The industrial group salutes the second place of Yoann Richomme, who raises high the banner of a partnership.
It was a close call: Yoann Richomme, aboard Paprec Arkéa, crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe in second but for several weeks, he played for victory. The performance is all the more beautiful as the person concerned was taking part in this race for the first time, regularly presented as “the Everest of the seas”.
At Paprec, the recycling and waste recovery giant (30 years of existence, 16,000 employees, nearly 3 billion euros in turnover, Editor’s note), we salute the feat at its true value. “We have the feeling of a fully completed projectcomments Jean Luc Petithuguenin, the president of Paprec International (and founder of the group, now managed by his two sons, Mathieu and Sébastien, Editor’s note). For four years we have been supporting Yoann and his racing team which employs around fifteen people; four years during which a boat was imagined, built, tested, before definitively proving itself during this incredible competition that is the Vendée Globe. »
Significant progress
In passing, the manager recalls the considerable progress made by this industry: previously, when we manufactured a new racing boat, the gain in performance did not exceed 3% compared to the previous sailboat. Now we are getting closer to 10%. For information purposes, Yoann Richomme’s team is based in Lorient (Morbihan). Paprec knows the network well. The group has some 350 agencies in France. In a nod to the Vendée Globe, since the start of the year it has been collecting waste in Les Sables-d’Olonne (Vendée), the city of departure – and arrival – of this world tour.
Last week, when the skipper of Paprec Arkéa crossed the line, nearly 300 company employees welcomed him. Generally speaking, all employees have not been lacking information over the last two months. Every day, a newsletter was produced, providing a detailed update on Yoann Richomme’s journey. A letter sent by email, knowing that there had already been a lot of talk about the Vendée Globe in Paprec News, the group’s monthly magazine (on paper, Editor’s note), published in 16,000 copies.
-“I remember that during our first forays into sailing, our employees experienced this partnership as our entry into the big leagues.continues Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, in the sense that sports sponsorship meant that we had crossed a threshold and that we were displaying both our ambitions and our search for notoriety. » Precisely, in terms of image, the figures speak for themselves. Since the start, some 200 million internet connections have been recorded on the Vendée Globe website to find out the ranking. A volume that climbs to a billion connections, when we consider all the media that talk about the race. “We have precise indicators to assess the scope of our commitmentcomments Jean-Luc Petithuguenin. In this case, our investment in relation to a communication budget is literally multiplied. »
Three million euros per year
Figures still with the amounts granted by Paprec in the field of sailing. This reaches three million euros per year, at the rate of 1.5 million euros alongside Yoann Richomme and 1.5 million also for the other partnerships which are the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec and the Transat Paprec – between Concarneau and Saint-Barth, in the West Indies, an event whose departure is set for next spring.
After following the exploits of Yoann Richomme for weeks, many of the group’s collaborators will soon be able to see the navigator in the flesh. In April, Paprec holds its traditional convention in Tours (Indre-et-Loire) which not only brings together managers, around 1,500, but also a whole series of employees who are distinguished – via the Golden Castors ceremony. However, on stage, the presence of Yoann Richomme has already been announced. A good way to pay tribute to him because the Vendée Globe skippers are definitely modern-day adventurers, and Paprec intends not to break this link with the oceans and their heroes. As proof, he will continue to support the sailor’s team for the coming seasons.
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