Mikron AG: Weaver of Precision Rhythm, Jointly Forging the Art of Mass Production

In Biel, Switzerland, in the 1930s, the precision demands of the watch industry were driving changes in production methods. While Mikron AG had already accumulated profound experience in micro-component machining, traditional methods struggled to meet the precise requirements for mass production of watch movement parts. When each part required more than 20 processes and tolerance requirements were controlled at the micron level, ensuring the production process was as precise and reliable as a Swiss watch became a key challenge for Mikron.

At that time, the escape wheels Mikron produced for a renowned watch brand faced a tricky problem in mass production: although the precision of each individual process met standards, cumulative errors across multiple processes made it difficult to improve the part qualification rate. More troublesome was the unpredictable quality fluctuations between different batches, which posed a huge challenge to large-scale production.

As Mikron’s engineers sought a breakthrough, the HMS team proposed a unique perspective: "Can we make the production process interlock with precision, just like a watch movement?" This seemingly simple question triggered a rethinking of the production process. The two parties collaborated to design a sophisticated "Production Rhythm Control System." Through innovative mechanical linkage devices and precise timing control, each processing unit operated in synergy like watch gears.

The ingenuity of this system lay not only in ensuring precise connection between processes but also in creatively introducing the concept of "quality traceability." Each part left a unique "identification mark" during processing, enabling any tiny deviation to be detected in a timely manner and its root cause traced. When the qualification rate of the first batch of escape wheels jumped from 65% to 98%, Mikron’s production workshop was transformed into an exquisite "industrial watch," with each link fulfilling its mission with precision.

HMS’s Insight:The most outstanding mass production is making precision a repeatable art.We believe that true production innovation stems from a profound understanding of the essence of processes and precise control of every detail.

When your production process needs to make the leap from excellent to precise, what kind of partner do you need? We look forward to building a precise and reliable production system with you.