Development and vertically integrated manufacturing of switches, joysticks, LED indicators and custom HMI solutions for industry and mobile working machines.
APEM SAS
Caussade · Montpezat-de-Quercy · Montauban · Long Crendon · Winchester · Ballerup · Cherasco · Vista, CA · ChangzhouNew on Amplifa
HMI solutions with vertically integrated manufacturing since 1952
APEM develops and manufactures human-machine-interface (HMI) solutions such as panel switches, PCB switches, pushbutton switches, toggle and rocker switches, LED indicators, joysticks, industrial controls as well as complete control panels and keyboards. Since its founding in 1952, the company has relied on vertical integration: all manufacturing steps — from development through toolmaking, plastic injection molding, machining/turning and stamping to electroplating, electronics integration, assembly and final inspection — are mastered. Materials used include brass, aluminum, stainless steel up to 316L, copper as well as thermoplastics, thermosets, silicones and elastomers; electroplated coatings are applied with nickel, gold, silver or palladium. The products are used in extreme environments in industries such as defense, construction and agricultural machinery, material handling, mining machinery and medical technology. APEM employs more than 1,400 staff at nine production sites in Europe, North Africa, the Americas and Asia and sells over 50,000 product variants worldwide; since 2017 the company has belonged to the Japanese IDEC Group.
- Site
- Caussade Cedex
- Processes
- Turning/milling (turning & machining, CNC and CAM), Turning of diameters 2 mm to 30 mm (CNC/CAM), Stamping/punching (stamping), Plastic injection molding (molding, incl. in-mold, over-molding of thermoset, thermoplastic,, Electroplating (finishing with nickel, gold, silver, palladium), Assembly (manual, semi-automatic, fully automatic; wiring, hot-stamping marking,, Panel/keyboard production: digital printing, screen printing, thermoforming, embossing, Prototyping with 3D printing, EDM/wire EDM machining centers and laser cutting
- Materials
- Brass, Aluminum, Stainless steel (up to 316L), Copper, Nickel (electroplating), Gold (electroplating), Silver (electroplating), Palladium (electroplating)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 9001:2015 (IDEC Corporation, USA), ISO 9001:2015 (Samelec, Tunisia), ISO 9001:2015 (Sacema, Tunisia), ISO 14001:2015 (Samelec, Tunisia), IATF 16949
- Founded
- 1952
- Employees
- 1400+
- Industries
- Defense, Material handling, Construction and construction machinery, Mining machinery, Agriculture, Medical technology
- 01
Product development and prototyping (3D printing, EDM, laser cutting)
- 02
Toolmaking (injection molds, stamping tools)
- 03
Turning and stamping (CNC, hydraulic presses)
- 04
Plastic injection molding (Arburg, Engel)
- 05
Electroplating (nickel, gold, silver, palladium)
- 06
Panel and keyboard production (digital printing, screen printing, thermoforming)
- 07
Electronics integration (CAN, RS485, RS422, USB)
- 08
Assembly and final inspection
- 09
Logistics (central warehouse Montauban)
Materials and manufacturing processes
Brass
Turned and stamped parts for switch contacts, CNC turning of diameters 2–30 mm.
Aluminum
Processing of aluminum strips and components in machining and stamping technology.
Stainless steel up to 316L
For rugged metal keyboards and corrosion-resistant switch components.
Copper
Stamped parts from bimetal strips for electrical contacts.
Electroplated coatings (nickel, gold, silver, palladium)
Contact finishing of base parts with X-ray inspection of coating thickness.
Thermoplastics
Injection molding of housings and keys, partly 24/7 production.
Thermosets, silicones, elastomers
Over-molding and rubber keyboards with tactile effects.
Polycarbonate, PMMA
Capacitive keyboards and panel solutions.
