OMIA S.A.S is one of only three companies in Europe to offer the complete value chain from conception and design to manufacture and final installation right through to aftermarket servicing.
The company also offers products that cover the entire surface treatment process and include paint booths, cabins and tunnels for shot blasting, powdering, penetrant testing control installations, degreasing and washing, paint mixing laboratories, ovens of all types, preparation and sanding bays.
Its products are infinitely adaptable and can be customized to meet any customer specification. “We can tailor our products to meet the needs of our customers,” emphasizes President Denis Delrieu. “We conduct a range of studies regarding feasibility, running costs, emissions and a host of performance parameters that then form the basis of the final product.”
OMIA supplies clients in both the industrial sector and the automotive industry. Each sector accounts for a third of the company’s 29 million EUR annual turnover.
“In the automotive sector we are heavily involved in the aftermarket rather than the manufacture of new vehicles,” explains Automobile Division Director Philippe Joret. “Our paint booths are used by car body shops, repair garages and dealers to carry out repairs or resprays on used vehicles.”
In the industrial sector, OMIA works together with manufacturing industries serving clients in the aerospace market such as Dassault, Eurocopter and Airbus. It also supplies other transportation industries such as train manufacturers and shipbuilders as well as manufacturers of agricultural machinery.
Other customer groups include the furniture and wood processing industry and metal working. Another area with potential for the future is the environmental sector. OMIA has already supplied equipment to wind turbine manufacturers and sees plenty of growth potential in this market.
“In contrast to the automobile sector, here we are involved in new product construction and many of the systems are developed specifically for that product,” says Mr. Delrieu. “In addition to paint application, a range of other surface treatments is necessary which expands the opportunities for us.”
With its many years of experience, OMIA has built up a solid portfolio of references. Its ability to offer solutions that cover the entire value chain is a key advantage.
“We have a team of 27 technicians and engineers in our engineering department and their expertise is vital in the manufacture of customized solutions,” says Mr. Delrieu.
Around 10% of sales are to customers outside France. Key markets are Western and Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Here, OMIA works together with importers who also carry out installation.
“Both in France and abroad, we work with resellers,” says Mr. Delrieu. “They are often automotive wholesalers supplying automotive garages with everything they need for their business, including our spray booths.”
On the other hand, in the industrial sector, OMIA works to a much greater extent via the internet. “Our name and reputation open quite a few doors for us and we work less with distributors and more direct with the customer,” explains Mr. Delrieu.
For the future, OMIA has identified growth potential in the aerospace market and the rapidly developing economies of Eastern Europe and North Africa.
“We have developed a new, pared down product range under the Eolia name which will be priced more attractively for these markets,” says Mr. Delrieu. “We recently built a new production facility in Morocco to manufacture the Eolia product range. We are also working on a new chemical treatment tunnel to fill a gap in our range.”