Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre announced plans to expand the manufacture by some 9,000 square meters (adding to the 16,000 square meters it already occupies) at Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie this year.

The plan, which calls for the new building at the current site to be completed by 2010, was put into action this month at a groundbreaking ceremony overseen by CEO Jerome Lambert. Lambert was quick to point out that this expansion has less to do with increasing capacity than with increasing the quality of life and work at the manufacture in Le Sentier.

Nevertheless, the manufacture aims to double the number of apprenticeships as soon as new workspaces are ready and to train 40 new professionals each year. The manufacture estimates that, overall, it will be adding 200 staff by 2010 so it needs the space.

At the same time, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s commitment to the environment of its historic location sees them offering no new parking lots, instead opting to encourage their staff to use rail links, a dedicated bus service and to car pool. This is a practice the company has been promoting for some years now and they assert that the expansion plans will have no negative impact on the environment.