FDES: Serge Ferrari expands its canvas

The September/October edition of Isère Mag highlights the company Serge Ferrari, the French leader in composite fabrics.

What do the speed skating ring of the Beijing Olympics, the Groupama stadium of Olympique Lyonnais or the Philippe-Chatrier tennis court at Roland-Garros have in common?

The composite fabric roofs of these three structures are all signed Serge Ferrari , a group based in La Tour-du-Pin (38) which manufactures its own PET-based yarn and which weaves and coats its products in-house. Leader on the French market and among the five largest companies on the world market for tensile architecture, facade covering and modular structures for solar protection and marine equipment, the group is not confined to sports equipment.

From the Universal Exhibition in Dubai to Jean-Michel Wilmotte's Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris, Serge Ferrari canvases and applications of light architecture and layout have gradually imposed themselves in major international projects since the creation in 1973. , Précontraint technology by Serge Ferrari, the company's founder.

Innovation and acquisitions…

With 34 active patents, Serge Ferrari continues to put innovation at the heart of its strategy: with its anti-virus treated fabrics, for example, released during the Covid crisis, those that are fire-resistant – the membrane is made from glass – or again with its Loop range, created from polyester yarns and 100% recycled polymers. The 50 researchers of the group, currently scattered in several countries, will also be grouped together in Isère by the summer of 2023 in a future Innovation center which will adjoin the company's headquarters and the two production units of La Tour-du-Pin.

Having acquired several companies to increase its offer and control the entire production chain, including the German Verseidag, world leader in the PTFE glass membrane market, the Taiwanese Fit, the Turkish Ferrateks and the Italian Giovanardi, which has become Giofex, Serge Ferrari has also seen its workforce double in five years.

The company, whose products are now marketed in 80 countries, posted 46% growth in 2021! “The market is buoyant, judges Christophe Mouazé, and the use of our fabrics corresponds to the challenges of tomorrow: in architecture, everyone is looking to build better, lighter and more sustainable, with a reduced environmental impact.”

Grow without additional negative impact

Serge Ferrari is currently implementing its new CSR approach (Corporate Social Responsibility).

“By 2030, we will achieve more growth with zero additional negative impact in three key areas: people, the environment and sustainable innovation”, specifies Christophe Mouazé, who lists concrete solutions to support such as the use of 100% recycled materials in the composition of products or the use of green energy.

For Sébastien Baril, first chairman of the management board, it is a question of “showing the way to companies in the sector that want to develop in this direction”.

FDES: Tool for measuring the environmental footprint

To guarantee health and environmental excellence, Serge Ferrari measures the environmental footprint of these products using the FDES declarations (French environmental and health database for green buildings in France).

If you want to submit your eco-design project to LCIE Bureau Veritas, contact us for The Serge Ferrari Group has been calling on the expertise of LCIE Bureau Veritas since 2020 to produce its FDES declarations. These declarations are made by Olivia DJIRIGUIAN who recently obtained her FDES authorization.