50 years of welding and details!

You already know them, Jean Baptiste and Céline, respectively the Soudax director and partner!  But do you know what their objectives for the company are, what motivates them every day and makes Soudax different? We’ve taken the opportunity of this special year to tell you more through a joint interview!

So what’s Soudax, 50 years on?

Jean Baptiste : A small French industrial jewel !! It’s a company that’s grown to become a successful SME that exports all over the world.

Céline : Soudax has remained faithful to its DNA and has made some excellent changes both to its products and its performances, in particular sales.

Why are exports important for Soudax?

Céline : In France, there are around 140,000 companies that export. We’re really proud to be one of them. Exports cover 60 % of our annual activity!

Jean Baptiste : Exports are a highly strategic growth area for Soudax. Just a few years ago they only represented about 10 %. It’s been a fast but controlled change that proves that our brand is globally appreciated. It confirms our increasing connections with the international manufacturing industry.

How does Soudax fit into the current economic context?

Jean Baptiste : One of Soudax’s specificities is that it controls all its products’ components. We design our transformer windings, we have our PCBs specially manufactured for our specific uses. Our employees have achieved a level of technical skill and a control of the entire value chain that makes it all possible! In a period in which semi-conductors and other components on the market are in crisis, this independence is a genuine strength for our customers. It makes it possible to guarantee the sustainability of our equipment production and therefore of our customers’ production. We aren’t self-sufficient, but we are sufficiently independent to be able to react to possible supply and storage problems.

Céline : We should also highlight the fact that our range of machines is highly scalable. Such adaptability allows us to build equipment solutions and face up to the challenges of industry 4.0 on solid and proven bases.

Soudax detail, what’s that?

Céline : Precision! Whether in terms of applications, products or services, it’s part of the company’s lifeblood.

Jean Baptiste : Detail leads our whole company in a search for precise solutions: precise current for controlled welds, precise services to make our partnerships a success, … We’re permanently in a precision-based world.

And behind the machines and welding?

Jean Baptiste : Obviously behind all that are our teams and the closeness we’ve managed to create, maintain and strengthen with our customers over the years. Before, during, and after sales, our customer service is highly robust. We’ve been supporting some of our customers from the very beginning in 1973!

Céline : The hidden part of Soudax is also all the follow-up and consultancy work, and the time spent surveying our customers’ needs. It’s an essential part of our commitment, it’s what we like doing and what differentiates us from the competition. We never hesitate to organise brainstorming sessions with our customers, such as with GMF Genius when it was created, so that the products are perfectly adapted to the realities in the field.

What are Soudax’s objectives for the next 10 years?

Céline : We’ll carry on producing machines that have a long service life, to develop even more proximity to our customers and explore new territories! In a highly technical world such as ours, that takes some time, but our ambition is to extend our sites, in particular in India and Europe, to be as close as possible to our customers’ markets.

Jean Baptiste : Soudax can also count on its network of highly technical partners to respond to the most ambitious and demanding industrial projects. This teamwork, in particular with the most recognised integrators on the market, is essential for the future. It’s by anticipating the integration of our machines in our customers’ automated systems that we continue to innovate.

Any “hot” news in the coming months?

Jean Baptiste : Still with the mindset of sticking to industry 4.0 needs and to meet future industrial expectations, we’re currently finalising the design of a new range of machines for a launch in 2024. Be patient 😉

Anything you’re especially proud of over the past years?

Céline : The recognition of our customers, without a doubt. Meeting their requirements pushes us to go ever further for them. And the pride of knowing that our most senior members are themselves proud of Soudax and its international influence.

Jean Baptiste : Our teams! They’re at our sides, committed to serving our customers, to make the company a success. We’re very lucky to be able to work with them every day in a very dynamic atmosphere and we’ve developed a tightly knit relationship over the years. Soudax is an impressive mix of profiles, experiences, characters and skills, which are all different and very enriching.

Any boredom after 50 years?

Céline : As soon as I arrived at Soudax 13 years ago, I knew that no two days would ever be alike. It’s also what made me sign up for the adventure 🙂

Jean Baptiste : No, we never get bored! Between the technical issues that change every day, new customer requirements, new applications, we’re constantly changing! It’s also what makes the company constantly progress.