Delta Plus : A new R&D centre to design tomorrow's PPE

A new R&D centre to design tomorrow's PPE

Update19.06.24

Why did the Delta Plus Group want to set up a new R&D centre in Apt?

David Guiho: This project is in line with the company's strategy, which is based on two main pillars: consolidating our global positions and moving our products upmarket.

For this second point, we need to enhance our technical expertise. That's why we are investing significantly in R&D. We already had R&D centres in Asia and South America. With this new centre in Apt, the aim is to create an R&D department closer to the teams who manage the product ranges, which are based in Europe.

What does this new R&D centre consist of?

David Guiho: This is an integrated laboratory within the 1,500 m2 of new offices that we inaugurated in December. The R&D team, made up of 7 people recruited over the last two years, works in close collaboration with our Product teams.

Extract / This team manages and coordinates the hundred or so R&D projects underway in our various laboratories abroad and in France, in Saint-Etienne and Grenoble.

This local laboratory carries out tests and prototyping using 3D printing. There is an innovative test bench for anti-noise products, as well as colour and gloss measurement equipment and non-destructive testing equipment.

How would you define the Research and Development approach implemented by this new team?

David Guiho: Unlike other groups, we don't favour an approach by "product family", but by "expertise" (plastic injection, metal, textiles, etc.). The aim is to be able to cross-fertilise knowledge, encourage the emergence of new ideas, and create emulation and synergies.

In this way, we save time by not systematically starting from scratch. This way of working also has the advantage of improving the compatibility of products: for example, when we work on a head protection helmet and an anti-noise helmet. The aim is to create new PPE that is never a constraint, but brings benefits to our users.

How would you define the Research and Development approach implemented by this new team?

David Guiho: Our company is expanding rapidly and is making its own contribution to the region's dynamism, not least because it creates jobs. In my opinion, this type of project also helps to raise the profile of the region insofar as it brings our customers and our teams from all over the world to our site, to our head office, and to discover this region that is so rich in assets.

What's more, we have partnerships with local players in the region, such as the specialised master's degree in 'Human Material Environment Interaction' at Aix-Marseille University in Luminy, with which we have an innovation project underway with a work-study student. "

The choice of expertise as a source of premium added value is illustrated by another approach initiated by Delta Plus: innovation in safety footwear, one of the latest models of which is the result of a synergy of the best expertise in the world.