EPHJ-2020_La Newsletter du Salon_ANG
January 2020
January 2020
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<strong>La</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
<strong>du</strong> <strong>Salon</strong><br />
January <strong>2020</strong> www.ephj.ch | #<strong>EPHJ</strong>20 |<br />
<strong>EPHJ</strong> HITS THE ROAD<br />
Meeting the exhibitors<br />
Starting this spring, the show’s<br />
managers have been out and about<br />
meeting exhibitors on their home<br />
turf at a series of very popular<br />
breakfasts.<br />
From Lugano to <strong>La</strong> Chaux-de-Fonds,<br />
Besançon to Bern and Fribourg, <strong>EPHJ</strong><br />
officials have been travelling out from<br />
Geneva to visit towns and cities in regions<br />
that are home to large numbers of exhibitors.<br />
“The exhibitors come to us once a year in<br />
Geneva, so it was only right that we should<br />
return the favour,” explains <strong>EPHJ</strong> Director<br />
Alexandre Catton.<br />
These informal breakfasts are an<br />
opportunity to address all topical issues of<br />
relevance to the show, as well as to discuss<br />
market developments and operational<br />
constraints. “Social media is all well and<br />
good, but nothing can beat face-to-face<br />
contact,” the show’s co-founders André<br />
Colard and Olivier Saenger chime in unison.<br />
“What’s more, we love being able to shake<br />
hands with people and catch up on the<br />
latest news.”<br />
The morning meetings allowed managers<br />
to talk with exhibitors about the types of<br />
visitors and the most sought-after buyer<br />
profiles, whether in watchmaking/jewellery,<br />
microtechnology or medtech. “Like us,<br />
exhibitors are finding that visitors have less<br />
time and want to fit in as much as possible<br />
when they come to <strong>EPHJ</strong>. That’s why it’s<br />
important that we disseminate information<br />
ahead of the show, especially regarding<br />
innovations,” notes Catton. These outreach<br />
meetings with exhibitors will continue in<br />
early <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
<strong>EPHJ</strong> expands<br />
its reach<br />
Almost before <strong>EPHJ</strong> 2019 was<br />
over, we were already looking<br />
ahead to the <strong>2020</strong> show, buoyed<br />
up by the satisfaction of a job<br />
well done. We achieved our main<br />
objective, which was to increase<br />
the number of visitors, especially<br />
those coming from abroad.<br />
With attendance up 5% and an<br />
even wider range of countries<br />
represented, we were able to offer<br />
our 820 exhibitors fresh business<br />
opportunities and a unique chance<br />
to meet a very large number of<br />
prospects under one roof in<br />
just a few days. This ambition<br />
will continue in <strong>2020</strong>, when<br />
we’ll be partnering with more<br />
foreign umbrella organisations<br />
to attract new companies<br />
with an interest in the<br />
high-precision in<strong>du</strong>stry to<br />
Geneva. A special effort<br />
will be made in <strong>2020</strong><br />
to attract the largest<br />
medtech companies.<br />
In the meantime, we<br />
wish you a very happy<br />
festive season.<br />
Upcoming<br />
edition<br />
16-19 june<br />
<strong>2020</strong>
<strong>La</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>du</strong> <strong>Salon</strong> | January <strong>2020</strong><br />
Straumann Group,<br />
global leader in dental implants<br />
“Supplier innovation is key”<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
You are the world leader<br />
in dental implants,<br />
with a holding company<br />
headquartered in Basel.<br />
Many Swiss high-precision<br />
SMEs are wondering how<br />
they can best approach you<br />
in order to show off their<br />
expertise. Any tips?<br />
Mark Hill, Corporate Communication<br />
& Public Affairs:Preferably via<br />
our operational area or business<br />
development specialists in Basel. If a<br />
supplier wants to develop an innovation<br />
with Straumann, they should visit our<br />
innovation portal on the Group’s website<br />
straumann-group.com.<br />
What types of subcontractors<br />
do you work with? Do you<br />
collaborate with companies<br />
specialising in high-precision<br />
technologies?<br />
For us, the following characteristics are<br />
important in the high-tech subcontractors<br />
we work with: how innovative the<br />
supplier is, benefits for current and<br />
future projects, and scope for achieving<br />
cost savings in the manufacture of our<br />
pro<strong>du</strong>cts, with or without a re<strong>du</strong>ction in<br />
capacity.<br />
Is the microtechnology expertise<br />
present in the watchmaking<br />
in<strong>du</strong>stry something that might<br />
interest you? Do you already<br />
work with watchmaking<br />
companies that have branched<br />
out into medtech?<br />
