Through innovation, modularity and versatility in its solutions, combined with personalized support, Totems Position contributes to optimizing inspection processes, improving measurement reliability and increasing the profitability of its customers’ measuring equipment.
The company addresses the growing demands for precision, flexibility and efficiency required by high-end industries such as watchmaking, micromechanics, aeronautics, aerospace, medical, dental, connectivity, automotive and instrumentation sectors.
By Part Positioning, Totems refers to all systems used to secure, position and support a part during machining, assembly, inspection, marking or transfer operations. Effective positioning guarantees precision and repeatability while reducing cycle times and minimizing the risk of errors.
“With our products, we solve the challenge of holding and positioning parts for visual inspection, industrial optical measurement, 3D probing, marking and transfer applications, explains Toni Orhanovic, CEO of the company. The positioning and handling method for parts can often become a real headache and generate errors, especially due to increasingly complex part geometries. Today, Totems offers standardized and user-friendly products that adapt to a wide variety of machines.”
The Real Cost of Part Positioning: What You’re Not Measuring… Yet
Many teams remain trapped in outdated habits: clamps, pins, vises, V-blocks, or even improvised fixes (Rodico, putty, shims) that merely “get the job done.” These low-cost solutions conceal a hidden cost: efficiency losses caused by underutilized machines, production bottlenecks, measurement uncertainty, lack of repeatability and operator stress — even though the machine itself often represents a major investment.
To make these impacts more tangible, Totems supports its customers through KPIs and ROI dashboards designed to identify and quantify the value gained before and after industrialization, demonstrating through simple pilot projects that a price “sometimes perceived as premium” quickly pays for itself through productivity gains and reduced uncertainty.
The real question is: how much does it cost to spend an hour improvising with makeshift fixturing, to re-inspect or remanufacture a batch, or to operate an underutilized machine?
Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, neglecting the importance of part positioning can compromise all investments made in inspection equipment and in the part manufacturing itself.
Field observations are clear: properly adapted part holding and fixturing transforms theoretical measurement capability into genuinely exploitable inspection performance.
“In short, investing intelligently in fixturing is not an expense — it is a way of unlocking value.”
Measurable Gains From the Very First Uses
Beyond field observations, the gains provided by suitable part positioning solutions can be quickly measured:
- A machine operating at 100% with traditional methods can see its effective capacity multiplied by 2 to 3 thanks to reduced handling and the possibility of preparing parts offline.
- Part positioning and setup times are generally reduced by 50% to 80%, directly improving operator productivity.
- Investment in a holding / fixturing system is typically amortized in less than 12 months for a single operator, and in less than 3 months when shared among several users.
These elements confirm a simple reality: High-performance measuring equipment, requires part positioning solutions that matches its capabilities.
- Machine throughput
- Operator preparation time
- Return on investment
Standardized and user-friendly does not mean lacking technical sophistication. The continuous development of our products has led us to integrate electronic functions, motorization and connectivity capabilities.
Universal, modular and rotary fixturing systems are becoming increasingly intelligent. They no longer simply hold the part — they communicate with the machine. Through connectivity with the leading inspection systems on the market, they automatically adjust according to part references, perform self-calibration and synchronize their movements with measurement cycles.
In practical terms, this means fewer manual interventions, reduced operator influence, higher throughput and faster inspection cycles, improved repeatability and lower measurement uncertainty — all factors that streamline processes and convert theoretical machine capacity into genuinely usable performance.
In addition, Totems Position announces the Totems-3D range (available Q4 2026), optimized for multi-part inspection on tactile 3D CMM machines: dynamic multi-part fixturing systems designed to ensure accessibility to measuring areas and repeatability of positioning transitions, both in workshop and laboratory environments.
Industry-Specific Solutions: Faster and More Efficient Deployment
Building on the VID, MTP and VHR ranges, Totems now enhances its offering with ready-to-use sector-specific kits — for example Totems KIH (watchmaking), Totems KID (dental), Totems KIC (connectivity), etc.
