Manual assembly operators – watchmaker precision at the service of medical devices
Véronique is part of the Valtronic manual assembly team. With 33 years of experience, she has acquired a valuable know-how in the assembly of extremely small components that will integrate into complex medical devices. The operators of our Swiss site located in the watchmaking valley operate with the same precision as their counterparts in watchmaking. The expertise and experience of Véronique and her colleagues are essential to the quality of the products delivered to our customers. What also distinguishes Véronique and her team are the passion and pride that drive them day after day because they know that their work contributes to improving the quality of life of patients around the world.
A subtle blend of technical skills, training and manual dexterity
The tiny microelectronic components that operators assemble under their binocular magnifiers demand meticulousness and specific welding skills. Handling and assembling extremely tiny components, such as wires three times thinner than a human hair, further requires great dexterity, a steady hand, and excellent eye-hand coordination. Véronique is proud of the know-how she has acquired within the company. And in terms of the analogy with the world of watchmaking, she says “yes, that’s right, our skills are similar, but what motivates me is knowing that my work will allow us to improve the quality of life of patients ”. It goes without saying that Valtronic is committed to perpetuating such know-how for generations to come.
Continuous training and daily responsibilities
Like most of her colleagues, Véronique started her career more than thirty years ago by training in welding and bonding. “At the very beginning, I was learning the technique without really understanding what I was doing or what it was going to be used for.” But his continuous training at Valtronic allowed him to quickly understand microelectronic assembly procedures, as well as the various techniques and tools. This knowledge is all the more important as an operator has to work on different products during the same day. “Our day-to-day work at Valtronic involves responsibilities as we follow assembly diagrams independently. Having such responsibilities and autonomy is very rewarding and stimulating ”. In addition to the assembly work, the operators also play an important role in the quality and traceability procedure. They are in charge of documenting very precisely all their work in the Quality Management System. The traceability of components and assembly operations on each product is essential in the medical field. “We are working on medical devices such as implants and are very aware of the importance for a patient to benefit from a device which fulfills the expected function and which is of irreproachable quality.” The traceability of components and assembly operations on each product is essential in the medical field. “We are working on medical devices such as implants and are very aware of the importance for a patient to benefit from a device which fulfills the expected function and which is of irreproachable quality.” The traceability of components and assembly operations on each product is essential in the medical field. “We are working on medical devices such as implants and are very aware of the importance for a patient to benefit from a device which fulfills the expected function and which is of irreproachable quality.”
The meticulousness of assembly in a clean room
Each new product offers the opportunity to acquire new skills and meet new technical challenges. Each product is indeed different and some may even require the setting up of a very specific environment. Véronique cites the example of the smart contact lens. It is the first lens used to monitor patients with glaucoma ( see more details in our product portfolio ). Valtronic has adapted the customer’s industrialization procedure in a dedicated environment of our clean room. Véronique and her colleagues were thus able to gain experience in assembly in a clean room with particularly strict tolerances.
Always motivated to take on new challenges
Reviewing her 33 years of experience, Véronique is very proud of the skills she acquired at Valtronic and of her contribution to improving the quality of life of patients. “With increasingly strict regulations in the medical field and increasingly complex products, there is always something new to learn, which is very stimulating. I am always so motivated and I look forward to the next projects and challenges with great enthusiasm! “.
Read the French version of this article
