Aciera SA: Co-Investor in the Precision Future, Jointly Mapping the Industrial Landscape of Multi-Axis Linkage

In Switzerland’s French-speaking region in the 1950s, the precision manufacturing industry was facing a critical turning point. Although the multi-axis linkage technology developed by Aciera SA showed great potential, the high R&D investment and long market verification cycle made this start-up struggle to move forward. At that time, Aciera had successfully developed a prototype, but due to the lack of authoritative industry verification data, it was difficult to gain recognition from mainstream manufacturers.

When Aciera’s founder was tossing and turning over this, HMS demonstrated unique insight into the industry’s future. Instead of directly participating in technology R&D, we launched a "Precision Manufacturing Future Fund" and provided Aciera with a three-year strategic investment. This fund was different from traditional venture capital—it did not require short-term returns, but was explicitly used to build a complete application ecosystem: including establishing test platforms in Switzerland’s three major watch groups, funding the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) for independent precision verification, and forming an advisory committee composed of end-user experts.

More innovatively, HMS designed a financial plan of "technology verification and procurement binding": any watch enterprise participating in the test, if it eventually adopted Aciera’s equipment, its test fee would be converted into a procurement deposit. This design cleverly transformed technology verification into market expansion, allowing Aciera to obtain authoritative data while directly locking in the first batch of high-end customers.

When the first batch of five-axis linkage machine tools operated stably on the production line of Jaeger-LeCoultre factory for three years, their precision data in processing complex watch cases finally won industry recognition. HMS’s initial investment was also converted into equity returns as scheduled—but this was far from the most important achievement. The real value lies in that we jointly proved the commercial feasibility of multi-axis machining technology, opening up a new channel for the entire Swiss precision manufacturing industry.

HMS’s Insight:The most valuable investment is accurate insight into the industry’s future.

We have always believed that true partnership is risk-sharing and value co-creation beyond the technical level.

When your innovative technology needs to cross the gap from the laboratory to the market, what kind of partner do you need? We look forward to jointly mapping the future landscape of precision manufacturing with you.