Laurent Crépin has been the new manager of Distri Parebrise since January 6, 2025. This company based in Changé, near Le Mans, is an importer and distributor of glazing for all types of vehicles, cars with or without a license and especially heavy goods vehicles. heavy duty, agricultural and construction machinery and utilities. The SME created in 1988 also offers tools and accessories (glue, seal, decontaminant, primer, etc.) for the removal, installation and repair of windshields. The company which operates in B to B employs 14 employees and achieved 4.5 million euros in turnover in 2024.
A manager from the furniture industry
Laurent Crépin is known in Sarthe for having chaired the Réseau Entreprendre in the department but above all for having led Maliterie from 2010 to 2022, as general director and minority shareholder. This bedding manufacturer with a factory near Le Mans and a network of stores achieved 20 million euros in turnover in 2022 with 140 employees. The Crépin family company was taken over by the Lyon Steel group at the end of 2023.
After having been an independent general manager for some time on behalf of VSEs and SMEs – “an activity where I learned a lot about managing business strategies, which will be useful to me”, he says – Laurent Crépin is getting back therefore at the helm of a Le Mans company. Its objective is to “consolidate what already exists initially”, before thinking bigger.
Growth of 5 to 10% per year
Managed for eight years by Valérie and Christophe Foret, Distri Parebrise has experienced “growth of 5% to 10% per year over the last five years”. “I would like to do the same,” comments the new boss, who took over the company with the support of the Volney Développement fund (Crédit Mutuel Anjou Maine Basse-Normandie). “It’s a healthy company, with good quality of services, positioned in a stable market,” says Laurent Crépin.
A stable but valued market
“The recurrence of the market gives us clarity, continues the business manager. In France, the existing vehicle fleet is dense, with relatively low fluctuation. And the windshield market is not dependent on the passage of the diesel to electric Each year, three million windshields are changed, a figure which changes little up or down from one year to the next. As 80% of vehicle windows are insured. there is no risk of a purchasing power problem from one year to the next which could interfere with sales.”
If the market is stable in terms of volume, it is however growing in value. Technological developments in glazing linked to safety should offer growth to SMEs. “New products are increasingly expensive and their installation requires expertise. Half of the windshields replaced today are equipped with sensors, compared to 20% five years ago. The average price is actually increasing,” indicates Laurent Crépin.
The strong point, its stock
One of the assets of Distri Parebrise is its stock, highlights the business manager. “We have availability over six to eight months for the most frequent models, or 90% of recurring customer needs,” he says. “This protects us from the risk of disruption in the supply chain.” All models combined, a third of the products come from Europe, two thirds from Asia.
Very varied customers
Customers are garage owners, mechanics, bodybuilders, small fleet managers, etc. “There are also more and more specialized installers” adds the manager of Distri Parebrise. The SME operates both with large fleets and in niche markets. “We are a single point of contact for professionals specializing in American cars or classic cars, for example,” illustrates its boss. And the new manager is not stopping himself from taking a more important place in the large networks specializing in the installation of windshields.