These packages combine the most relevant part holding / fixturing systems and accessories for standard part families within the targeted industries. The result? Faster installation and commissioning, reduced operator training and an almost immediate operational return for production teams. For managers, this means being able to deploy an industry-proven solution without wasting time — or their teams’ time — on endless trials and internal developments.
In short: a tested industry-specific solution to deploy quickly and effectively.
“Industry-specific kits are proven solutions that enable fast and efficient deployment, with accelerated time-to-value.”
A SOLID FOUNDATION: THREE CORE SYSTEMS AT THE HEART OF TOTEMS SOLUTIONS
VID/VIM System: Productivity and Multi-Part Automation
The patented Totems-VID system is a universal multi-part fixturing solution designed to deliver maximum versatility on optical inspection machines. It compensates for diameter and height variations between measured elements, ensuring stable, precise and repeatable holding.
Motorized and connected versions allow settings to be memorized and recalled, synchronize movements with measurement cycles and provide self-calibration functions for part positioning.
Key benefit: Increase the volume of inspected parts while reducing operator intervention.
VHR System: Mastering Precision in the Most Demanding Situations
The patented Totems-VHR system is designed for positioning and single-part inspection of 2D or rotational parts in conditions where stability and precision are especially critical.
Thanks to a design optimized for rotation, it guarantees reliable measurement quality even in naturally more demanding environments by ensuring constant holding and visibility of the part throughout the inspection cycle.
Its ability to integrate with rotary machine units — regardless of configuration (horizontal or vertical axis) — makes it an exceptionally versatile solution. It can therefore be used interchangeably across different types of inspection systems, from workshop to laboratory, without changing the positioning method.
Designed for ergonomics and productivity, the system is easily removable and interchangeable. Parts can be prepared offline and then quickly positioned on the machine.
When used with multiple units, it enables hidden-time operation: while the machine measures, the operator prepares the next cycle.
The result: optimized use of both machine time and operator time. Finally, like all Totems Position solutions, the VHR follows a modular philosophy, allowing it to evolve progressively according to needs and applications.
Key benefit: Guarantee reliable measurements in complex dynamic conditions while maximizing machine and operator efficiency.
MTP System: Fully Exploiting the Potential of Your Inspection Equipment
The patented Totems-MTP modular system is designed to provide maximum flexibility in positioning and orienting parts while adapting to a wide variety of sizes, geometries and holding constraints.
Thanks to its fully modular architecture, it allows different holding and alignment elements to be configured and combined in order to meet the specific requirements of the most complex parts.
This adaptability makes it particularly relevant when inspection conditions require precise orientations or multiple configurations.
The MTP system is also designed to maximize the capabilities of measuring machines. By optimizing the occupation of the inspection table, it enables either:
- a higher number of parts inspected per cycle, or
- the handling of larger parts, thereby directly contributing to increased overall productivity.
Finally, it serves as an evolutive platform for advanced applications, notably for Totems-PMI developments and the upcoming Totems-3D range.
Key benefit:Maximize inspection capacity and adapt to every scenario without multiplying solutions.
Standardize When Possible, Adapt When Required
Totems remains firmly committed to standardization whenever relevant — while also adapting each project to the customer’s machine and part constraints.
Its engineering department and rapid prototyping capabilities allow dimensions, degrees of freedom and interfaces to be adapted for specific cases (parts with unique shapes or requirements, specialized machine integrations).
The result: the robustness of a standardized solution combined with the relevance of a custom-made product.
“Standardization is not the opposite of customization — it is what makes customization faster to execute.”
Totems-PMI: A Platform to Accelerate Industrial Automation
Faced with the growing number of industrialization and automation integration projects, Totems offers generic Totems-PMI modules — standardized interfaces designed so integrators can build their applications without starting from scratch.
They can be viewed as a hardware platform: Totems provides the controllable base, while integrators add the final interfaces specific to the customer’s application.
This approach reduces automated cell time-to-market and lowers engineering costs for both integrators and end customers.
“Totems-PMI provides a reliable hardware foundation for building dedicated cells without reinventing the mechanical interface.”
Totems-Connect
With the integration of TOTEMS-CONNECT functionalities, the VID/VIM universal fixturing systems and the MTP modular range are becoming increasingly intelligent.
