SERMA Ingénierie lands in Provence with its acquisition of KN Systèmes

A successful external growth transaction that will create jobs

The French group SERMA, an expert in embedded and industrial electronic systems, arrived in Aix-en-Provence in 2021 through an external growth operation carried out by its subsidiary SERMA Ingénierie. With its purchase of KN Systèmes, a small business in Aix, the Bordeaux-based group is consolidating its commercial ties with prime contractors in the aeronautics, automotive, naval and nuclear industries. An extension project is already underway.

As a designer and developer of specialized electronic systems, SERMA Ingénierie is developing rapidly, like its parent company, SERMA Group, with growth of 10% per year, through both organic and external growth.

KN Systèmes, a Provencal company that designs and manufactures electronic systems in constrained environments, joined the SERMA Ingénierie family in July 2021. The small business operates out of the Aix-en-Provence business park, employs a staff of 15 and posts €2 million in annual sales. It already has ambitious growth goals and plans to relocate in June 2022 to 9,000 ft2 of new office space and add to its workforce. "KN Systèmes has electronics and embedded software expertise that aligns with our group's know-how, which is a boon in the current context of intense growth where skilled workers are hard to come by. We intend to double the size of KN Systèmes in two to three years. We are hiring engineers, project managers and salespeople. It is easier to hire in southern France than in Paris. Here, there is tremendous human potential," stresses Etienne Poirier, COO at SERMA Ingénierie.

On the wings of Airbus Helicopters and other major contractors

The group has been a strategic supplier of Airbus Helicopters for 20 years, and this anchoring in Provence brings the group closer to its long-standing client. They also have the advantage of long-term visibility, thanks to the record-setting contract for 169 helicopters awarded by the Ministry of the Armed Forces at the end of 2021. "When Airbus Helicopters wins, we win additional orders," Etienne Poirier enthuses.

With its new foothold in the region, SERMA Ingénierie plans to leverage the diverse sectors that comprise the local economic fabric, including nuclear, automotive, defense (especially Naval Group in Toulon and Saint-Tropez), aerospace (Thales Alenia Space) and aviation (Dassault Aviation in Istres).

SERMA Technologies, another subsidiary of the group, has also opened an office in Rousset to be closer to its customers, including STMicroelectronics and Thales Digital Identity and Security (formerly Gemalto). The subsidiary and its electronic expertise laboratories also benefit from the pooled resources of the CIM PACA characterization platform.

"The arrival of SERMA Ingénierie is an opportunity for all of the group's divisions to work in the region. When we invest in a region, it's to create added value and growth! We acquire around two business each year," notes the executive, who splits his time between Toulouse, Paris, Bordeaux and Aix. Provence Promotion tracked this project over time, knowing that the move demonstrates the appeal of Aix-Marseille-Provence to industrial stakeholders thanks to its specialized activities and highly skilled labor pool.

The SERMA Group, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021, employs 1,300 people and generates annual sales over €150 million in France and abroad (Tunisia, Spain, Germany).