Off to a sustainable start, Technicaps is continuing to evolve by diversifying its range of materials and technologies for its cellulose caps, while developing a forward-looking approach.
Founded in 1965 and based in Challes, near Le Mans, France, Technicaps has made a name for itself in manufacturing caps for luxury products in the cosmetics, fragrance, spirits and pharmaceutical industries. "We specialize in the transformation of cellulose-based resins, particularly thermosetting resins, to obtain technical, complex and high value-added parts," says Nicolas Carron, general manager. Buoyed by the customer confidence, the company’s growth has been steady, with sales tripling in ten years to 18 million euros, and it now employs around 100 people—the perfect time to make a shift in strategy to reinforce the essentials, diversify the company’s offer, and integrate changes from the packaging world.
To each their own technology
"In keeping with our own history, we decided to diversify our technology and work on new materials to meet the various environmental needs of our customers," he explains. Cellulose is at the heart of Technicaps’ expertise, and it will be even more so in the future.
For brands that want "reusable" products, Technicaps offers cellulose-based resin compression using its fleet of 60 machines. For those more interested in "recyclable" products, the company has acquired a dozen injection-molding machines that can process very thick, cellulose-based and technical materials that can be chemically recycled. Finally, for those in search of a natural solution, the company is developing a molded cellulose compression offer, with new machines, intended for secondary packaging.
The company’s other disruptive innovation was the creation of an internal R&D unit that includes a doctor and a materials engineer, who are working on future materials and how to obtain market approval. “The 30 to 40 years of material research conducted by manufacturers is a thing of the past,” he says. We need to continuously renew our materials to better anticipate changes.” This is also essential to increasing independence, creativity and resilience in a complicated post-Covid market.
Technicaps never does things by halves: these changes are reflected in a new logo unveiled at PCD 2022, a redesigned website, and a motto in keeping with the times—Technicaps always on top!
Nicolas Carron, Technicaps