Actually, Straumann has its origins in<br />
watchmaking and precision engineering.<br />
That’s why our Villeret factory in the<br />
Bernese Jura is in the heartland of the Swiss<br />
watchmaking in<strong>du</strong>stry, giving us access to<br />
employees with these special skills.<br />
Do you keep a close eye on<br />
innovations in the high-precision<br />
field?<br />
Precision engineering is one of the<br />
cornerstones of our business, and<br />
innovations enable us to continuously<br />
develop the business and position<br />
ourselves as a leading supplier in<br />
aesthetic dentistry.<br />
Do you think that Swiss<br />
medtech has an important<br />
role to play in this market,<br />
with real added value in terms<br />
of know-how?<br />
Medical technology is an important and<br />
high value-added in<strong>du</strong>stry in Switzerland.<br />
Many companies have a good reputation<br />
in the sector and offer high-tech<br />
solutions.<br />
Décovi and its oscillating weights<br />
10 years serving the biggest brands<br />
EXPERTISE<br />
As the core component of<br />
automatic movements,<br />
oscillating weights<br />
actively contribute to<br />
the magic behind every<br />
watch’s indivi<strong>du</strong>al<br />
autonomous energy.<br />
This unique feature<br />
plays a central<br />
role in the story<br />
of Jura-based<br />
company<br />
Décovi.<br />
The story begins in 2009, when Décovi<br />
was approached about machining<br />
tungsten, a material that is both difficult<br />
to work with and extremely complex to<br />
decorate. “We accepted the challenge<br />
and just a few weeks later, the tungsten<br />
components we were machining already<br />
looked like oscillating weights,” recalls<br />
Décovi’s General and Administrative<br />
Manager Claude Chèvre.<br />
To begin with, the Acrotec Group company<br />
only turned, milled and deburred metal, but<br />
Décovi later branched out into decoration<br />
(snailing, Côtes de Genève, cerclage,<br />
satin finishing, surface treatment, resist<br />
coating and pad printing), laser engraving,<br />
colouring and, more recently, assembling<br />
the ball bearing on the weights.<br />
“We now pro<strong>du</strong>ce around a million pieces a<br />
year, which can be stamped with the Swiss<br />
Made seal. This success is the reward for<br />
10 years of hard work and a unique brand<br />
of know-how that constitutes the strength<br />
of Swiss watchmaking,” concludes Chèvre.
<strong>La</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>du</strong> <strong>Salon</strong> | January <strong>2020</strong><br />
“We’re going to see a steady rise<br />
in international visitors”<br />
INTERVIEW WITH <strong>EPHJ</strong>’S DIRECTOR<br />
What were the stand-out aspects<br />
of <strong>EPHJ</strong> 2019 for you?<br />
Alexandre Catton, <strong>EPHJ</strong> Director: I was<br />
impressed by the care our exhibitors took<br />
with arranging and decorating their stands<br />
to show off their pro<strong>du</strong>cts to full advantage.<br />
Any little stories you’d like to<br />
share with us?<br />
Actually, I’ve realised that the show is<br />
never too far from my mind... <strong>La</strong>st year,<br />
I was driving to stay with some friends<br />
for the weekend. A company name that<br />
I saw on the journey stuck in my mind.<br />
I contacted them the following Monday<br />
only to discover that they’d just bought<br />
a machine to develop a watchmaking<br />
business. As a result, that company<br />
attended <strong>EPHJ</strong> for the first time in<br />
2019, and I understand they had quite a<br />
successful show…<br />
Was the increase in visitor<br />
numbers expected?<br />
We did everything we could to drive up<br />
attendance. Even though it’s a priority for<br />
us and we’re putting in the resources to<br />
attract more international visitors, it remains<br />
a challenge. But we’ll keep up the work in<br />
<strong>2020</strong>, focusing particularly on large buyers<br />
of medtech.<br />
What will be your main action<br />
areas for <strong>2020</strong>?<br />
Creating the best possible conditions<br />
for our exhibitors to do business<br />
by diversifying their markets. We’re<br />
going to go a step further in terms of<br />
communicating and promoting this<br />
expertise. We’ll also be meeting our<br />
exhibitors on their home ground.<br />
Will you continue your drive to<br />
internationalise the show’s visitor<br />
base?<br />
We make <strong>EPHJ</strong> a little more international<br />
each year, and the show already attracts<br />
visitors from 56 countries. We’re currently<br />
working on PR campaigns targeting<br />
customers and prospects outside<br />
Switzerland and through institutional<br />
partnerships.<br />
What are the main trends to look<br />
out for in <strong>2020</strong>?<br />
Traceability and sustainability are a<br />
major concern for big brands and the<br />
