Patric Dissard
Mechatronics engineer specialising in special-purpose machinery, automation and robotics.
For 20 years I have been designing and managing special-purpose machines and robotic cells for Swiss industry. With RobotMade, I put this experience directly at the service of your project: a single point of contact, from the initial idea to commissioning.
My background
It all started with an unusual degree project for my microengineering diploma, at Monodor, the company founded by Eric Favre, inventor of the Nespresso capsule. He wanted to create a capsule tea machine. The challenge: the tea has to brew with the capsule horizontal, whereas the user inserts it vertically. I designed a mechanism that, with a single lever movement, tilts the capsule and closes the brewing chamber.
I then worked for several special-purpose machine builders in French-speaking Switzerland, as a mechanical designer, project manager and then product manager. What I am proudest of from that period: a study that became a machine builder’s flagship product, and is still selling more than ten years later.
Today, I head a department of 20 engineers. Having been a designer, a project manager and a team leader in turn, I know what each expects from the others, and that is often where a project’s deadlines are won or lost.
My values
Creativity
Every project starts from your real constraints: product, throughput, space and budget. From there, I look for the best-fitting solution, and when something unexpected comes up, I often see it as a chance to find something better.
Humility
Even with 20 years’ experience, a special-purpose machine is still a prototype. I question my own approach on every project, and I rely on proven solutions rather than starting from a blank sheet.
Honesty
If a solution isn’t right or a target isn’t realistic, I will tell you. At the end of a study, I have sometimes recommended an off-the-shelf product rather than a custom development.
Trust
A special-purpose machine sometimes needs a period of fine-tuning in production. I stay by your side after commissioning, because a successful project is the start of a lasting relationship.
Why RobotMade
Your teams know their product and process better than anyone. My role is to turn their ideas into a reliable machine, with a single point of contact based in French-speaking Switzerland, from study to commissioning. For manufacturing, I rely on trusted partners.
Your ideas, my machine.
Outside work
I have been flying for more than 25 years, on Cessnas and Pipers, and flying aerobatics in a CASA-built Bücker (180 hp). During my military service, I was a Plane Captain on the F/A-18 Hornet: a school of rigour where preparation and safety leave no room for guesswork. I renovated my house myself and spend some of my evenings in my woodworking shop. I live in Servion with my family.
Let’s talk about your project
Do you have a project, an idea or simply a question? I will reply to you personally.