The international textile group CHOMARAT has announced an investment plan worth 35 million euros over a three-year period to boost innovation and modernize its French sites in the Ardèche region. The investment will enable CHOMARAT to acquire new technologies for its composite, construction and coating activities to modernize its site dedicated to production of glass-fibre reinforcements and to develop carbon solutions.
“Innovation is what makes us competitive both in France and abroad, and it drives our growth, so it is a core priority for the Group,” explains CHOMARAT Group Managing Director Michel COGNET.
The group has a robust innovation strategy and cooperates with universities and technical centres all over the world. It also sponsors a number of French and European collaborative projects, developing synergies and creativity around forward-looking topics.
Winning new markets
“CHOMARAT already has its foothold in a number of markets such as marine, energy, sports equipment, construction and luxury goods. Through this programme, we are choosing to focus our development strategy on two new sectors – aerospace and automotive,” says Mr. COGNET.
In the automotive sector, the innovations will focus on carbon-fibre reinforcements, which help to lower the weight of vehicles and on thermoplastic coatings for dashboards.
The group has a million-euro bonus under the regional development policy. “CHOMARAT is an independent, family-run group with strong ties to the region where it was established 120 years ago. We thank the government and all the local and regional authorities for their support,” adds Mr. COGNET.
Set up in 1898, CHOMARAT is an international industrial textile group involved in three businesses: composites reinforcements, construction reinforcements, coatings & films – textiles. The privately held company operates in France, Tunisia, the US and China to service its global customers.
CHOMARAT leads a strong innovation strategy to face the emerging challenges, developing materials for the future. Hence, the group invests in new technologies and enters into collaborative research programs with universities and technical centers worldwide.
CHOMARAT offers strong technical know-how with its mastery over complex technologies in fields ranging from automotive, aerospace, sports, energy to marine and construction, and also in markets requiring creativity and expertise, like luxury goods