high-precision sector is no exception,<br />
particularly watchmaking and jewellery.<br />
This is an issue that we’ll be addressing.<br />
We also want to work with exhibitors to<br />
devote part of the show to recruitment.<br />
How do you see <strong>EPHJ</strong>’s role<br />
in the various initiatives<br />
being taken to support the<br />
watchmaking in<strong>du</strong>stry?<br />
This show was established to showcase<br />
watchmaking skills upstream and<br />
downstream of the finished pro<strong>du</strong>ct. All<br />
the brands come here to do business.<br />
That’s how we support the watchmaking<br />
in<strong>du</strong>stry: by creating the best possible<br />
ecosystem so that these two worlds can<br />
meet and grow together on a scale that<br />
extends beyond Switzerland’s borders.<br />
INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDRE STEIMLE (FEMTOPRINT), WINNER OF THE 2019 EXHIBITORS’ GRAND PRIX<br />
“SPOT in-vitro tests have a 100%<br />
success rate”<br />
Can you tell us about the<br />
innovation that won you the 2019<br />
Exhibitors’ Grand Prix?<br />
Alexandre Steimle: The Safe Puncture<br />
Optimized Tool (SPOT) is a miniaturised<br />
surgical device for safely injecting a drug<br />
that dissolve clots into the retinal veins<br />
of patients with vascular disorders such<br />
as retinal vein occlusion (RVO). SPOT’s<br />
unique monolithic glass structure combines<br />
a 3D passive mechanical system with<br />
a microfluidic channel that extends the<br />
length of the device, all the way to the tip<br />
of the needle. The innovative adjustable<br />
bistable mechanism allows the surgeon to<br />
control the path of the injection needle and<br />
release the drug when required. The drug<br />
is thus injected as close as possible to the<br />
occlusion site, which drastically re<strong>du</strong>ces<br />
the complications often associated with<br />
venous cannulation.<br />
What stage are you at<br />
now, six months on?<br />
The first prototypes are currently<br />
undergoing in-vivo validation in<br />
the eyes of pigs and chicken<br />
embryos. The results of the<br />
in-vitro tests indicated a 100%<br />
success rate, in terms of both<br />
safe and controlled piercing and<br />
the actuation of the mechanical<br />
system. Nevertheless, we did<br />
make some adjustments to<br />
optimise the device, particularly<br />
with regard to its performance in<br />
injecting fluid to rinse the blocked<br />
veins.
<strong>La</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>du</strong> <strong>Salon</strong> | January <strong>2020</strong><br />
A LOOK BACK AT THE 2019 SHOW<br />
The traditional Jura cocktail.<br />
Lively atmosphere at the exhibitors’ reception.<br />
An exhibitor hard at work.<br />
Round table session on In<strong>du</strong>stry 4.0.<br />
Cantonal Councillor Jean-Nat Karakash opens<br />
the Canton of Neuchâtel evening.<br />
Visitors paying close attention to exhibitors’ innovations.<br />
In the world of the<br />
infinitesimally small.<br />
Round table session on continuing training<br />
in the watchmaking in<strong>du</strong>stry.
<strong>La</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>du</strong> <strong>Salon</strong> | January <strong>2020</strong><br />
INNOVATION<br />
From the human body to<br />
the critical parts at the heart of a watch<br />
Coat-X, inventor of an ultra-thin protective coating technology<br />
The unique solutions developed by<br />
Coat-X are ideal for the watchmaking<br />
in<strong>du</strong>stry, medical in<strong>du</strong>stry and any<br />
other sector involving precious and<br />
delicate components that need to be<br />
protected from corrosion and wear<br />
and tear at all costs.<br />
Developed at <strong>La</strong> Chaux-de-Fonds, in the<br />
heart of Swiss watchmaking country, the<br />
innovative Coat-X technology has most<br />
obvious appeal in other high-precision<br />
fields, where critical and precious<br />
components have to be preserved from<br />
corrosion, humidity and general wear<br />
and tear: “Our unique solutions involving<br />
ultra-thin biocompatible multilayer coatings<br />
can replace conventional and expensive<br />
metal, glass or polymer encapsulation and<br />
protection processes,” explains Dr Andreas<br />
Hogg.<br />
In the uniquely sterilised atmosphere of<br />
the medical sector, a hitherto unfulfilled<br />
need has been addressed in the form<br />
of a technological solution whereby<br />
microelements that treat or regulate, or<br />
even compensate for vital functions, are<br />
implanted in the human body, aided by<br />
advances in medtech. The existing methods<br />
used to protect these elements become<br />
more cumbersome the smaller the element<br />
is. Which is why the ultra-thin protective<br />
coating developed by this SME is so<br />
significant.<br />
1<br />
But the technology’s potential is also<br />
