Thanks to their highly specialised products, BECAP-STARVIA-MBE (BSM) caters to exceptional requests from companies in various areas. As their online reach increases, more and more industries are discovering the French company. We spoke with Managing Director Roger Detain.
Roger Detain, managing director of BECAP STARVIA MBE
Mr Detain, what does BECAP-STARVIA-MBE manufacture?
We develop products based on rubber, polyurethane, plastics, metals and their derivatives. These are technical products which we then manufacture specially for the needs of industrial customers. For instance, the lining and padding made of natural and synthetic elastomers which are needed for wheels, rollers, rolls and cylinders. On top of this, we also take care of the maintenance of rubber parts.
How big is your company?
Together with our subsidiary ANITECH, we have 16 employees in the manufacturing team – a manageable size with which we achieved sales of 3.8 million euros in 2018 alone.
Who are your customers?
We serve various industries and manufacture in small and medium-sized series. The fossil fuel and mining industries make up a quarter of our sales, but we also receive lots of orders from theme parks and the conveyor engineering area. We work in a very small niche, which is why the requests are naturally very specific. Our strength lies in the fact that we can handle these requests flexibly and on an individual level.
Have you got an example for us?
Let’s take one from the fossil fuel industry. We manufacture, for instance, a rubber part for sealing production wells. One piece weighs about 35 kilograms.
An extraordinary niche!
Yes, we work in a very specialised field, and we only manufacture our technical parts on request. We are craftsmen, so to speak, who are equipped with industrial tools …
How do companies find you who are looking for just those products?
Companies interested in our products generally come to us – in such an area, word gets out on who has the experience. BECAP-STARVIA-MBE has already been around for about 50 years. Many customers have also found their way to us via europages.
Are there any industries which you want to address more in future?
Apart from those already mentioned? Sure – there are lots of areas for which our products can provide a great solution. Many learn about us through recommendations, others through targeted research. We always try to speak to customers in new industries, too, in which we have not yet been present. europages has helped us gain lots of requests, for instance, from the mechanics industry, industrial maintenance area, and the area of waste sorting plants. This is naturally exciting, as it enables us to tap into completely new opportunities.
We were delighted that our company profile has also been able to reach customers in the agricultural industry for the first time. What we do is naturally very interesting to them – especially considering all the farming machines that are being utilised.
How long have you been listed on europages?
We have been with europages for six years now. And this has been great from the very beginning. When it came to creating our E*page and defining the keywords, we got excellent support. And the visitor numbers to our website rapidly increased.
What about exporting?
We export a lot, within and outside Europe. This makes up about 35 per cent of our sales. About 15 to 20 per cent of these go to European countries like Finland, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands; 5 to 10 per cent to the USA.
Mr Detain, thank you, and we wish you continued success!
