JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #58 - June - July 2010 - 8

COMPANIES
Reinforcement

Chomarat, the next century
More than a century after it was founded, family-run group Chomarat is aiming for sales of €175 million in 2010. With a foothold on four continents, 1,700 employees, and a rapidly developing line of composite business, this textile group is highly creative and boldly ambitious.

he Chomarat group’s 112 years of existence is worthy of note, given the many companies that have had neither the luck nor the vision needed to survive. Chomarat’s long history is indicative of good corporate management and creativity (four generations of innovative thinking since the company was founded in 1898), and the fact that it is still an independent family-run group, a sign that there is still room for this type of organization!

An all-round group
The Chomarat group consists of three business units, which are Textiles (35%

of total business), Composites (40%) and Fashion (25%). This type of organizational structure has developed from a long experience that started when the company was still a silk throwing mill in France’s Ardèche region back in the late nineteenth century. Over time, it diversified its activities to include weaving, PVC coatings, extrusion, warp knitting and braiding. Today, the group has expertise in no fewer than 25 different technologies. It works in the fashion, building & construction, transportation, protection, civil engineering, sports, and energy sectors, proposing technical

From Ardeche to China

AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. FLORENT TROUBAT PRÉSIDENT, CHOMARAT

JEC Composites Magazine: Is managing to stay a family-run company for 110 years a key to success? F LORENT TROUBAT : It certainly has been a determining factor for the Chomarat group, where the family has always demonstrated a strong entrepreneurial sense – making a rule of strict management, but also knowing how to be proactive and seize opportunities. The family has always invested in the

group to finance its development, and has a long-term vision that enables the managerial staff to carry through their projects successfully. Another key element in the success, of course, is the sum of all the human skills that have passed through the group whilst keeping the original passion intact. JCM: You are already established in a number of business lines worldwide. Do you have any plans for strategic investment? F. T.: The group has always been and will remain open to all opportunities to strengthen its core businesses. It has also focused on expanding its industrial activities worldwide in order to keep up with its customers on a global level and to sustain its business.

At the beginning of 2010, it opened a new production site in China, near Shanghai, and will continue to develop in line with of its markets and environment. JCM: The group is organized around three business units. In what way are these complementary? F.T.: These three business units (BU) are all involved in textile operations, in areas from reinforcement to decoration. They are strongly synergistic in terms of R&D, design and management. JCM: The composite business accounts for 40% of your activity. Is this percentage likely to increase?

jec composites magazine / No58 June - July 2010

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #58 - June - July 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #58 - June - July 2010