OUR STORY
SONCEBOZ SA is world renowned for its mechatronic drive systems meeting the specific needs of its customers.
This know-how is rooted in a rich industrial past which began in 1849 with the manufacture of watch components before continuing, from 1936, mainly in industrial watchmaking, then in other areas such as the Automotive, Truck and Medical.
The pioneering spirit
The pioneering spirit
1920-1930
The crisis of 1929 decimated the production of blanks in Sonceboz.
With experience acquired since his appointment as director of the factory in 1906 in the field of industrial watchmaking, Fritz-Edouard Pfister bought the “Counters” department in 1936 and founded the “Société Industrielle de SONCEBOZ SA” (SIS) with his son Pierre Frédéric.
As a true pioneer in industrial watchmaking, F.-E. Pfister develops and launches the manufacture of digital totalizers for electric disc or roller meters. Among other innovations, he created the clock movements forming the time base of the switches for urban gas lampposts, with which several cities were equipped at the time. In the 1920s, his client “Gazmeter” notably sold 60 of them to the City of London.
UNDERSTANDING EXPECTATIONS
Understand expectations
1940-1950
Specialization, diversification and adaptation to customer needs have always been at the heart of the Société Industrielle de SONCEBOZ. During the war, in order to compensate for the closure of international markets and provide employment for its employees, the company remains committed to its values by launching, for example, the production of three-speed hubs for bicycles.
Specialization, diversification and adaptation to customer needs have always been at the heart of the Société Industrielle de SONCEBOZ. During the war, in order to compensate for the closure of international markets and provide employment for its employees, the company remains committed to its values by launching, for example, the production of three-speed hubs for bicycles.
Vision and precision
Vision and precision
1950 - 1960
As soon as the markets reopened in 1945, the company expands production in industrial watchmaking. It was then that Pierre Pfister entered the American market with complete determination. There he started selling reliable and resistant recording mechanisms, used in particular to chart the flow rate of oil wells. At the same time, the company was producing synchronous motors, often equipped with reduction gears. In keeping with the values dear to the founder, the company was relentless in striving to adapt to the market and meet customer needs. During this decade, the company also produced short time counters used in radiography, for example, and also seconds counters.
Anticipating the market
Anticipating the market
1970 - 1980
Pierre-Frédéric Pfister anticipates the computer revolution, and prepares for a growing market that will need the quality and precision of SONCEBOZ technologies. During this period, advancements in electronics opened up new horizons in microtechnology. It is therefore no coincidence that the company develops and produces stepper motors for various peri-computer applications for prestigious customers such as IBM and Canon.
Pierre-Frédéric Pfister anticipates the computer revolution, and prepares for a growing market that will need the quality and precision of SONCEBOZ technologies. During this period, advancements in electronics opened up new horizons in microtechnology. It is therefore no coincidence that the company develops and produces stepper motors for various peri-computer applications for prestigious customers such as IBM and Canon.
CONQUERING A VAST MARKET
Conquering a huge market
1980 - 1990
This moment is a turning point for the business. Thanks to its stepper motors, a technology that Sonceboz masters perfectly, the company enters the automotive market. The first model to benefit from a carburetor powered by a SONCEBOZ product was the Ford Sierra in 1984. The operation was so successful that the company decided to launch, in parallel, linear actuators regulating the idle speed of gasoline engines. Over the years, the production volumes and technologies devoted to the automobile continue to increase with practically all the major producers in the world. Products manufactured in Switzerland on fully automated assembly lineS are delivered worldwide.
FROM MIND TO MOTION
FROM MIND TO MOTION
1990 - 2000
SONCEBOZ embodies mechatronics in the markets and reinforces its position with its signature: “From Mind to Motion.” The brand's products are renowned worldwide for their reliability. During this time period, the small stepper motor that fits car dashboards appears. This product, resulting from the synergy between SONCEBOZ (manufacturer) and the company Moving Magnet Technologies (advanced research center) of the SONCEBOZ group, is the first success of this new collaboration. SONCEBOZ and its licensees have produced and sold over 1,5 billion units. During the same period and still with a desire to support its customers in the development of cleaner internal combustion engines (ICE), the first “Smart BLDC Actuators” are delivered.
SONCEBOZ embodies mechatronics in the markets and reinforces its position with its signature: “From Mind to Motion.” The brand's products are renowned worldwide for their reliability. During this time period, the small stepper motor that fits car dashboards appears. This product, resulting from the synergy between SONCEBOZ (manufacturer) and the company Moving Magnet Technologies (advanced research center) of the SONCEBOZ group, is the first success of this new collaboration. SONCEBOZ and its licensees have produced and sold over 1,5 billion units. During the same period and still with a desire to support its customers in the development of cleaner internal combustion engines (ICE), the first “Smart BLDC Actuators” are delivered.
Global standards
Global standards
2000 - 2010
The strategic shift made in the 1990s bears fruit. The company's strength in innovation, the quality of its products, and customer satisfaction allow it to further establish its reputation. The production facility, reorganized into “Business Units” embodies the company's efficiency. It achieves world leadership in a number of applications. For each of these applications, millions of units are produced and sold by SONCEBOZ. Actuators, the company's strategic products, are available in numerous variations that meet the severe constraints of the automotive industry and the specific requirements of customers. They control the directional headlights or even the valves of gasoline engines via a control of the the camshaft.
The new challenges
The new challenges
2010-2020
New challenges are opportunities for enhancing innovation and efficiency. Faithful to its original vocation of creating the best solutions to fully satisfy the needs of its customers, SONCEBOZ continues to evolve within an adaptive and flexible framework. These principles have enabled the company to consistently increase its market share by focusing on new areas, such as medical equipment or robotics. In all these cutting-edge fields, expertise in the mechatronic system, from software development to actual training, is a major asset in meeting the most complex challenges. After the original Sonceboz site reached maximum capacity, a new modern facility was completed in Boncourt, Switzerland in XNUMX.
New challenges are opportunities for enhancing innovation and efficiency. Faithful to its original vocation of creating the best solutions to fully satisfy the needs of its customers, SONCEBOZ continues to evolve within an adaptive and flexible framework. These principles have enabled the company to consistently increase its market share by focusing on new areas, such as medical equipment or robotics. In all these cutting-edge fields, expertise in the mechatronic system, from software development to actual training, is a major asset in meeting the most complex challenges. After the original Sonceboz site reached maximum capacity, a new modern facility was completed in Boncourt, Switzerland in XNUMX.
The future is already here
The future is already here
In a world where changes follow one another at an ever-increasing speed, SONCEBOZ anticipates and responds with its creativity, commitment and excellence. Its values have remained the same for more than 80 years. Humility, kindness and uprightness are the foundations on which the company can renew itself every day, while maintaining its autonomy as a family company. Always assuming its global responsibility in the face of major challenges, SONCEBOZ is preparing to take up new challenges for the enrichment and preservation of our planet.