Business in France

When Alain Combard came across Domaine Saint André de Figuière in Provence in 1992, he loved it so much that he bought it. Today, his children Magali, Delphine and François are carrying on the family wine-making tradition to produce sustainable wines full of the character of the region’s unique terrain.

Founded over 70 years ago, French switch box manufacturer Grolleau SAS reached a crucial turning point in 1997 when it began supplying the telecommunications industry. Today, telecommunications customers account for 50% of its turnover, and the company takes pride in its innovation in the face of new technology.

Creating an effective IT infrastructure is always challenging, but particularly so for small and mid-sized organizations, which rarely have the necessary in-house expertise. With 20 years’ experience as an IT infrastructure service provider to larger French corporates, Quantic Support SAS is now turning its focus to helping smaller firms optimize their IT infrastructure.

It is all change for Team Plastique in Châteaubriant, France. The company is gearing up for a change in management and ownership with new CEO Régis Sauvion already in post and the handover from company founder Didier Elin well underway. At the same time, the company is growing strongly; so much so that plans for the construction of a new production unit that is due to come online by the end of 2020 are also well advanced.

Saturated European markets, such as professional-use paint, are ripe for ‘disruptors’ to make an impact. French firm COMUS is one such disruptor, hiring Director Jean-Christophe Sueres in January of last year to lead the firm to growth in France and abroad. Nearly a year later, the firm is reshaping the paint industry by setting new standards and market entry points.

Cash flow problems are one of the biggest threats to solvency that small and medium-sized companies face. When a company’s capital is tied up in stock or assets that will not be realized until a point in the distant future, it can threaten the company’s ability to cover immediate day-to-day outgoings or vital investment. Auxiga Group International makes it possible for companies to put up these assets as collateral against bank loans that protect their solvency until a profit can be realized.

Work-related stress is a major variety of stress and has escalated progressively in recentt years. Unfair treatment at work, unmanageable workloads, a lack of support, bullying, unreasonable deadlines – there are many different reasons why more and more are people getting sick at work. French Psya Groupe in Puteaux near Paris is an expert when it comes to unhealthy work-related stress and knows how to deal with its consequences.

It is a European leader in metal surface treatment services with a strong focus on the automotive sector. With operations across Europe and global ambitions, Electropoli SA is now venturing into China – with the help of its new owners, a Chinese investment platform and a French private equity fund. This way, the company is not only getting closer to its customers but also improving environmental standards in the Chinese surface treatment sector. At the same time, the dynamically evolving French enterprise is strengthening its position in Eastern Europe.

There is no denying that alternative energies are the key to our future, but harnessing their power proves difficult at times. Haffner Energy, based in Vitry-Le-François, is the kind of innovative company that will master the challenge and pave the way into that future. The energy expert engineers and produces plants that create hydrogen from biomass.

It started as a distributor of lighting products 25 years ago. Today, it is blazing the trail for competitively priced, energy-efficient smart home solutions in France. STARLIGHT SAS is a dynamically evolving, medium-sized enterprise that is revolutionizing the way, home automation works. What distinguishes the company’s systems from competitors’ products is not primarily their first-rate technology but their outstanding affordability.