2024-05-14 05:00:00
in the Médoc, the company Epsilon Composite, based in the small rural town of Gaillan-en-Médoc, is one of those French SMEs capable of winning markets abroad and promoting a technology developed on national territory. Created in 1987 by Stéphane Lull, it specialized in the manufacture of carbon fiber parts using pultrusion. This process makes it possible to re…
in the Médoc, the company Epsilon Composite, based in the small rural town of Gaillan-en-Médoc, is one of those French SMEs capable of winning markets abroad and promoting a technology developed on national territory. Created in 1987 by Stéphane Lull, it specialized in the manufacture of carbon fiber parts using pultrusion. This process makes it possible to produce high-performance materials in large quantities, much lighter than steel and aluminum. In industry, for this type of product, the markets are extremely diverse and buoyant (aeronautics, robotics, civil engineering, nautical, printing, etc.)
It all started in an artisanal workshop and then took the form of a modern factory employing more than 200 employees, with agencies located on several continents. In three decades, the thickness gained by this SME, which achieves a turnover of 30 million euros, owes a lot to its managers. They have never stopped investing in their “research and development” department. For several years, Epsilon Composite has stood out in the electrical infrastructure reinforcement market. “A niche that has become a global issue in the context of the energy transition and decarbonization,” underlines Alexandre Lull, Deputy Managing Director of Epsilon Composite.
A global partnership
The technology placing the Médoc company on a strong growth engine consists of increasing the capacity of high voltage lines by developing new generation cables with a composite core. In summary, it involves replacing the steel found inside the electrical cable with a much lighter and more efficient carbon fiber “rod”. With this mutation, a more conductive aluminum can be integrated. This optimizes the transport of electrical energy in the cables with much less loss. Epsilon Composite obtained its first markets in Australia then in Kazakhstan, before reaching the rest of Asia and Europe. Today, it is in Cameroon that a new very large contract has just been signed.
“This strategic project will allow Cameroon to electrify hundreds of thousands of homes”
“This strategic project will allow this country to electrify hundreds of thousands of homes and ultimately generate significant income through the export of carbon-free hydroelectricity to several neighboring states, including Chad and Nigeria. With a generation capacity of 420 MW, Nachtigal will be the most powerful power plant in Cameroon, where it will provide a third of the electricity,” explains Alexandre Lull. This market is part of a global partnership including manufacturers in the French electricity sector, despite increased competition from Chinese conglomerates in Africa. The Nachtigal hydroelectric power station was developed and built in cooperation with EDF and various French companies.
The Médoc company, which should see its turnover cross the 40 million euro mark by the end of the year, also announced the completion of its alliance with Sumitomo Corporation (Japan), a supplier history of carbon fiber which strengthened the company’s capital as a minority shareholder.
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