in Toulouse, the Institut de Soudure wants to take off thanks to aeronautics
Historically based in Colomiers (Haute-Garonne), the Welding Institute group has just moved into brand new premises in Plaisance-du-Touch, a few kilometers from its previous location. The company now has a surface area of 1,000 m2, including 600 workshops with 24 welding cabins. Such means thus allow the former company up to 40 people at the same time.
A real link forward for the company founded in 1905 and which specializes in several trades around welding on all metals. “We train 10,000 people each year in France, 3,000 of whom are returning to work, with a reintegration rate of 93% taking into account only permanent or fixed-term contracts of more than six monthssays Antoine Legros, president of the Institut de Soudure group. To do this, the company works with companies, directly with individuals via the CPF, regional councils or even Pole Emploi agencies.
According to him, the success of his training activity is largely linked to the shortage of labor in certain trades. “There are 5,000 welders missing in France and as many boilermakers“, adds the manager. Today, this training activity already represents 60% of the turnover of the Toulouse-Plaisance du Touch agency of the company, which wants to go further.
“Our activity is not up to what it can be in an industrial agglomeration such as Toulouse, a basin which will benefit from the replacement of the aeronautical industry. Moreover, here too we support companies in this sector in the training of their welders and boilermakers,” said the president.
Non destructive testing specialist
Currently of 10 employees, the workforce of the company in the City will quickly increase to 15 employees and eventually 50 “with the acceleration of aeronautics“. The group which 1,200 people in France (after 200 recruitments over the last three years and a hundred positions is still open) wants in Toulouse an agency as large as the one already deployed in Bordeaux, a region considered less industrial.
For example, the Institut de Soudure highlights the fact that welders in the aeronautics and space sectors must retake their professional requirement certification every two years in order to keep them (just like their job). Moreover, the company also puts a lot on its control activity.
“Testing is a market that is growing by more than 7% per year and we are the leaders in non-destructive testing, which consists of inspecting a work of art without damaging it”, emphasizes Antoine Legros.
As a reminder, it was the Institut de Soudure group that carried out the independent audit and control of all the welding of Téléo in Toulouse, the three-kilometre urban cable car which is soon to come into service. With this in mind, in order to meet as many requests as possible from SMEs, ETIs and large industrial groups, the Toulouse agency has acquired a new means of X-ray control which allows the performance of industrial radiography services.
Present throughout the value chain
Finally, the company offers multiple benefits in the form of business services that could appeal to the aeronautical sector in its strengthening. With more than 600 engineers in its ranks, the Institut de Soudure offers to support its customers in the development of technologies or industrial parts through R&D, consulting, product certification or the provision of expertise. .
“Also, we will blame the intervention of aeronautical controllers and quality managers for this sector because it takes a very long time to train staff with such certifications. Therefore, we will blame this staff in the form of a service”, said the president of the Institut de Soudure group.
More than ever, the company, whose parent company is an association of 300 manufacturers, is relying on the aeronautics industry to consolidate its development, although it is already capable of operating in around forty countries. This allows it to achieve an annual turnover of 100 million euros, for the moment.