakeholders in the luxury world.

After three years in the NASA laboratories (development and characterisation of self-lubricating layers for the aerospace industry), Pierre-Albert Steinmann taught “Materials and surface technologies” at the Haute Ecole Arc Ingénierie. He then identified a specific need for PVD coatings in the watchmaking industry. Positive Coating, a spin-off of the HE-Arc, was born in 2004.

This was the start of a family business, since Pierre-Albert asked his brother Jean-Michel to support him financially in the adventure, while his sister-in-law Isabelle Droz joined the company in 2005 as Chief Operating Officer.

Then came the turn of his two sons: Benoit in 2010, and a year later Lucien, both of whom have an engineering background. In 2021, Ophélie decided to join the company to support the sales department. For the three entrepreneurs, preparations for the takeover of the company include a Micro MBA in business management.

The handover of the company in La Chaux-de-Fonds will be carried out in a spirit of continuity and respect for the firm’s customers and employees. The move has been prepared well in advance. The fact that those taking over have been immersed in the company for several years, along with regular internal communication with employees, have made this a natural and organic process.

January 27, 2022