If the parts that make up our products are bought in France, Europe or Asia, all of our STELLINA observation stations are assembled entirely by hand in Montpellier, not far from the offices of Vaonis, at APF34.
Production line
From the start, at the creation of the company in 2016 Cyril Dupuy, the founder, wanted all the elements to be locally produced.
Working with local actors allows for reactivity and fluid communication as well as establishing relationships and trust between partners; this results in the manufacturing of good quality products for the customers. After searching for a trusted partner for several months, the choice naturally fell on the company APF 34.
APF Entreprises 34
Founded in 1971, APF 34 is a company based in the South of France, specialized in electrical wiring and electromechanical assembly. Equipped with a real industrial know-how, its mission is the professional and sustainable integration of people with disabilities.
Under the care and support of the Association of People with Disabilities (APF in French), a French non-governmental organization, it enables disabled workers to take up paid employment under appropriate conditions by adapting workstations or adapted professional activities.
Packaging of STELLINA at APF34
Day to day, hand in hand
Human aspects play a key role in the choices of Vaonis’ collaborations, whether for internal employees or service providers. With APF 34, this aspect was favorable from the start.
Only 6 km separate Vaonis from the factory’s premises, allowing ease in frequent visits to the technician and production lines. They are responsible for assembling more than 300 parts together, from the optical tube to the sensor block, the external frame, electronics and wiring.
Quality before quantity
After a pilot production and a first batch produced in 2018, the pace will now go crescendo. A second phase of manufacturing will be launched at the beginning of the year, followed by a second next summer, with a progressive ramp up of the production capacity.
Going against the strategy of “mass production and large scale economics”, this deliberate choice was made in order to be able to control every stage of the production chain and make STELLINA a reliable device in every respect.
