Produc t i o n
2011 was an excellent year for ETA, both in terms of results and volume. Swatch Group invested heavily in production methods, involving staff recruitment, implementation of infrastructure and industrialization processes as well as logistic and management systems that will enable an increase in the capacity available to the brands for the next few years. In the area of mechanical products, activity linked to new developments once more increased, as demonstrated by the production of the A07.l31 movement, a retro longines moonphase; the A05.h31 movement, a personalized chronograph for Hamilton; and the omega A14, A16 and A22 automatic calibers. Omega’s exclusive A22 chronograph necessitated the creation of a new ultramodern line in Grenchen, ensuring the mastery and reliability of the assembly process. Quartz products have also been a big success, especially those resulting from the e49 development program launched to integrate new technologies intended for the Tissot touch compass with the e49.301 movement, and the Certina Ds Multi-8 with the e49.351 analogdigital movement. The e22.303 analog-digital caliber with pilot function for omega, the G15.561, retro perpetual calendar for Tissot, and finally, the e20.373, analog-digital for Hamilton, all attracted considerable attention when they appeared on the market. Swatch’s products built on their success, most notably, with the swatch touch launched in summer 2011, the new Gent and colour codes models, and with the Irony line with a stainless steel case. In order to attain the high production speeds required for the completely swiss Made steel cases, modern, highly automated machines were installed in Grenchen. These new technologies are intended for case machining and polishing operations and will soon be running at full capacity.
Product ion
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Swatch Watch Group Assembly In 2011, the activities of swatch Group Assembly focused on increasing the capacity available to the brands and the development of new lines and flexible production cells, as well as on the company’s expansion.
The introduction of this additional capacity and these new processes has made it possible to enhance flexibility and greatly increase production. Swatch Group Assembly is on the point of finalizing the extension of its surface area, in order to continue offering its clients new services and an ever greater assembly capacity. The extra floor space will enable the company to offer the brands additional services in terms of component storage and logistics. A continuous education division was also created, providing additional options. The list of actions undertaken by the company in 2011 also includes the integration of bracelet fitting into the production cells. Thanks to these transformations, swatch Group Assembly has become the biggest finisher in Switzerland in the mid-range product segment. With these various activities impacting the working environment and the assembly process and tools, as well as the human resource measures taken, swatch Group Assembly has managed to achieve the versatility and level of maturity that enables it to assemble all sorts of watches – from quartz models to chrono- graphs and mechanical timepieces, as well as Tissot’s t-touch models – and to offer them an identical transit time no matter what their level of complexity.
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