More Flexibility, More Capacity, Ready for What’s Next

More Flexibility, More Capacity, Open for New Things

Aubry Produktions AG manufactures highly precise injection-moulded parts and has built an excellent reputation among leading customers in the industrial and consumer goods sectors. As order volumes continued to grow, the company reached the limits of its production capacity and began planning an expansion. At the same time, the project was seen as an opportunity to modernise the business and further strengthen its innovative capabilities.

With IE Plast, Aubry found the right planning partner for this ambitious project.

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Simon Aubry, Managing Director of Aubry Produktions AG, talks about his company’s future prospects,trends in the plastics industry and the collaboration with IE Plast.

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Mr Aubry, what prompted you to invest heavily in production despite challenging market conditions?

On the one hand, we wanted to become even more flexible so we could respond better to customer needs and be ready for new orders. On the other hand, the generational transition gave us the opportunity to take an important step into the future. In our old premises, the focus would increasingly have been on managing constraints rather than shaping what comes next.

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What are your company’s core strengths, and what sets you apart in the market?

We are highly flexible, we specialise in technically sophisticated, small and precise injection-moulded parts, and we communicate with our customers in an open, straightforward and direct way. Close customer relationships are a key competitive advantage for us.

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Automation and digitalisation are essential drivers of success in industrial production. Where do you currently stand in these areas?

Both were already high priorities for us before the expansion. With the new, high-performance infrastructure in place, we are now able to accelerate automation and digitalisation even further.

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What trends do you expect to see in the plastics industry over the next few years, and how will you respond?

Bio-based and biodegradable materials are becoming increasingly important. At present, however, their use is still largely limited to packaging applications. On the logistics side, uncertainty in global supply chains remains a major issue. As a result, local production of plastic components for assembly in Switzerland is becoming more important. Thanks to our ability to manufacture small, flexible batches efficiently, we are well positioned for this development.

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Aubry is a third-generation family business. How does this tradition shape your approach to innovation and investment?

When it comes to strategy, we think in decades rather than quarters. Our expansion project is a good example of that. Financial independence is also more important to us than rapid growth.

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What were your expectations of IE Plast as a general contractor?

A key factor for us was experience in the planning and execution of industrial construction projects. IE Plast fully met those expectations. One particular highlight of the collaboration was the completion of the project and the hand-over of the new building exactly on the agreed date. That was an extremely positive experience.

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The expansion has added production and storage space, introduced new logistics processes and completely restructured production workflows. What is the most important technical innovation from your perspective?

The modern energy technology is especially important. It ensures a stable climate in the production hall, allows the waste heat from the machines to be used efficiently for heating, and makes it possible to store surplus heating and cooling energy in a targeted way. The photovoltaic system on the roof, which covers part of our electricity demand, is a valuable addition to the overall energy concept.

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What efficiency gains has the production expansion delivered?

Once the project was completed, we suddenly had much more space available, which has had a positive impact not only on our operational processes but also on the atmosphere within the company. During the construction period, we had to work within tight constraints in this respect. The new intralogistics concept has brought significant efficiency gains. We are also benefiting from shorter set-up times thanks to the improved space conditions and optimised processes. And of course, no longer having to rent external storage space is another major efficiency gain.

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Would you recommend IE Plast as a general contractor for industrial construction projects?

Absolutely.

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You can find more information about the project on our reference page: About the Aubry project

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