A boat reconditioning plant in Saint-Nazaire
The Yuniboat start-up was created in 2022 to recondition pleasure boats in a circular economy approach. Used boats, whether donated or purchased, are reconditioned, with a maximum of second-hand equipment, to be marketed and resold, with insurance on the work carried out. Based in Le Pouliguen, on a 700 m2 plot with a 200 m2 building, the company is already cramped for space, but has just been granted by Saint-Nazaire town council the possibility of setting up on a new 6,000 m2 site in the La Brais industrial zone.
Thierry Boussion, the founder, is delighted: "The city of Saint-Nazaire had immobilized 11,000 m2 for companies in the nautical impact sector. We were chosen and will be able to start a building project, with the aim of opening by 2025. The financial package is currently being put together
Making an eco-committed building
Yuniboat wants its new buildings to reflect its commitment to the environment, and is therefore inviting architects to design the ideal tool for boat reconditioning. Thierry Boussion explains the approach: "We're working with an AMO specialist to prepare a kind of architectural competition. The aim is to make an eco-committed building, as we do for boats. We're going to work on a vertical factory to limit the land footprint, by thinking about the vertical storage of boats. The aim would be not to use up all the 6,000 m2 available. We're also going to look into the question of energy."
Hiring to come
Pending delivery of the future building, where the planned headcount will be 30, Yuniboat is already recruiting to keep up with the workload. From 6 in October, the workforce should reach 10 by the end of 2024. In conclusion, Thierry Boussion stresses the importance of recruitment and training: "With our 1st round of funding, we brought in 3 experts who also support us operationally: an industry expert, an expert in impact business management, and an expert in human resources strategy. This is an essential subject. Recruitment is an issue, even more so than the business model. We have signed a training partnership with the INB and are working with the Campus Nautique des Sables d'Olonne and the Lycée Tabarly. In the long term, we also want to be a bit of a company-school."