Fixturing systems equipped with TOTEMS-CONNECT embedded electronics feature multiple connectivity modes: USB-C, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Depending on the connection options available on the inspection machines and their native communication protocols, TOTEMS-CONNECT systems can exchange information and commands which, thanks to integrated motorization, automate certain positioning transitions and adjustment operations.
DIRECT mode
The operator freely chooses the position of the holding elements.
CONTROLLED mode
The fixture automatically adjusts according to instructions previously stored in the inspection program, typically each time the program is opened.
AUTO-CALIBRATION mode
The fixture performs a self-calibration procedure for the positioning of the measured part in synchronization with the inspection machine.
“When everyone focuses on their expertise, performance becomes faster to achieve and easier to deploy.”
Every Level Has Its Challenges — Every Challenge Has Its Solution
For Technicians: Stability, Repeatability and Measurement Control
Totems positioning systems provide technicians with a concrete response to daily holding and fixturing challenges: miniature parts, complex geometries, fragile surfaces, critical orientations or repetitive series.
By securing holding and simplifying adjustments, they reduce empirical manipulations, repositioning operations and operator-related errors.
Inspection becomes faster, more repeatable and more comfortable.
In short:Less adjustment, less uncertainty, more confidence in measurement.
For Managers: Smoother Operations and Standardized Practices For production, quality and process managers, proper part manipulation is a key element in maintaining workflow continuity. By structuring and standardizing holding methods, Totems solutions reduce operator variability, simplify training and limit bottlenecks around inspection systems. Operations become more predictable, smoother and easier to manage on a daily basis.
In short:Greater operational stability and better-controlled workflows by addressing a frequently underestimated weakness.
For Decision-Makers: Securing Performance and Fully Leveraging Investments At company level, industrial performance depends on the ability to make processes reliable, repeatable and scalable over time.
In short: Remove barriers to investment by aligning spending, performance and value creation.By integrating part positioning as a structuring component — rather than a simple accessory — companies can harmonize practices, secure machine investments and create a coherent technical foundation to support growth.
In short: What was once perceived as a cost becomes a source of value — because without high-performance part holding, even the best inspection systems rely on a weak link that limits their deployment and the investment strategy built around them.
Partner Network: A Win-Win Dynamic Serving Performance
Totems Position develops its solutions in close collaboration with a network of partners composed of inspection machine manufacturers, specialized distributors and integrators, both in Switzerland and internationally.
For nearly 9 years, these collaborations have been based on a win-win logic: Totems brings advanced expertise in part positioning, while its partners contribute their knowledge of machines, field applications and customer relationships.
This complementarity simplifies demonstrations, accelerates deployments and significantly reduces commissioning times while generating concrete user feedback that continuously nourishes product development.
For Totems partners, outsourcing part positioning expertise allows them to focus fully on their core value while relying on a specialized partner for part handling challenges.
Totems thanks all its partners for their trust and invites distributors, integrators and major industrial groups to get in touch in order to explore tailor-made collaborations — whether for standard offers, industry-packaged solutions or large-scale inspection flow optimization projects.
Financing: Aligning Investment With the Value Created
With a partnership-driven approach rather than a purely transactional one, Totems prioritizes long-term relationships and offers financial and operational support solutions designed to spread investments over time.
The objective is clear: align the investment curve with the value actually generated in order to facilitate decision-making and accelerate deployment.
For large industrial groups, Totems co-develops deployment plans by site or production line, with progressive implementation phases and KPIs that measure gains and secure each stage of the project.
Key Takeaways
Totems Position is no longer simply a supplier of “part holding” solutions: it is a partner transforming part handling into an active component of Industry 4.0 — standardized when relevant, customized when necessary, and designed for integration into automated environments.
Present at EPHJ (Geneva, June 16–20, 2026 – booth J107), the Totems team will showcase live demonstrations featuring concrete industry applications and machine integration examples.
An opportunity to discuss your challenges and projects directly with the team. For those discovering this article after the exhibition, the team remains available to study your applications. Remote demonstrations can be organized, as well as tests and validations directly on-site using your own parts and machines.
