Savimex (Grasse / France; www.savimex.fr), a manufacturer of high-grade optical parts in plastic, is constructing a new facility in Grasse, near Nice / France, for around EUR 10m. A total of EUR 1.5m of the investment is coming from French capital fund M Capital Partners.

The current 5,000 m² factory in Grasse is reaching its limits in terms of production capacity, and no further expansion there seems to be possible. A new 7,000 m² plant is thus to be constructed in the near vicinity, with 5,500 m² of this being allocated to production. A start has already been made on purchasing the corresponding land from the municipality of Grasse, and construction is scheduled to begin in June. The company will be moving into its new facility in summer 2019.

Savimex manufactures high-quality visors for protective helmets, shields for motorcycle cockpits, panels for projecting data above car dashboards and other technical applications.

In 2017, the company, which has 110 employees, recorded sales of EUR 14.3m, more than half of which were generated by exports. Revenue has risen by more than 50% since 2011. For 2018, general manager Laurent Coyon is aiming for a further increase to EUR 16m, with employee numbers set to rise to 140.