New investments to develop the business of Aube-based Saulas & Cie

Published the 02/12/22 | Territorial life

The main activity of Saulas & Co. is the manufacture of wire cloth. The foundation of the company is based on adaptability to the customer, thanks to the expertise of its 55 employees.

EXPERTISE AND ADAPTABILITY: THE KEYS TO SAULAS’ SUCCESS

Saulas was established in 1942 in Paris and is recognised as a specialist in wire cloth. Its first product was a laboratory sieve with a filtering mesh and a wooden frame. In 1960, the company expanded and started manufacturing its own cloths. It then moved to Aube, in a former hosiery factory. Saulas has developed a product range catering to all consumers of cloth (filtration, sieving, screening…). Today, it comprises two workshops of 1,500 m² and 2,000 m². It has the capability to weave cloths up to 3 metres wide, with wire diameters ranging from 0.12 mm to 2 mm. The company boasts state-of-the-art optical measurement equipment housed in a dimensional laboratory accredited by COFRAC, the French accreditation committee, to certify laboratory sieves against the most demanding standards. The company’s strategy is to prioritise adaptation and responsiveness to customer requests, which come from all sectors.

“There is no sector where our products cannot be found, whether directly in the process, or indirectly in machines, laboratories, maintenance activities, or others,” highlights Frédéric Perrin, the CEO, before continuing, “to meet all demands, we have a stock of 80,000 m² of cloth and offer more than 30,000 product references.”

Saulas handles each client request individually to best meet their expectations, and does so within a maximum of 48 hours.

SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS SINCE 2021

“Working with cloth requires flexible and adaptable means to be able to meet all our clients’ requests. That’s what characterises us. We need to deploy tools that enable us to do everything,” comments the CEO.

In 2020, Saulas collaborated with the Business Sud Champagne economic development agency on its comprehensive investment plan. With financial assistance from the France Relance state fund of €31,000 out of a total of €76,000, Saulas installed a folding press in 2021, improving working conditions. The Grand Est Region also contributed to the financing plan with the European Regional Development Fund, which financed part of the upgrade of its information system and CRM tool to facilitate the work of sales staff. Also, since September, the company has owned its laser cutting machine, valued at €280,000. This activity was previously outsourced in the Southwest, allowing for savings in transport, provision, and increased reactivity. “We have also invested in a Smartscope worth €100,000. It’s an optical equipment that increases productivity and reduces the time for measurements and processing by 6 or 8 times,” specifies Frédéric Perrin. The total investments amount to €558,000, with €112,000 coming from ERDF. “The financial support of the public authorities allowed us to invest earlier than planned, and to have the possibility to look further ahead. This initiates a quicker transition and gives us the means to move forward in the right way,” explains the CEO. Today, 85% of their market is in France and 15% is international. “Wire cloth is a technical product that is not easy to sell, but finds applications in all sectors. That’s why we need to make known the entirety of our product range, the expertise of our teams, and to offer our clients the benefit of our expertise,” details Frédéric Perrin. The goal is to continue our commercial development in France and internationally.

He concludes; “we have various challenges for the future, both technical, commercial, and human, in order to capture markets in mutation and with high potential, such as those of cellulose-based packaging and bio-sourced materials that replace certain plastic materials, or the currently high-stakes hydrogen production. If growth is on track under the impetus of our reinforced sales team and our investments, we will

also need to expand in the medium term.”