On 28/09, FDI organized a press visit in its premises

FDI welcomed journalists from local media and specialized press on Wednesday, September 28.

FDI welcomed journalists from local media and specialized press on Wednesday, September 28. The program included discussions with management on projects completed, strategic directions for FDI and future investments. After the visit of the premises and the production plant, the day ended with a moment of conviviality.

An opportunity to take stock of the projects accomplished…

Urmet, parent company of FDI

Created in 1989 and first known as FDI MATELEC, historically “Manufacturer of Electronic Equipment”, FDI specializes in the design and manufacture of electronic systems for access management.

Integrated in 2000 into the Urmet group, a specialist in access control and the smarthome present in more than 100 countries, FDI MATELEC finally became FDI in 2022.

Expert in access management and intercom systems, FDI enriches its know-how and integrates the IoT market with the acquisition of YOKIS, manufacturer of micromodules for home automation, in 2014. FDI has been offering its products and expertise in France and internationally on the residential, collective and tertiary markets for over 30 years.

FDI, Friendly Development & Innovation

FDI’s values of “Friendly, Development & Innovation” set the pace for the company’s daily work. FDI strives to maintain a close relationship with its suppliers, partners and employees. FDI’s mission is also to take into consideration the evolution of technologies and to encourage the growth of its projects on moving markets.

With its innovation unit and its design office of 70 engineers, FDI designs tomorrow’s access control, intercom and IoT products in a business where needs and technologies are constantly and rapidly changing.

FDI, ambassador of made in France

In line with its Friendly & Committed CSR approach, being friendly for FDI also means making sure to design, industrialize and produce in France by selecting quality and local partners.

FDI’s advantage lies in the organization of its site located in Cholet. The storage of raw materials, the production plant, the design office and the support functions are grouped together in the same premises, promoting synergies and innovation. FDI thus masters the entire product life cycle.

“The production site is organized in a “U” shape to allow for an optimized flow. As soon as the raw materials are received, the components and other electronic systems are circulated so that they pass through each production step only once. This way, the products go from wiring, to assembly, to testing before they can be packaged and shipped.”

Jean Gautier, Industrial Director

Each year, FDI designs and installs an average of more than 100 million components of 3,000 different references thanks to its equipment and industrial means. In order to remain competitive and at the cutting edge of technology, the management has chosen to renew its installation machines every five years.

“FDI has decided to manufacture everything in-house. When we don’t outsource, the production line is much easier to manage because we can be more autonomous and juggle between our different product lines.”

David Rabier, Operational Director

A multidisciplinary design office

Through its design office and constant investment in research and development – 18% of sales invested in R&D by 2022 – FDI stands out for its service offering.

Thanks to its multidisciplinary design office and its innovation unit, FDI is able to carry out subcontracting or customized projects to meet the most specific needs, from design to production.

The FDI design office currently has 70 engineers who produce mechanical, electronic and software studies to design and develop complete access control systems.

And to evoke the prospects for the years to come.

Challenges and prospects for the FDI professions

To continue to assert itself on its moving markets, FDI plans to invest 1.5 million euros in new state-of-the-art equipment, 4 million euros for the development of new product lines and to recruit 25 new employees by 2024.

“FDI has identified two major strategic priorities for the coming years: to develop its markets by confirming its position as a leader in the residential and tertiary sectors through the creation of new product ranges; and to expand its service offering by enriching its subcontracting activity and the proportion of custom projects.”

Hervé GAZEAU, Operational and Financial Director

Back to the event in pictures

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