Affolter Group Celebrates 100 Years in Business
Today, the company has 140 dedicated employees, 15 apprentices and four buildings with an overall workspace of 86,000 square feet.
Edited by Lori Beckman
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In 1919, Louis Affolter, the second child of the watchmakers Samuel and Marie-Louise Affolter, founded his own company and started to produce gears and pivots for the Swiss watch manufacturers in the area. One hundred years later, nine Affolter family members work in the high-tech enterprise Affolter Group and its daughter companies Affolter Technologies and Affolter Pignons.
The 100-year history of the family enterprise was filled with technological innovations. After Louis had established the enterprise, the second generation, his sons developed the business further and built the first industrial premises. In the third generation, led by Jean-Claude, Michel and Marc-Alain Affolter, the company underwent a rapid modernization process. Electronics and high-tech equipment helped to improve the production processes.
In 1980, a mere 15 employees worked on a workspace of 5,400 square feet. Today, the company has 140 dedicated employees, 15 apprentices and four buildings with an overall workspace of 86,000 square feet. The fourth generation oversees the continued expansion and diversification of the Affolter Group, including the founding of Affolter China in 2013.
The two main business lines of the Affolter Group are the contract manufacturing of gear trains for the gear trains industry and the development, manufacturing and marketing of machine tools and numerical controls.
