Why FACTORYYY chose the Marly Innovation Center to launch its Swiss operations

We recently spoke with Sylvain Claudel, Founder and Managing Director of FACTORYYY, a Strasbourg-based industrial company that refabricates obsolete spare parts, both new and identical to the original, regardless of material or manufacturing technology, and even in small quantities.

FACTORYYY addresses one of industry’s most underacknowledged problems: machines that still work perfectly but become unusable overnight because a single part is no longer available. The company has recently established its Swiss operations at the Marly Innovation Center in the canton of Fribourg. Sylvain shared with us what brought FACTORYYY to Switzerland.

Could you briefly introduce FACTORYYY and explain your mission and vision of next-generation manufacturing?

FACTORYYY was born from a situation that exists throughout industry but rarely gets discussed: machines that still work perfectly but become unusable overnight because a single part is no longer available. Not necessarily a complex part, sometimes something fairly simple, but impossible to find.

That is precisely where we come in. We refabricate these parts identically, replicating their geometry, material, and manufacturing method, so that manufacturers can continue operating their equipment without being forced to replace entire machines or wait for lead times that are incompatible with their operations.

A large part of industry still operates on models designed for a world where everything was available. That world no longer really exists.

When we talk about next-generation manufacturing, my view is pragmatic: it is not only about producing new things better or faster. It is also about maintaining what already exists intelligently, with the tools available today.

How would you describe your approach to industrial production, and what sets you apart from traditional models?

Our approach starts from the field, not from a catalog. In most cases, when a client contacts us, they have already exhausted conventional options: no more supplier, lead times that no longer hold, or a proposed solution that no longer matches operational reality. We go back to the root of the problem, analyzing the part’s function, its environment, its constraints, and we rebuild an industrial solution that actually works.

When a part disappears, most players stop there. For us, that is precisely where we begin.

What differentiates us is that we do not simply supply a part: we restore an operable industrial solution. We combine reverse engineering, technical rigor, and production management to rebuild continuity where it has broken down.

Why did you choose Switzerland, and the Marly Innovation Center specifically?

Switzerland gradually imposed itself, almost naturally, as the project took shape.

I was looking for an environment capable of supporting a company in its structuring phase, one with a high level of standards, a degree of stability, and a credibility that extends beyond the local context. On that front, Switzerland is well aligned with our positioning.

Switzerland is demanding. It is not necessarily the easiest place to establish yourself, but that is precisely what makes it a good choice when you want to build something solid.

The Marly Innovation Center reinforced that logic. It is not simply a place to set up, it is an environment that provides structure, connections, and momentum. And incidentally, the mountains are not far away, and the landscape is magnificent year-round.

What were the key factors in your decision to establish here?

There is obviously a strategic dimension: Switzerland offers a clear framework for developing a high-value industrial business, with an image of seriousness and quality that matches what we are building.

But beyond that, what really mattered was the quality of the interactions. In an establishment project, you spend a great deal of time talking, understanding, and adjusting. When your contacts are responsive, structured, and able to get straight to the point, things become much simpler. At a certain moment, it is these very concrete elements that make the difference.

How do you assess Switzerland’s industrial innovation ecosystem?

What struck me about Switzerland is the very direct link between innovation and execution. Technology is discussed, of course, but always with the understanding that it must work concretely, under real conditions. There is less of a gap between discourse and operational reality.

For a company like ours, which works on very practical maintenance and manufacturing challenges, this is an environment in which it is easy to see ourselves growing.

What are your priorities for your first years of development in Switzerland?

Today, the goal is not simply to be present in Switzerland, but to build something solid here. That means developing local relationships, understanding the market, integrating into the ecosystem, and progressively structuring the business from this base. We are in a construction mindset, not chasing one-off opportunities.

We are also expanding internationally, targeting the German, British, and Southern European markets.

In parallel, we are working extensively on making our expertise more fluid and faster to mobilize, without sacrificing standards.

What types of clients or projects are you currently targeting?

We target manufacturers facing obsolescence, critical maintenance needs, or supply disruptions on essential parts, particularly in the energy, rail, and industrial sectors. In these environments, a single small part can have a disproportionate impact.

We are particularly relevant when refabrication makes it possible to avoid a shutdown, extend the life of a piece of equipment, or secure a recurring need that the market no longer covers adequately.

To what extent does Switzerland represent a strategic market for your growth?

Switzerland is strategic, but not only as a market.

It is above all a platform from which to structure what comes next, a place from which to strengthen the company’s credibility, stabilize its development, and prepare a broader growth phase.

I do not see this establishment as an end in itself, but as an important step.

How do you integrate new technologies, such automation, digitalization or AI, into your manufacturing approach?

Technology, for us, is never an end in itself.

We already use tools such as 3D scanning and metrology to understand and reconstruct parts with precision. But the real issue today is time: time for analysis, time for response, time for decision-making.

The next step is to accelerate analysis and quoting. A significant part of our work involves rapidly converting an incomplete request into a reliable technical and economic response, and that is precisely where automation and AI can create significant value.

What do you see as the main challenges facing the industrial sector that you are working to address?

The same issues come up very regularly.

Obsolescence, first, which is often silent, gradually undermining installations that are still perfectly serviceable. Then, dependency on increasingly strained supply chains. And finally, situations where entire assemblies are replaced simply because there is no solution for a single part.

We often work in grey areas: no drawings, no reference, no obvious solution. It is uncomfortable, but that is precisely where value is created.

Do you plan to collaborate with local players such as universities, research centers, or industrial partners?

It is a natural next step.

We sit at the intersection of several subjects, industrial processes, materials, data, automation, so working with local players, whether universities of applied sciences or industrial partners, is a natural avenue for development.

What role does the Marly Innovation Center play in your development?

A location like the Marly Innovation Center provides far more than a workspace. It offers visibility, credibility, and facilitates integration into an ecosystem. When launching an establishment, this kind of environment saves time, and it also allows you to project yourself in the right conditions.

It also achieves the remarkable feat of concentrating everything a structure like ours needs in one place: offices, of course, but also a research center, a logistics facility, and living amenities. The Marly Innovation Center checked every box. We could not have found better.

Recruitment is often critical in a launch phase: what profiles are you currently looking for?

Over time, we will need technical profiles capable of understanding a part, its application, its manufacturing method, and its economic constraints. We will also need business profiles capable of engaging with demanding industrial clients on concrete subjects.

In our field, the best profiles are often those who know how to connect field reality with quality of execution.

What competencies are most critical to supporting your growth?

The ability to quickly understand a technical problem and make a coherent decision remains central.

That is where the difference is made. Tools come afterwards to structure and accelerate that capacity, but they do not replace it.

What differences do you observe between the Swiss industrial ecosystem and those of other countries where you operate?

What strikes me about Switzerland is the overall quality of the environment: clarity, seriousness, consistency of exchanges, and the ability to work within a legible framework.

In other countries, you can find excellent expertise, but sometimes with more friction or inertia. For a company in a structuring phase, this quality of execution makes a real difference.

How did local authorities and economic development organizations support your establishment?

The support was very concrete. Our project was not the simplest: it required coordinating several aspects, legal, administrative, and banking, all that in a Swiss context we did not know at all. In those circumstances, having contacts who could understand quickly, point us in the right direction, and smooth the process was decisive.

GGBa, the CCI France Suisse, and the Fribourg Development agency played that role, bringing clarity where there could have been complexity. We met many people across several cantons, all of whom listened carefully and offered concrete solutions. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank them. Without them, this establishment project could never have come to fruition.