Swiss technology group Conextivity inaugurates its new production site and celebrates its 70th anniversary in Portugal

Conextivity Group officially inaugurated its new production site in Amarante on June 5, marking a significant milestone as the company celebrates 70 years of business success. The new facility, which already employs some 140 people, enhances the Group’s production capacity to meet the growing global demand for the connectivity solutions offered by its two businesses, Fischer Connectors and Wearin’. The new plant’s cable and connector assembly production lines have been fully operational since October 2023, two years after the first stone was laid by Group CEO Jonathan Brossard.

“We are delighted to be able to inaugurate our new production facility on schedule, thanks to the dedication of our collaborators and partners in Portugal and Switzerland,” said Sabrina and Jonathan Brossard, respectively President and CEO of Swiss-based technology group Conextivity. “This expansion supports our commitment to meet the growing demand for the connectivity products and solutions offered by our two businesses, Fischer Connectors and Wearin’.”

Since its launch, the Amarante facility has produced more than 2.4 million connectors for over 70% of Fischer Connectors’ production volume. Currently, nearly 140 professionals are employed in various roles including manufacturing, R&D and management, assembling products for global export.

“Our goal is to gradually increase our workforce to 200 people,” said Filipe Silva, General Manager of the Amarante site. “Depending on the Group’s needs and development over the next ten years, we may further expand our capacity to employ up to 400 people.”

The new facility was designed by architect Alexandre Burmester of A. Burmester Arquitectos Associados Lda, based in Porto, and built by Braga-based construction company DST. The site consists of several buildings with a total surface area of 4,600 m2, surrounded by 11,600 m2 of open space, located in Paúl de Cima, in the parish of Aboadela, Sanche e Várzea, in the municipality of Amarante, near Porto.

The site was selected with the support of AICEP, Portugal’s trade and investment agency, based on factors such as industrial track record, cost base, working environment, cultural aspects and talent availability. “Choosing the inland region of Amarante over the onshore region of Porto offers significant advantages in terms of recruitment,” confirmed Filipe Silva. “With our proximity to three universities, we have access to a rich talent pool to recruit the professionals we need in order to grow at the pace we want.”

The Portuguese plant allows the Conextivity Group to increase its cable assembly production capacity and to leverage an efficient and resilient industrial setup consisting of two connector assembly production sites: the historic site in Saint-Prex, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, and the new site in Amarante. Since the family company was founded in 1954, the connector assembly operations have always been centralized at the Swiss manufacturing facility, R&D center and headquarters.

“The new Portuguese facility is the first of its kind outside of Switzerland,” said President Sabrina Brossard at the inauguration ceremony. “It is a cornerstone of our vision and growth strategy as a global, full-service connectivity partner. The Amarante plant also supports the industrialization of our latest products and solutions.”

Under the strategic leadership of CEO Jonathan Brossard, the Conextivity Group has doubled its staff and turnover over the last seven years and expanded its scope of activities with new electronic solutions such as Fischer Connectors’ tactical hubs and Wearin’s breakthrough IoT solutions for connected personnel in the field.

The new site in Portugal will enable the third generation of the founding entrepreneurial family to support the Group’s growth dynamic by increasing its competitiveness, responsiveness and capacity on a global scale.

The construction of the Amarante site required an investment of more than 15 million euros by the Conextivity Group, including 6.5 million euros from the Portugal 2020 partnership with the European Commission.

The inauguration of the Amarante plant, which coincides with Conextivity Group’s 70^th anniversary, was attended by all site employees, the President of the Municipal Chamber of Amarante, José Luís Gaspar, and other municipal officials, government agencies, project partners, as well as the Conextivity Group’s international management and sales teams.

The geographic coordinates of the Conextivity Group Portugal site are: 41°16’10.6″N 7°59’19.2″W | 41.269600, -7.988679.

Event photos: 

• The 70th anniversary cake: (from left to right) Filipe Silva, General Manager of Conextivity Group’s Amarante site; Sabrina Brossard, President of Conextivity Group; Jean-Michel Puiatti, Chief Operating Officer of Conextivity Group.
• José Luís Gaspar, President of the Municipal Chamber of Amarante, presents the anniversary gift of the City of Amarante to Sabrina Brossard, President of Conextivity Group.
• (Left to right) Filipe Silva, General Manager of Conextivity Group’s Amarante site; Jean-Michel Puiatti, Chief Operating Officer of Conextivity Group; Sabrina Brossard, President of Conextivity Group; José Luís Gaspar, President of the Municipal Chamber of Amarante.
• Connecting Switzerland with Portugal.
• Rancho traditional dance.