It’s that time of year again when professionals from the high-precision watchmaking, jewellery, medical and microtechnology industry will gather for the EPHJ Show at the PalExpo international exhibition and convention centre in Geneva from 6 to 9 June 2023.
More than 710 exhibitors – mostly small and medium sized enterprises from 16 different countries, including Europe, Asia and the United States – have announced they will be attending this year’s show.
Alexandre Catton, EPHJ director, says: “The number of exhibitors is up compared to 2022. The watchmaking and jewellery industry is in fine form and contributing greatly to the encouraging prospects for this year’s EPHJ – as is the strong potential shown by the medical technology market.
“Our exhibitors understand that even though their order books are full, it’s still important to meet and see their customers in a different setting so they can nurture their professional relationships and open up to other perspectives and outlooks.”
Like every year, EPHJ expects to welcome nearly 20,000 trade visitors from five continents to discover and learn more about the expertise and innovations of all these industrial and artisanal high-precision industry professionals.
While approximately 90 percent of exhibitors say they are active in watchmaking and 59 percent in microtechnology, 50 percent of them say they are active in the medtech industry, confirming the current trend of bridges being built to harness the expertise of the watchmaking and microtechnology industries for deployment in medical devices and instruments.
Since innovation is one of the show’s major pillars, this year’s start-up hub will bring together some thirty promising young companies from Switzerland, France, the Netherlands and Germany.
Energy efficiency and haptic robotics
The other great benefit of the EPHJ Show is that it serves as a venue for debate and discussion, enabling attendees to gain perspective on current topics and promoting sharing by and between experts and prominent industry personalities.
EPHJ’s celebrated Round Tables will kick off on 6 June with a debate on the upturn in the watchmaking industry: will it continue in 2023 or is the downturn about to start?
On 7 June, two Round Tables will focus on developments in robotics. In the morning, EPHJ and Stäubli will join forces to present the highly promising potential of haptic robotics in watchmaking production.
The second Round Table of the day will address the technological alliance for medical robotics of the future, and will be attended by various high-level personalities, including Nicolas Demartines, CEO of Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV).
On 8 June at 10 am, the topic of debate will be low-energy and energy-efficient industrial processes. Best practices will be presented and experiences shared with and between industry experts and Oliviero Lubatti, CEO of Romande Energie Services.
The afternoon session will be devoted to a highly promising discussion with master watchmaker Philippe Dufour, who, along with other personalities, will debate and discuss the challenges involved in handing down watchmaking expertise and know-how.
Shortage of personnel
Just like in 2022, a Job Dating event will be featured in partnership with JobWatch, the last day of the show on 9 June. The aim is to help encourage interest in the high-precision professions and overcome the shortage of personnel in these sectors.
Students, recent graduates, job- seeking technicians and any other interested people will have a chance to meet recruiters from companies at the show that are looking to fill vacancies. They will be coached and prepared ahead of time by JobWatch executives. The topic of recruitment will also be addressed during a Round Table at 10 am.
