Wichard Group has invested €22 million in a new Sparcraft industrial site at Sainte-Soulle near La Rochelle, bringing the mast and rigging manufacturer's activities together at a single production base. The investment comprises €14.5 million in real estate and €7.5 million in industrial equipment.
Sparcraft supplies aluminium masts, booms and rigging equipment for sailing yachts, making the expansion directly relevant to builders and owners throughout the 12-to-23.99-metre market. The company has been part of Wichard Group since 2013.
Production moves to one Sainte-Soulle site
Sparcraft has transferred activity from Périgny and other facilities into the new site near La Rochelle. Consolidating production is intended to simplify workflows while giving the business more control over quality, logistics and manufacturing capacity.
The factory adds modern production equipment alongside improved working areas for employees. Wichard says the project is designed around the long-term needs of the brand rather than a short-term increase in output.
€7.5m allocated to industrial equipment
More than one-third of the total investment has been allocated to industrial equipment and production tools. Those systems are intended to improve responsiveness and quality control as Sparcraft serves production boatbuilders, custom projects and replacement-rigging customers.
For yacht builders, mast production is a specialist supply-chain activity where dimensional accuracy, structural engineering and delivery schedules can directly affect completion dates. Increasing in-house capability should give Sparcraft more room to manage those demands from a single location.
Twenty-year production plan
Wichard Group president Fabrice Didden said the investment forms part of a plan to strengthen Sparcraft's position in the aluminium spar market for the next 20 years. The group is therefore treating the new factory as strategic infrastructure rather than simply a relocation.
Aluminium remains widely used on production and performance-cruising yachts even as carbon spars expand in the higher-performance segment. That keeps efficient aluminium mast manufacturing commercially important across much of the LYG size range.
La Rochelle remains central to French yacht manufacturing
The new site keeps Sparcraft close to La Rochelle, one of France's major centres for yacht and multihull construction. That location places the company near a substantial customer and supplier base while retaining its established workforce and technical experience.
For owners, the investment is less visible than a new yacht launch but potentially just as important to the supply chain. Mast and rigging capacity affects both new-build availability and long-term replacement or refit support for sailing yachts already in service.
