Eversys – Full Steam Ahead

Eversys’ factory, which opened in late January, will this year produce up to 3000 of the company’s newly launched c’2 Cameo machines, says Chief Commercial Officer Kamal Bengougam, and can scale up to make 5000 annually. This increase to Eversys’ capacity will not only help the local economy by adding a significant number of jobs; it will take advantage of leading edge technology to boost the firm’s global capabilities as it expands in its key markets of Europe, North America, and Asia. The 2500-square-metre factory brings a number of advantages: it allows the assembly of the handcrafted c’2 Cameo machine realising the lean manufacturing philosophy without compromise. “So it’s all linear and that’s a massive step forward, because when we started up in 2009 we didn’t have much money so we took a building that was not purpose-built, and that’s how we began manufacturing,” says Bengougam. “But now we’ve got to the point where we’ve outgrown it.” The new factory setup also allows an efficient and integrated quality control at every stage of the assembly process before a final quality control station check at the end of the line prior to packaging. The company’s e’series and newer c’series superautomatics can be found across the world in locations as diverse as hotels, offices, and restaurants. The facility’s new showroom will make it easier for these customers to get a hands-on experience of the latest innovations. “It will allow us to take customers through the process of assembly and show them the total quality management system that’s in place,” he says. “That gives our customers the sense of scale and capacity that we’ve built up, which is important: after all, they need to have trust in us so it’s key that we can help them tick that risk assessment box as regards production.” Simple beginnings Eversys is based in the village of Ardon in southwest Switzerland. When it started life in 2009, its founders envisioned using technology to bridge the gap between traditional coffee machines operated by a barista and superautomatics. “And today superautomatic machines are now able to provide a credible alternative to a barista,” says Bengougam. “The gap between the two worlds has narrowed, and I can see a paradigm shift over the next five years further towards superautomatics as they continue to improve.” Among the factors that will drive this are the rising cost of baristas, the scarcity of labour, and the increased acceptance of robotics and automation. That said, there will still be room for baristas. “Robots will never replace the man – their role is to give people more freedom, and to do the mundane tasks,” he says. “If you look at a chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant, he doesn’t cook – he creates. I think superautomatics will eliminate the low-level baristas, but that will leave the super-baristas who will get involved at that higher level of creativity and passion.” Passion breeds success For now, Eversys will continue making its popular e’series machines, which it launched in 2012, at the existing production site in Ardon. At the end of next year, Eversys plans to move all its activities to a brand-new purpose-built factory in Sierre, a 20 minutes’ drive from the current location, completing a full production upgrade. “What we’re doing achieves three things,” Bengougam says. “It brings us the capacity to increase production, it gives us the ability to modernise our production processes even more, and it provides an environment for customers that is more conducive to where the company is today.” With sales rising fast, Bengougam says the company hopes to hit the 10,000-units-sold mark in time for next year’s 10th anniversary. “It’s an exciting time for us, because not that long ago we were very small and people didn’t give us a chance – they said we wouldn’t survive,” he says. “Our success proves that if you come into a market with compelling technology, with the passion to do well and with a great team, you can succeed.”