Germaplast doubles its production area!

Germaplast, a company specializing in plastic injection molding founded in Oyonnax in 1974, is doubling its production area by moving to a new 4,000 m² site in Izernore. It now has two 4,000 m² factories with a total of 30 all-electric presses ranging from 50 to 400 tons for single and dual-material closures. Taken over by Frédéric Renoud in 2011 as part of the Franleal family group, which had already acquired Ellony (formerly SEI) in 2005, The group, which has been growing by around 10-12% per year since 2019, is targeting a turnover of €24 million in 2026 with a workforce of around 60 people. “Our goal,” explains Frédéric Renoud, "is to maintain our growth in the luxury and mass-market packaging sectors and other luxury sectors such as spirits ."

Please remind us of your main areas of activity.

Frédéric Renoud: Our areas of activity are technical and industrial parts manufactured at our Ellony site, mainly components for the medium-voltage electrical sector, and packaging, which is Germaplast’s specialty.
It should be noted that the Germaplast factory also includes a mechanical workshop for the manufacture of molds, which allows us to respond to requests for the production of mold parts or prototype molds. This is a real selling point when it comes to winning business. Our latest investment allows us to offer prototypes developed on a multi-material 3D printer.
It should also be noted that the medium-voltage electrical market in which we operate enables us to supply a major player in the world’s leading sector in this field.
As for our activity in the field of perfume and cosmetics packaging, we have seen very strong growth over the last few months, particularly in perfumes, with turnover tripling over the last three years.
In general, our markets are located in Europe but also in the Middle East. Brand takeovers among international players mean that we are now present at L’Oréal and Inter Parfums.

Why do people come to you?

Frédéric Renoud: We have developed a bit of a specialty and, ultimately, a reputation for developing complex products, with a mix of injection, bi-injection, overmolding, assembly, sourcing of aluminum products, or other magnetic and electronic components, and surface treatments (electroplating, metallization, laser engraving, pad printing, or screen printing). Our business has become that of an integrator.
Another advantage is our location on a technology campus where there is an aluminum alloy and zamac die-casting company, as well as a metallizer just 500 meters from Germaplast.
We have around ten projects in the pipeline for 2023-2024, representing around fifteen molds produced by our mold makers, most of whom are local.
Our position in the luxury market means we have to meet high standards.
Our expertise guarantees the best choices from a wide range of innovative and high-performance materials and finishes, whether in terms of finishes (galvanization, metallization, lacquering, etc.), decoration (hot stamping, screen printing, pad printing, etc.), assembly (automatic, IMA, etc.) or other technologies (IML, etc.).
As I mentioned earlier, we are recognized for our expertise in processing specific materials such as Surlyn, for its qualities in perfumery and cosmetics; copolyesters, such as Tritan, for its good chemical resistance and absence of Bisphenol A; and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) for transparent, thick parts.
We offer specific custom-compounded materials to meet various sensory requirements or those related to bio-based and eco-responsible design, home compostability, or even biodegradability with TUV AUSTRIA “SOIL” certification.
We also continuously test new materials to provide technical and ecological solutions (bioplastics, copolyester, PMMA, RPET, Surlyn) to customers who request them.
Finally, we offer a wide range of finishes, surface treatments, and decorations adapted to the technical and aesthetic specifications of the product.

The environment is obviously a major issue. How do you manage these constraints, which can also be seen as opportunities?

Frédéric Renoud: With regard to environmental constraints, we respond to our customers’ requests, namely a CSR philosophy implemented in both our factories since 2020.
To facilitate research for our customers, we are listed as agents for the ECO VADIS reference system.
We have calculated our carbon footprint, based on the ADEME model, and have a carbon footprint of 1,305 tCO²e, with an improvement plan targeting 1,203 tCO²e by 2030.
We use bio-sourced materials (plant sources such as rapeseed and sunflower oils), as well as recycled PCR and rPET materials, and mixed materials such as PBT with added rPET. We are conducting studies on other materials such as Sulapac (plant-based). We are also researching galvanizable materials to replace ABS, which will soon be banned. And, of course, we are also working on eco-design (disassembly, recyclability, green materials).
Finally, our water network for production is a closed circuit. Industrial waste is sorted and recycled, which has enabled us to obtain the MORE (MObilisés pour REcycler) label.