Can you tell us more about SLPA’s area of expertise?
Located not far from Mont-de-Marsan, our SLPA company was created more than twenty years ago. We currently employ about 30 people. SLPA has two hats: that of a manufacturer of agricultural inputs for viticulturists and tree growers (for example, of vine tutors), and that of an industrial subcontractor for actors in the construction sector, industrial bodywork, or, for example, metal structures or photovoltaics. . project integration systems. In total, we handle 12,000 tons of steel per year!
Our clients are therefore, on the one hand, wine and arboreal cooperatives, and on the other hand, SMEs from very diverse industrial sectors.
More specifically, what is steel profiling?
Steel roll forming is a process of continuous deformation of steel at room temperature, which results in reduced energy consumption; At SLPA, we specialize in thin steel roll forming. To do this, we unroll steel coils of a suitable size, which have been passed through rollers, in order to obtain the desired pieces. This technique is inexpensive and allows you to create totally custom pieces!
Within our market, we distinguish ourselves precisely by our ability to manufacture custom or half products. We are able to customize a product according to the specific needs of a client. We can work on classic shapes providing the necessary customizations (length, drilling, punching, stamping, etc.) or on complete shapes specifically developed. This not only saves material, but also reduces handling when different operations have to be performed on the same product.
Today, what are the challenges that your company must face?
In our industry, most of the price depends on the material. The price of raw materials increases considerably and is very unstable. Between the fall of 2020 and the summer of 2021, the price of steel doubled. Since then, with the arrival of the war in Ukraine, it has taken 15% longer. Steel is a material that is not quoted but whose value varies according to supply and demand. Therefore, prices are subject to the slightest economic uncertainties.
For our company, the goal is to continue innovating to support our customers and provide them with the best possible solutions, at the best prices. We rely on our internal teams to develop all the necessary tools to continue producing quality, fully customized products.
So what are the challenges and future prospects for you?
In the grid market, the challenge will be to guarantee on-time deliveries to our customers, as we have achieved during the unstable period we have just been through. The objective is to be able to anticipate our stocks and our purchases, absorbing all the variations, to provide solutions at an acceptable market price and in the shortest possible time.
In general, we are confident in the future, a lot of construction is expected between now and 2050, in particular with the rise of solar technologies.
What are the values of your group?
Collaboration and good relations with all our partners (suppliers, carriers, customers, etc.) is one of our main strengths. By knowing our clients and anticipating their needs, we can provide them with the most precise, economical and totally transparent solutions. This allows us to establish very strong long-term partnerships.
Innovation is also one of the strong values of our company. Over the years, we have modernized our equipment, which allows us today to have 14 production lines on the SLPA site. Now we want to train new members of the team to continue guaranteeing this high level of knowledge and service to our clients.
What will be the SLPA news for the coming months?
Thanks to our cap as a manufacturer of agricultural inputs, we will be present at the VINITECH SIFEL fair to be held in Bordeaux, from November 29 to December 1.
Very probably we will also be present at GLOBAL INDUSTRIE, the industrial subcontracting fair, in March 2023.
This content was produced with SCRIBEO. The BFMBUSINESS editorial team was not involved in the production of this content.
Source: BFM TV
