Founded in 2006 in Develier by François Billig, when Vardeco and KIF Parechoc were brought together under the same corporate entity, the Acrotec Group has continued to develop through acquisitions and organic growth. 

“What a journey we have been on in the last fifteen years,” says François Billig, CEO of the Acrotec Group. “When I set up Vardeco in Develier in 2001, the precursor of the foundation of Acrotec in 2006, I had no idea that this entrepreneurial adventure would take on such a human, economic, and industrial dimension.”

Today, the Acrotec Group consists of twenty-four companies, located mainly in Switzerland but also in France and the United States, with an annual turnover of more than 300 million swiss francs. These companies employ more than 1,300 people skilled in high-precision micromechanics. They are based on some twenty sites and operate a total inventory of 1,400 machines to meet the orders of more than 1,200 customers based in forty different countries worldwide.

There are three divisions that cover the group’s activities: watchmaking and jewellery, which remain dominant; Medtech, which is growing rapidly; and high-tech precision. The medium-term objective is to achieve a balance between these three divisions within the group.

Acrotec likes to present itself as a federation of companies rather than a group that accumulates acquisitions. “Each company that joins us keeps its DNA, its local roots, its autonomy and its governance,” explains François Billig. “Each company’s CEO sits on the group’s executive committee. The desire to work together must be mutual because Acrotec’s primary added value is precisely our ability to transform the individual expertise of each company into a collective force with a long-standing attachment to Swiss-made values. We offer complementary services between member companies to build chains of expertise that help our customers to limit their number of subcontracting contacts.”

The new headquarters in Develier also include Vardeco’s new industrial premises. This 6.3 million swiss francs investment benefits the local economy and perfectly illustrates the group’s growth dynamic. This dynamism was welcomed by the Minister of Economy and Health for Jura, Jacques Gerber, as well as the Mayor of Develier, Gabriel Chapuis, who takes pride in Acrotec’s local roots and Vardeco’s development. Marjolaine Cordier, CEO of Vardeco, also took the opportunity to point out that if her company’s rate of development is sustained, they will have to find new premises and land.

The construction of this brand-new headquarters coincides with the arrival of a new investor, the Carlyle Group, at the beginning of 2021. This investment will enable Acrotec to strengthen its industrial, technological and geographical diversification efforts to serve its customers better, particularly its longstanding watchmaking customers.