JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008 - 13

in partnership with JEC Composites E-letter AN INTERVIEW WITH STÉPHANE LULL CEO EPSILON COMPOSITE JEC Composites Magazine: How would you define the last 20 years for Epsilon Composite? STÉPHANE LULL: The Epsilon Composite adventure began 20 years ago on the basis of a simple but revolutionary idea: the democratization of carbon fibre using a mass production profiles manufacturing process: pultrusion. The first decade was devoted to innovation and to the application of a niche markets strategy worldwide, with our approach proving to be both a technical and commercial success. This allowed us to embark upon other industrial applications such as transport, energy and the building industry at the start of our second decade. At the same time, we started to work on process industrialization, the implementation of large-scale production capacity and the setting up of the appropriate organizational structure. In parallel, and on account of the stringent demands of these markets, we brought in additional skills and processes in order to offer end products with high added value. JCM: How are you approaching the decade to come? S.L.: The third decade marks the start of a new era, in which Epsilon Composite’s ambition is to make its carbon fibre-based products an alternative to traditional solutions. We are therefore diversifying our activities into two business units: Epsilon Pultrusion and Epsilon Rollers. Epsilon Pultrusion will be responsible for the niche markets in pultruded, laminated and profiled carbon for industrial applications and for building, energy and transport. Epsilon Rollers, which will be undergoing major development, is to focus on the manufacturing of technical rollers with a carbon core, for machines in the plastic film, textiles, non-woven fabrics, paper, printing and electronic components industries. We are also embarking on a more active phase internationally, progressively opening a number of subsidiaries abroad. Our Tokyo office was created at the end of 2007 and we have plans for Germany and Italy. Epsilon Composite, already market leader in carbon pultrusion, is pursuing a dynamic development strategy built around 3 objectives: (1) to remain a major consumer of carbon fibre, with a target of 500 tonnes/year; (2) to leverage the technological lead of Epsilon Pultrusion in order to exploit new markets; and (3) to provide Epsilon Rollers with the means to match its ambitions, in order to become a key player and guarantee customer satisfaction. JCM: What hurdles will need to be overcome, and what are the strengths of Epsilon Composite? S.L.: The biggest hurdle is the vast size of the markets, since the use of carbon is in its infancy and we cannot go all-out on every front. We therefore need to select our targets, so as not to spread ourselves too thinly, but we do have grand ambitions, a dynamism that carries us along and knowhow that is fairly unique in the world of carbon fibre processing.What is more, Epsilon Composite has always, since its earliest days, operated the highest demands of excellence, backed up by a management system in which quality is the key. We are ISO 9001-certified, but we are going still further by adopting and implementing a continuous improvement programme based on the Japanese Kaizen and “5S” methods. Epsilon Composite has always put the accent on the skills and the adherence of every employee, at every level, to the company values and it sets great store by its extremely hands-on management of a qualified, highly motivated, self-reliant and independent workforce, with the ultimate goal being to ensure customer satisfaction and to build up solid and lasting partnerships with customers and suppliers alike. This process makes it possible to reduce the thickness of various products to 1 mm and to reach geometric tolerances of 0.05 mm. The company’s R&D policy is so dynamic that it devotes 10% of its turnover to R&D and has filed 4 patent applications in France – extended internationally in 2002-2006 – in the field of carbon fibre rollers. This policy has also been acknowledged by the award, again in 2007, of a Regional Trophy from the French National Industrial Property Institute (INPI). Tomorrow… Today, the company – as well as pursuing its activities on its traditional markets – has assigned Yves Parlier, a founder member of the company in 1987, to develop more specifically the boatbuilding and aeronautical markets, the latter being already a substantial consumer of carbon fibres. Epsilon Pultrusion is actively prospecting the offshore oil, wind energy and civil engineering markets. With talents like Yves Parlier, and others like him, its R&D and a purposefulness that has never waned, Epsilon Composite has every reason to be optimistic about its next 20 years. What is more, a 7 million-euro investment plan over 3 years is underway for expanding the premises. As Stéphane Lull likes to point out, while the first decade was devoted to development and the second to production, the third will be devoted to internationalising the company. Following the Tokyo office, plans are afoot to set up outposts in Germany and in Italy in the near future. More information: www.epsilon-composite.com No39 March - April 2008 / JEC Composites Magazine

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008