Despierres Charpente Marine doubles its workshop area
The Despierres shipyard, a specialist in marine carpentry and woodworking for the nautical industry, is moving into a new phase. Taken over in 2016 by Nicolas Chanteloup, it will move to new premises. " We are staying on the nautical plateau of La Rochelle. We take over the buildings of our AMB neighbours who are also moving to a larger factory. Our future workshop will be 1200 m² compared to 625 m² today "the leader congratulates himself. The objective of the construction site is to be operational in the autumn of 2020.
A machining centre for new opportunities in the boating industry
The move is also an opportunity for the Despierres shipyard to equip itself with a new tool, a 5-axis machining centre for wood. " It's an investment of around 500,000 euros with all the elements that go with it (software, suction...) This will enable us to better position ourselves in terms of price on markets where we are already developing at the moment, such as the fitting out of single boats or small series. We are already customising yachts with Yacht Concept, Lagoon or Fountaine-Pajot. This will open up wider possibilities. We are also going to ask ourselves questions about the use of the 5-axis for the construction of traditional boats "explains Nicolas Chanteloup.
Wooden deck fittings and surfing equipment
The nautical ecosystem of La Rochelle opens the door to other partnerships. Despierres Charpente Marine is also in contact with its neighbour A l'abordage, the specialist in fittings for traditional boats. "We're thinking about making wooden pulleys for him, for example, with white markings so that he can have his own range", says the manager.
In an ecological approach, the shipyard is also carrying out a wooden surfing project, using the off-cuts generated by the manufacture of masts and boats. " We made a first prototype. The second one's coming up. It's a project in partnership with the engineering school of La Rochelle and a shaper, supported by the Region. The goal is an eco-designed board, avoiding stratification by using a natural water-repellent oil on the outside. Only 100 g of resin, partially biosourced, was used for gluing. In the future, we may be able to recover wood scraps from other companies "Nicolas Chanteloup is delighted.
The company is counting on these new developments to hire 2 to 3 people in the second half of 2020 and as many in 2021.