Production and sales locations
Caussade
FRHeadquarters; production of switches and switch panels
- Materials
- Brass, aluminum, plastic
- Injection molding machines (Arburg, Engel)
- CNC lathes
- Hydraulic presses 20–160 t
- Toolmaking
Montpezat-de-Quercy
FRSwitch production with electroplating
- Materials
- Nickel, gold, silver, palladium
- Electroplating lines
- X-ray inspection system (coating thickness measurement)
Montauban
FREuropean logistics and shipping center
Long Crendon / Winchester
GBProduction of LED indicators and joysticks
Ballerup
DKProduction of MEC PCB switches
Cherasco
ITProduction of stainless steel keyboards and keypads
- Materials
- Stainless steel 316L
Vista, CA
USJoystick production
Changzhou (Wujin)
CNProduction site for the Asia-Pacific region
Unterföhring / Hamburg
DESales offices for the DACH region
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turning/milling (turning & machining, CNC and CAM)Machining | – | – | – | small series to mass production | Brass, Aluminum, Stainless steel up to 316L |
| Turning of diameters 2 mm to 30 mm (CNC/CAM)Machining | – | – | – | – | Brass, Aluminum, Stainless steel 316L |
| Stamping/punching (stamping)Forming | – | – | – | – | Brass bimetal, Copper, Stainless steel |
| Plastic injection molding (molding, incl. in-mold, over-molding of thermoset, thermoplastic,Plastics | – | – | – | – | Thermoplastic, Thermoset, Silicone, Elastomer |
| Electroplating (finishing with nickel, gold, silver, palladium)Surface | – | – | – | – | Nickel, Gold, Silver, Palladium |
| Assembly (manual, semi-automatic, fully automatic; wiring, hot-stamping marking,Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Panel/keyboard production: digital printing, screen printing, thermoforming, embossingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Prototyping with 3D printing, EDM/wire EDM machining centers and laser cuttingAdditive | – | – | – | – | – |
| Toolmaking (injection molds and other tools, internal design and maintenance)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Electronics integration (CAN, RS485, RS422, USB, LCD displays, NVIS LEDs, ESD/EMI filtering,Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| X-ray inspection of coating thickness on electroplated partsTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Capacitive keyboards (manufacturing)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Polycarbonate, PMMA |
| Metal keyboards (mechanical, capacitive, piezo; stainless steel SS316L)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel SS316L |
| Membrane keyboards (flexible FPC or rigid PCB)Plastics | – | – | – | – | – |
| Silicone rubber keyboards (manufacturing)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Silicone elastomer |
| MIL keyboards (ruggedized, MIL-STD-810, EMI/EMC shielding)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Design and development of HMI products (switches, joysticks, panel solutions, customEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
9 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injection molding machine | Arburg | – | – | – | – |
| Injection molding machine | Engel | – | – | – | – |
| Hydraulic press (stamping) 20 to 160 tons | – | – | – | – | – |
| CNC lathe | – | – | Diameter 2-30 mm | – | – |
| Lathe (conventional, manually operated) | – | – | – | – | – |
| EDM/wire EDM machining center | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laser cutting machine | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3D printer (prototyping) | – | – | – | – | – |
| X-ray inspection system (coating thickness measurement) | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and certifications
APEM maintains a group-wide QHSE management system (quality, occupational safety, environment) with certifications to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 as well as IATF 16949 for selected sites. Testing includes, among other things, X-ray measurements of the coating thicknesses of electroplated parts and final inspections before shipping.
| Evidence | Caussade |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |
| ISO 14001:2015 | |
| IATF 16949 |
Company history
- 1952
Founding of APR by Jean Rogero in Montpezat-de-Quercy (industrial switches)
- 1971
New plant in Caussade under the name APEM (miniature switches)
- 1976
Four European subsidiaries: Germany, UK, Tunisia, Benelux
- 1984
New plant in Montauban (switch panels)
- 1991
Acquisition of a US company, founding of APEM Inc.
- 1998–2000
Acquisitions: MEC (Denmark), WUJIN (China), UNIFAB (USA)
- 2000
Founding of APEM Mexico
- 2002
Acquisition of a manufacturer of stainless steel keyboards in Italy (APEM Italia)
- 2005
Acquisition of OLIVER CONTROL SYSTEMS Ltd (industrial joysticks)
- 2008
Acquisition of CH Products (USA, joysticks/trackballs)
- 2015
Logistics hub in Montauban
- 2017
IDEC Corporation acquires APEM
- 2018
Expansion of the headquarters in Caussade
- 2023
IDEC acquires ez-Wheel (industrial mobility)