generating interest in the watchmaking<br />
in<strong>du</strong>stry. Entrepreneur Stefan Schwab,<br />
founder of Linoa Holding and Chair<br />
and CEO of Schwab-Feller, a leading<br />
manufacturer of springs for the watchmaking<br />
in<strong>du</strong>stry, is injecting capital. With connected<br />
pro<strong>du</strong>cts such as smartwatches and<br />
wearable devices moving inexorably<br />
towards flexible structures in their design,<br />
the demand for almost infinitesimally thin<br />
protection systems in this area is opening<br />
up a promising array of applications. As<br />
for the watchmaking in<strong>du</strong>stry, it is set to<br />
make growing use of these systems, in<br />
particular to satisfy its thirst for innovation<br />
and creativity in terms of decorations,<br />
finishes and exteriors. Leather, fabrics,<br />
plant-based materials, liquids ... the creative<br />
opportunities are endless.<br />
Joël A. Grandjean<br />
Chief editor JSH® Magazine<br />
1 The untouched purity of edelweiss: encapsulate an organic material,<br />
prevent it from discolouring and protect it from atmospheric and<br />
chemical impacts... Innovation and know-how! Thanks to patented<br />
Coat-X technology, the flower is preserved forever in acrylic glass,<br />
as this striking sample shows.<br />
2 Andreas Hogg gained an engineering degree in Microtechnology<br />
before completing an MSc and PhD in Biomedical Engineering.<br />
He is now CEO of this award-winning start-up, which employs<br />
a dozen people. Between 2012 and 2015, he retained close<br />
ties to academia, leading a research group on thin-film<br />
technologies at HE-Arc in Neuchâtel.<br />
3 The low-temperature coating process creates an<br />
ultra-thin, hermetic and biocompatible multilayer<br />
coat. It has already proved effective in sensors,<br />
microsystems, PCBs, watch components<br />
and medical devices, and complies with<br />
international standards on hermeticity and<br />
corrosion resistance, among others.<br />
2 3
<strong>La</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>du</strong> <strong>Salon</strong> | January <strong>2020</strong><br />
Guido Zumbühl,<br />
CEO of the Bucherer Group<br />
“The CPO market has enormous potential”<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
Why did Bucherer decide to<br />
enter the certified pre-owned<br />
(CPO) watch market?<br />
Guido Zumbühl: In general, more and<br />
more people are taking an interest in<br />
beautiful watches, and vintage watches<br />
with a history are gaining in popularity.<br />
Demand is growing, and the market<br />
has enormous potential. We’ve<br />
been watching this market and its<br />
development for some time and, as<br />
watchmaking experts, we know that<br />
many customers are wary about<br />
purchasing second-hand watches.<br />
With our CPO concept, we want<br />
to create a brand-new showcase<br />
for watch lovers and redefine<br />
the way these timepieces are<br />
bought and sold.<br />
What opportunities do you see for<br />
Bucherer in this area?<br />
There are currently a number of players<br />
in the market, mostly start-ups that rely<br />
heavily on online sales. Most of them<br />
have no outlets on the ground, whereas<br />
Bucherer is present on all fronts, with<br />
the ability to sell both online and in store.<br />
These channels complement each other<br />
extremely well. Online, customers have a<br />
clear and comprehensive overview of what’s<br />
available, but we believe that our in-store<br />
offering is also a critical success factor as it<br />
enables the would-be buyer to see a watch<br />
up close and try it out for themselves. This<br />
hands-on experience gives an emotional<br />
dimension to the purchase of a luxury watch.<br />
With over 130 years of history and market<br />
presence, Bucherer truly embodies tradition<br />
and sought-after values such as reliability.<br />
Customers associate this with trust in<br />
the company, and it is this trust that is so<br />
important in the CPO market.<br />
What does Bucherer promise its<br />
customers, what are its USPs?<br />
Bucherer’s entry into the Swiss, then<br />
European, CPO market marks a new<br />
milestone in the company’s 130-plus-year<br />
history. Bucherer intends to revolutionise<br />
this market and give second-hand watches<br />
their rightful place in the luxury segment.<br />
After all, the most coveted brands and<br />
models retain, and even increase, their<br />
allure over time. What can customers expect<br />
from Bucherer? Proximity to the market, a<br />
magnificent pro<strong>du</strong>ct range, excellent service<br />
and top-class expertise. Our reputation<br />
means that customers can rest safe in<br />
the knowledge that each watch has been<br />
authenticated by a certified watchmaker,<br />
as well as being assured of a shopping<br />
experience like no other.