Ceramaret S.A. (Bôle, Switzerland) celebrated its 100^th year in business in 2007. The supplier of precision ceramic components was founded at a time when the Swiss watchmaking sector was undergoing industrialization, and it has evolved into a successful global supplier to the device and other high-tech industries. But the best is yet to come, says vice president of sales and marketing Christian Farine. He recently announced significant expansion plans for the company in 2008.

"We have purchased a large parcel of land behind our current factory,” explains Farine. “We plan to begin by constructing three new buildings that will ultimately triple our manufacturing capacity. There will be enough land left to build two more plants as the need for further expansion arises.” The company currently has 50,000 sq ft at its disposal. It needs the additional space to fulfill skyrocketing demand for a number of applications, says Farine, but also to accommodate injection-molding machines.

“As part shapes become more complex, we find ourselves doing more and more machining on pressed parts,” says Farine. In such cases, molding may be a better option, and Ceramaret wants to be in a position to offer a full range of technologies to its customers.

The company routinely manufactures parts for manufacturers of endoscopy, electrosurgical, and dental devices from high-purity alumina, TZP zirconia, ZTA, and ATZ. Manufacturing is done entirely in-house, from production of the powder through creation of the finished component. Approximately 80% of its production is exported worldwide.