Affolter Group
Affolter Group is a 107-year-old Swiss family-owned precision manufacturer producing watchmaking gear trains and proprietary CNC gear hobbing machines (AF140, AF160) for the watchmaking, medical, automotive, aerospace, and micromechanics sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1919
- HeadquartersMalleray, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Affolter Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Affolter Group
- Legal name
- Affolter Group SA
- Website
- https://affoltergroup.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1919
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Affolter Group is a 107-year-old Swiss family-owned precision manufacturer producing watchmaking gear trains and proprietary CNC gear hobbing machines (AF140, AF160) for the watchmaking, medical, automotive, aerospace, and micromechanics sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Affolter Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Malleray
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Affolter Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- CNC Gear Hobbing Machines: Design, manufacture, and sale of precision CNC gear hobbing machines (AF140, AF160, AF110 Plus). Revenue generated through direct sales and distributor networks globally. Machines target micro-precision applications for watchmaking, medical, automotive, and aerospace industries.
- CNC Control Systems: Development and commercialization of proprietary CNC control systems (PEGASUS) and electronic/mechanical components for machine tools. Universal controls applicable to various machine tool configurations.
- Watchmaking Components (Rouages Horlogers): Manufacturing of high-end watchmaking gear trains, pinions, and micrometrical components for Swiss watch industry. Complete in-house manufacturing capabilities for all operations from pivots to assembled gear trains.
- Customer-Specific Software Development: In-house software development providing customized solutions for 8-axis CNC machines, enhancing customer productivity and flexibility.
- Technical Services and Support: Customer services including maintenance, training, and technical support for machine tools and CNC systems.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Affolter Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
No supporting source material was provided in the input describing Affolter Group's core offerings; therefore, a factual description cannot be supplied.
Product overview
Affolter Group operates as a dual-business Swiss industrial company with two core product lines: (1) Watchmaking gear trains (rouages horlogers) - precision mechanical components manufactured for over 100 years; and (2) CNC Gear Hobbing Machines - a portfolio of gear cutting machines including the AF140 (new), AF160 (flagship 8-axis), and related CNC control systems branded as PEGASUS. The company also offers custom tooling and Worm Screw Power Skiving (WSPS) technology. All products serve microtechnical industries including watchmaking, medical, dental, automotive, aerospace, and robotics. The group provides training services through apprenticeship programs in mechanical trades.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PEGASUS: CNC control system developed by Affolter Technologies for gear hobbing machines
- GEAR
- Filière de formation POLYMÉCANICIEN
Quantifiable outcome
- Worm screw production 3-5x faster than traditional hobbing
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Affolter Group
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Affolter Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Affolter Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Beckhoff AutomationcoreTechnology partnership for CNC control systems. Affolter machines utilize Beckhoff TwinCAT CNC and servo drive technology for precision control. Partnership enables integration of industrial automation components with proprietary gear cutting software.
- Rotec Tools LtdcoreUS market representative and distributor for Affolter Technologies products. Manages sales, customer relationships, and technical support for North American customers at trade shows and ongoing business.
- Affolter China Co., LtdcoreWholly-owned subsidiary in Shanghai established October 2013 to serve Asia-Pacific markets. Distributes CNC gear hobbing machines and provides local customer support, targeting 20-30 machines per year market potential.
- Filière de formation POLYMÉCANICIENcoreNetwork training initiative co-founded by Affolter Group in 2007 with six regional companies to provide comprehensive polymécanicien (precision mechanic) apprenticeship. Expanded to seven companies, training 3-6 apprentices annually.
- CECIMO (European Association of Machine Tool Industries)minorIndustry association membership providing insight into European machine tool sector trends and policy. Affiliation with European precision manufacturing community.
- SwissmemminorSwiss Trade Association for Machinery, Electrical and Metal Industries. Membership provides networking, industry representation, and access to Swiss precision engineering community.
- Cluster PrécisionminorRegional precision industry cluster in Bern canton. Promotes collaboration among precision engineering companies and supports technology transfer.
- Chambre d'économie publique du Jura bernois (CEP)minorRegional economic chamber providing networking, business support, and advocacy for Jura bernois companies including participation in Club-Entreprises.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Affolter Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Liebherr-Verzahntechnik: German manufacturer of gear cutting machines including hobbing, shaping, and skiving equipment under the Liebherr group. Competes head-to-head with Affolter in CNC gear hobbing for medium-module precision gears across European automotive and industrial markets.
- EMAG GmbH: German precision machine tool manufacturer producing CNC turning, gear cutting, and grinding machines for automotive and aerospace components. Provides similar precision manufacturing equipment with overlapping customer use cases in micro-gear production.
- Gleason Corporation: US-based global leader in gear technology offering CNC hobbing, skiving, and shaping machines plus tooling. Directly competes with Affolter in precision gear cutting equipment, serving the same automotive, aerospace, and industrial gear manufacturer customer base.
- Bourn & Koch: American manufacturer of gear cutting machinery, gear grinding machines, and machine tool remanufacturing services. Direct competitor to Affolter in North American precision gear manufacturing equipment market, sold through the same regional representative model.
- Samputensili: Italian gear cutting machine manufacturer (now part of FFG/Fair Friend Group) producing CNC hobbing and gear grinding machines. Competes directly with Affolter in precision gear manufacturing equipment with overlapping customer base in automotive and industrial gear production.
- Fair Friend Group (FFG): Taiwanese machine tool conglomerate that owns Samputensili and other gear-cutting brands. Competes with Affolter through multi-brand gear cutting machinery portfolio and global manufacturing footprint.
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Machine Tools): Japanese industrial conglomerate whose machine tool division produces gear cutting machines including hobbing and skiving equipment. Competes with Affolter in precision CNC gear cutting, particularly in Asia-Pacific markets served via trade shows like CIMT and SIMTOS.
- Weingärtner: Austrian/German manufacturer of precision machine tools including gear hobbing, gear skiving, and milling equipment. Competes directly with Affolter in high-precision gear cutting machines for medical, automotive, and aerospace applications.
Broad incumbents
- Sandvik Coromant: Swedish-based division of Sandvik AB and global leader in metal cutting tooling and digital machining solutions. Adjacent to Affolter in precision manufacturing supply chain but operates at much larger scale across the broader metalworking industry.
- Yamazaki Mazak: Japanese CNC machine tool manufacturer offering multi-axis machining centers, lathes, and gear cutting solutions. Broader incumbent in the CNC machine tool space; not a direct competitor in micro-precision gear hobbing but competes for similar precision manufacturing customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Affolter Group social profiles
Digital presenceAffolter Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Affolter Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Affolter Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Affolter Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Affolter Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Affolter Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Affolter Group
What does Affolter Group do?
No supporting source material was provided in the input describing Affolter Group's core offerings; therefore, a factual description cannot be supplied.
Is Affolter Group a public or private company?
Affolter Group is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Affolter Group founded?
Affolter Group was founded in 1919. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Affolter Group based?
Affolter Group is headquartered in Malleray, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Affolter Group make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. CNC Gear Hobbing Machines are the primary driver. The others are CNC Control Systems, watchmaking Components (Rouages Horlogers), customer-Specific Software Development and technical Services and Support.
Who are Affolter Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Liebherr-Verzahntechnik, EMAG GmbH, Gleason Corporation, Bourn & Koch, Samputensili, Fair Friend Group (FFG), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Machine Tools) and Weingärtner. Broad incumbents are Sandvik Coromant and Yamazaki Mazak.
Does Affolter Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Affolter Group.