1-A2S has just celebrated its five years of existence. Where is the company?

Nicolas Sevestre: We have successfully led an intense conquest phase on international markets (see the interview of 30 October 2015 of the Sage Institute). A strategy that allowed us to gain strong international references with oil groups such as Total and Shell, the steelmaker Tata Steel or the Castel Group, specialized in agri-food. In addition, A2S, which had started its business as a distributor of equipment and equipment in the field of industrial safety and explosive atmospheres, also took a position in manufacturing. As such, we were able to develop our own R&D products. Products that, for example, attracted the attention of Bouygues SA and SPIE in the framework of tunnel modernization programmes in France. We concluded our first significant contracts in Hexagone.

2/ Will development in France become a priority?

N.S. Absolutely! Our will is to develop at national level with specific means because we are entering a phase of prospecting and conquest again. However, this phase will take place quite differently from our international actions. On the one hand, the markets will be more targeted: this time we target manufacturers and integrators of specific equipment for hazardous areas (special machines, pumps, fans, air conditioning, air treatment, etc.) for which we have dedicated products and certifications, and industrial customers in the sectors of paper, chemistry, agri-food, pharmacy and oil. On the other hand, we will strengthen our teams to provide commercial and technical support dedicated to the French market.

3/ Why is this difference approaching?

N.S. France is a market for culture and customs very different from the international markets on which we operate. The requirements, innovations, front and after-sales supports are essential in our country. Customers want to know in detail the technical aspects of an offer, which is less prevalent in emerging countries. Moreover, France is a mature market where the development strategy consists mainly of distinguishing itself from an important existing one.

4/ How do you expect to stand out?

N.S. : We offer the market a wide range of products and above all we are able to deliver tailor-made solutions, which is only possible through the mastery of manufacturing. A2S has five product families ranging from fire detection and warning to control via telephone and communication, lighting and installation equipment. We have developed a range of ATEX products such as compressors, flame-proof heating blocks and customizable cabinets and boxes. Our website allows you to visualize and inform about our flagship products (Rublical: Products and Systems) more than two-thirds of which come from our manufacturing units, which is essential to be credible, especially in the world of custom solutions.

5/ Can you give concrete examples?

N.S. For example, a customer wants to replace junction enclosures in his electrical installation that are no longer the standard size of the market products. Another customer will want to replace a pressurized ATEX box that contains control instruments for a heliport but the company that supplied it no longer exists. In both cases, the customer provided us with plans for the existing equipment and we were able to reproduce the boxes and the identical box. Our strength lies in our adaptability to customer needs and our flexibility to provide unique parts when it comes to tailor-made or large series regardless of the degree of complexity. The industrial part of the A2S allows it to meet these many specific demands by adapting the production lines.

6/ In addition to custom products and systems, which solutions or services do you differ from your competitors?

N.S. :Let's take the case of compressor manufacturers who want to develop a range of their certified materials. This represents a very significant cost of R&D and certification as technical and human resources must be mobilized over one or two years. A2S offers them its expertise, dedicated solutions and certification to facilitate this development. This flexible and competitive offer allows them to save time and save both in terms of development and in terms of approaches to a certification office. This certification aspect, few players on the market support it.

7/ You have referred at length to your strategy on the French market. What position are you going to adopt now on the international scene?

N.S. We do not put the international side aside, quite the contrary, since we want to consolidate the positions acquired. But we are not going to attack new markets at the moment, even if we are interested in countries other than those in which we are present, for example in Asia. Moreover, we can, from France, work with customer purchasing centres operating internationally, for example for African markets, as we already do for a customer located in Geneva. The continuation of our roots in France, where many export projects leave, we must not forget, is therefore absolutely not incompatible with the international development of A2S.

Nicolas Sevestre, manager of A2S