Horlyne goes paperless thanks to Aletiq

In summary

Using Aletiq, Horlyne was able to:

✓ Save time in managing your technical data

✓ Digitize processes and switch to zero paper in the workshop

✓ Accelerate cycle times to gain competitiveness

Horlyne developed in Switzerland in La Chaux-de-Fonds in close connection with high-end watchmaking, by accurately meeting its requirements for quality and creativity.

Over the years, the company has become a leader in the manufacture of high-end oscillating weights by mastering manufacturing from A to Z thanks, among other things, to the integration of three trades that provide a precious character, an aesthetic that brings ancient know-how, and innovative ideas: guilloché work, crimping and engraving. The parts are made using a wide range of know-how such as crimping, traditional or CNC guilloching, Femto laser engraving, polishing, satin finishing, Côtes de Genève decoration, colimaçoning and much more.

With the takeover by the Acrotec group and the arrival of a new CEO, the company projects strong growth in the years to come.

Operational challenges

Historically, Horlyne is a small-scale SME with a great mastery of fine crafts and industrial processes related to the luxury industry. The historical operating methods of the technical office and the workshop, based on paper communication and archives, led to significant operational inefficiencies:

Heavy and time-consuming technical data management

→ Losses of time in data management (research, collaboration...)

→ Dissemination to the workshop of very time-consuming plans and instructions in case of an update

Business processes that are not equipped and complex to understand

→ New product development and industrialization cycles monitored on Excel

→ Manual validation circuits for plans and documents

Difficulties in capitalizing on past projects

→ Data archiving in paper format making it difficult to search in old projects

→ No possible reuse of CAD models, plans and historical manufacturing ranges

Setting up Aletiq

Aletiq was implemented gradually, case by case of use, to allow the Technical Office teams and the workshop to adapt their operating methods to the new tool.

Aletiq teams went to the site in La Chaux-de-Fonds several times to:

→ Understand current modes of operation and irritants

→ Building a target vision integrating PLM and ERP

→ Retrieve all historical company data

→ Gradually train teams in the various use cases put in place

The adoption of teams

Aletiq enabled Horlyne's operational teams to quickly respond to their operational challenges:

By using the Aletiq x Inventor plugin, the technical office designers have considerably optimized the management of CAD files: revisions, clues, check-in/check-out... The electronic signature circuits of plans are managed automatically thanks to workflows and the data is finally centralized in a single source of truth.

The interface between Aletiq and the ERP ID. Business ensures the synchronization of production lines and production orders in real time. This makes it possible to avoid errors associated with double entries. The link between OFs (production orders) and configurations makes it possible to ensure traceability and to distribute applicable documents in the workshop. Operators thus have access to manufacturing plans in 3 clicks, and without the risk of index error!