Vanguard SystemsVanguard Systems
OEMs, microtechnology, watchmaking — Lake Geneva and Jura arc

Special machines and assembly lines: meeting your customer deadlines.

Software automation reinforcement and commissioning for special-machine OEMs, robotics integrators and watchmaking manufacturers in the Lake Geneva arc. Beckhoff TwinCAT, Siemens TIA Portal, industrial vision. FAT/SAT delivery at your end customer.

Discuss a projectSee references

Field reality

OEM and microtechnology challenges

01

Machine diversity: each OEM product is unique, limited reuse possible. You need automation engineers who can ramp up quickly on a new scope.

02

Load peaks before customer delivery: FAT/SAT concentrates work into weeks. Subcontracting this phase to a regional partner frees your internal team.

03

Precision and cycle time: watchmaking assembly, microtechnology, vision. Tolerances are tight, any drift jeopardizes the finished product.

04

Geographic mobility: interventions at end customers in French-speaking Switzerland, German-speaking Switzerland, neighbouring France, occasionally Asia. Ability to travel quickly.

Our method

Our OEM approach

We work as an external team embedded in your engineering office: rapid onboarding to your house standard, software development aligned with your architecture, on-site presence for internal FAT and customer SAT. We regularly work with French-speaking Swiss OEMs of varying sizes (10 to 200 people) on 3 to 18-month cycles.

Technical stack used

Technologies we master in this sector

  • Beckhoff TwinCAT 3
  • Siemens TIA Portal
  • Siemens S7-1500
  • B&R Automation Studio
  • Rockwell Studio 5000
  • EtherCAT
  • Profinet
  • OPC UA
  • Cognex / Keyence vision
  • Stäubli / KUKA / ABB robotique
  • Safety SIL2/SIL3

Project evidence

OEM customer profile

  • OEM machines pharma packaging

    Software reinforcement during FAT, on-time delivery despite evolving specs

  • Intégrateur robotique microtechnique

    SAT at end customer in Vaud, robotic cell tuning, operator training

  • OEM machines outils horlogerie

    Beckhoff TwinCAT 2 → TC3 migration, HMI overhaul without interrupting production

See all detailed case studies

Related services

Our services for this sector

Industrial automation

Vanguard Systems core business: multi-vendor industrial automation engineering (Siemens, Rockwell, Beckhoff, Emerson) on pharma, biotech, microtechnology, food & beverage and OEM sites in French-speaking Switzerland. 10+ years of field experience in regulated (GMP, GAMP5) and non-regulated environments. From design to commissioning, operations support, retrofit and migration.

Solution architecture and systems integration

Design of technical architectures for complex industrial environments: ERP/MES/SCADA integration, unified data platforms, OT/IT governance, industrial network security. Our approach combines multi-vendor technical expertise and understanding of operational constraints in a regulated site.

Management and consulting

Project leadership and technical leadership for complex automation projects. Combination of field technical expertise and PMP-certified project management. Ability to coordinate multiple subcontractors, arbitrate schedule / quality / cost trade-offs, and own operational responsibility for a deliverable through to routine production.

Frequently asked

Frequently asked — microtechnology & watchmaking

Yes, this is our default mode at OEMs. We take 1 to 3 days to assimilate your templates, libraries and naming conventions before coding. The result respects your architecture to remain maintainable by your team after we leave.

Other sectors

Explore other sectors we serve

Pharma & life sciences

Food & beverage

Fine chemistry

Energy & utilities

OEMs & special machines

Contact

Let's discuss your microtechnology & watchmaking project

Response within 24 working hours. Quote on request, fixed price possible on a clear scope.

Discuss a need