aluminum forge, climbing carabiners, forge, forging definition, forging industries, forging industry association, marine com, marine discount, marine equipment, marine line, marine pipe, marine rigging, precision machine, stainless steel fittings manufacturer, stainless steel rigging

About Wichard

The Wichard Company was founded by Henri Wichard in Thiers in 1919. The company is both a world leader in marine fittings and a dominant industrial actor in various other industrial sectors: aeronautics, medical, automotive etc. Today the Wichard Group brings together products of the Wichard (marine and precision forging), Profurl (sail furlers) and Simond (mountaineering and climbing) brands.
aluminum forge, climbing carabiners, forge, forging definition, forging industries, forging industry association, marine com, marine discount, marine equipment, marine line, marine pipe, marine rigging, precision machine, stainless steel fittings manufacturer, stainless steel rigging

Some key dates  

  • 1919: Repurchase of a cutlery works and founding of the company by Henri Wichard
  • 1919 to 1972: Drop forging sub-contractor
  • 1972: creation of a second works and installation of an automatic forging line
  • 1973: Michel Boissonnet, General Manager of the company, produces the first fittings in stainless steel and titanium and has them tested by Bernard Moitessier, Eric Tabarly, Alain Colas and Philippe Jeantot
  • 1978: Perfection of titanium forge for medical applications
  • 1973 to 1988: Development of the fittings range and creation of an international distribution network
  • 1984: Nouvel Economiste – Europe 1: Design Oscar: carabiner (under load)
  • 1989: Repurchase of the company by Jean-Loup Becquevort
  • 1992: Opening of a subsidiary in the U.S.A. Wichard Inc.
  • 1994: Acquisition of the Maillard company of St. Malo and launching of the first range of Wichard pulleys
  • 1998: 1st Prix au Dame Award: Wichard double-safety carabiner
  • 2002: Buy out of the Wichard company by a group of shareholders and creation of the Accasting holding company. Acquisition of Profurl, manufacturer of sail furlers
  • 2003: Opening of an agency in Saint Nazaire regrouping marine engineering and design, sales, marketing and after-sales service. Opening of a subsidiary in Australia: Wichard Pacific
  • 2003: Acquisition of the Simond company of Chamonix: manufacturer of climbing equipment
  • 2005: Acquisition of Forginox, a cutlery forge in Thiers.
  • 2006: Closing of original works and consolidation of activities at one site in an industrial park. Installation of a new forging press.
  • 2006: Installation of a high-speed machining facility for manufacture of production tooling.