Marcel Aubert was founded in 1946 to carry out precision mechanical work and manufacture parts. Now in the hands of the third generation, it is present throughout the world thanks to a diversification in its production decided in the fifties.
There are many milestones in the life of a company, particularly when it spans three quarters of a century. Here we look back at some of the key dates in the company’s history, often synonymous with strategic developments. After a few years of activity in subcontracting, Marcel Aubert SA developed the first MA 102 and MA 1200 punching machines, whose function was to precisely define the positioning of holes and bores so as to be able to reproduce their exact location in series. As the demands for precision in this area are steadily increasing, the company decided to develop its first centring microscopes, which were later adapted to various production machines such as lathes. In the years that followed, the company developed its first profile projectors (with on-machine optics and screen display) and began to manufacture special optical and electronic measuring devices.
reference on the opposite side.
IT shift
The mid-1980s marked an important turning point with the development of a scanning and image processing system for the tooling industry. This was followed by the introduction of CAD with the Chantal program, the first video measuring machine with DXF files, various software developments including a 3D design program and the launch of an electronic video projector. We are now in the early 2000s and this transition to more computerised products is leading to an evolution in the professions within the company since, alongside the traditional engineers and mechanics, we now find computer scientists and programmers. One of their recent innovations is the VideoScan vertical measurement system, which optimises depth measurement without touching the object. The height measurement is performed in a single 3D image or between two 3D images with movement on the X, Y, Z axes. This system allows the acquisition of an image with excellent resolution in a record time of four seconds.
With a staff of around thirty, Marcel Aubert now operates in two distinct sectors: the manufacture and sale of finished equipment on the one hand and the optical sector on the other. All operations related to the finished devices, from development and testing to machining and assembly, are carried out in-house to ensure the highest quality. In the second area, the company supplies its customers with all the optics and lighting that they then integrate into their machines before marketing them around the world. If end customers have any questions about Aubert’s products, they can contact the Bienne-based company directly or one of its many agents in 22 countries.
Wide range of markets
With three main types of products (optical video inspection and measurement equipment, microscopes and projectors), the company is currently present in a dozen markets ranging from watchmaking to aeronautics, including jewellery, bar turning, printing, grinding and cutting tools, to name but a few. Its flagship products for the watchmaking industry include the Recto Verso machine launched in 2007, which is ideal for watch plates and allows the face of a part to be measured with its reference on the opposite side, the versatile Optimum workshop measuring machine for rapid optical measurement of all components, and the TitanVIEW telecentric video measuring device, which is also found in bar turning workshops and allows parts to be measured quickly in the field of vision. The Profile Checker is designed to check jet engine blades by using a flat light beam to project an edge. The grinding area is covered by an optical supplement for Ewag WS11 machines, a telecentric video inspection device that generates a sharp-edged image, even when viewed from the side, and a waterproof video measuring device that can be integrated in an oily and swarf-filled environment. For the jewellery sector, Marcel Aubert proposes a video device for double positioning containing two optics mounted on racks for the control of diamond grinding or setting.
Listening to customers is one of the key factors of success...
The new products developed by Marcel Aubert are often the result of discussions with its customers. Whether they come with feasibility requests or more or less advanced production projects, the company is able to develop its know-how to put it at their service. Being able to adapt to almost any situation, the company’s technicians are able to propose specific solutions to customers, either through innovative products or through the evolution of existing products (a microscope, for example, can evolve into a video system).
... after-sales service is another one
The after-sales service technicians are on site at the customer’s premises as soon as possible. In order to be prepared for any eventuality, the company has an impressive stock of spare parts which enables it to satisfy almost any request and thus extend the life cycle of its products. Requests for accessories for devices that were put on the market some thirty years ago are indeed quite frequent (this is one of the particularities of Marcel Aubert, who works on products that are often considered obsolete) and only recently did the company supply one of her customers with a spare part for a device dating from 1974. Having such a large stock obviously requires space. More than 1000 m2 of the company’s premises are dedicated to this purpose, but this is the ’price to pay’ for decades of quality after-sales service. The company also offers a maintenance service in the form of a contract that guarantees the calibration and regular maintenance of its products.
