Founded in 1998 and driven by the dynamism of its founder and director Valérie Tellier, Val Laquage, which is part of the Val Fi family group, along with Piochel and Inserdeco, has won recognition from its partners in the luxury goods sector through investment and optimization. The Normandy-based group now boasts three production sites and a turnover of €20 million.
“In 26 years, we have grown from 4 to 240 people, and over the past three years, our turnover rose from 12 to 20 million euros”, says Valérie Tellier, who is also the President of Glass Vallée. “Part of our business directly has to do with some of the biggest brands in the perfume market, and the other with glassmakers, including our long-standing customer Gerresheimer. Our reputation is really built on our technical skills and the complementary nature of our trades, which cover all typologies: lacquering, decoration, screen printing, pad printing, and hot stamping,”, she adds.
Automation and optimization
To meet the growing demand, Val Laquage has made massive investments in automatic decoration lines, with particular emphasis on hot stamping. Today, with 13 lacquering lines and around 50 decorating machines, including ten dedicated to hot stamping, the company is positioned as a major player in the industry.
In addition to its commercial success, Val Laquage has for several years been committed to social and environmental improvements in its production processes.
“Environmental concerns are in our DNA”, says the manager. “We switched to 98% waterborne lacquering in 2009, we have been recovering rainwater for more than 10 years, we make sure everything takes place on the same site to avoid transport, and we adapt our techniques to recycled glass and recover all our waste. But we are also doing a lot of social work with our teams, because that is where respect starts”, continues Valérie Tellier.
Also to support innovation, last September, the company installed a new lacquering line designed to pave the way for the transition from traditional techniques to the more sustainable UV curing technology. This test line will be used to validate the processes for a complete industrial switchover in 2025.
External growth
To keep growing, Valérie Tellier plans to develop Val Laquage by actively seeking acquisitions that will help both achieve a balance between the lacquering and decoration activities, in terms of equipment, and develop logistics.
Val Laquage currently exports 60% of its business in Europe, and has no plans to expand internationally for the time being.
“We are moving forward slowly, and developing gradually. What is important is working with the teams. All the major decisions are taken collectively, by people who grew up with the company and want to see it continue to grow”, Valérie Tellier concludes.
So far, this business philosophy has ensured the company its success.
