The Poujoulat Group, leadership spirit

Can you present the brands and activities of the companies of the Poujoulat Group?

The Poujoulat Group is a medium-sized company with a turnover of around 250 million euros and employing 1,500 people. We have three branches of activity: flues for residential applications mainly with the Cheminée Poujoulat brand, industrial fireplaces for high-power applications with the “Poujoulat Heating & Power” brand and biofuels (production and sale of dried logs, densified logs and wood pellets) with the Woodstock and Crépito brands.

How is your business divided between wood, pellets and flue, but also industrial flue and wood fuels (logs and pellets)?

The fumes business represents 56 of the turnover, biofuels 32% and industrial chimneys 12%. As regards the flues branch, the part relating to firewood (connection to stoves, inserts, boilers) represents approximately 50% of the volumes sold.

As for domestic flues: can you tell us about the latest news?

We are developing isolated duct solutions, in particular the “Efficience” duct. Efficience is a triple wall flue insulated in rock wool, designed to connect the wood appliance (stoves, fireplaces or kitchens). This solution brings real added value to the wood energy system because it guarantees the flow of air and the evacuation of fumes in the same duct, in complete safety. The efficiency of the device is thus optimized, which reduces energy consumption.

We have also developed the “Airwood” system, an exchanger duct with hot air distribution, which optimizes the performance of independent wood-burning appliances. In this way, with a wood-burning appliance, we can widely cover the thermal needs of the day and night rooms of a single home.

You opened a new plant for the production of dried firewood recently. Can you introduce us to this production unit?

In October 2020 we inaugurated the third oven-dried firewood production plant. The first two plants are located in the departments of Indre (BF36 for Bois Factory) and Loire (BF42). The latest is located between the Vosges and Jura mountain ranges, in Haute-Saône (BF70) on a former industrial desert that we have rehabilitated for a total investment of 25 million euros.

This new plant now produces firewood ready to use with peeled and dried logs in an oven and which declare a moisture content of less than 20% at the end of the production process. Within two years, the site will produce 150,000m³ of raw material timber from a 60km radius around the plant.

Since the promotion of quality firewood is essential to ensure efficient heating for the final consumer, the BF70 plant has received funding from the Public Administration as part of the “Recovery Plan” aimed at boosting virtuous projects in the area.

What development work is in progress in Poujoulat for the internal market?

Our philosophy is constant, we are working to implement high performance solutions around two lines of thought:

– Energy efficiency because the efficiency of the duct is a crucial element for optimizing the wood energy system

– Personalization, because the consumer needs products that look like him and fit inside him

A new DTU has just been released. Can you tell us about the main news and give us your opinion on this text? What impact can this new document have on your products and distributor network? What is your opinion on the need for a sizing calculation? What tools does Poujoulat offer to these customers?

First of all, it is important to remember that updating the rules of the art is essential. The new unified technical document (DTU) follows the previous ones, its philosophy does not change radically. In fact, it aims to ensure the consistency of complete systems with a triple purpose: user safety, device compliance and systems energy efficiency. Regarding the sizing rules, we base our recommendations on the regulatory texts in force (1969 decree) and when very specific cases occur, we are able to carry out the appropriate sizing.

Our customers have had, for several years, our tools, in particular “Cat Draw”, to size, design and estimate the flues regardless of the building and the heating device.

What training and support offers do you offer to wood heating professionals?

For 15 years, the Poujoulat Group has supported AGECIC, which offers a wide range of training courses related to the energy of wood. technologies are evolving very rapidly and public authorities are counting on the development of domestic firewood to decarbonize the construction sector. In addition, it seems strategic to us that our installer and master customers can have the best qualifying training. AGECIC is a key tool in this sense. In addition to AGECIC, Poujoulat offers its customers “Cat School” training courses to enable them to master the many regulatory changes in the industry.

What is the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Poujoulat?

The group held up well in 2020. The first lockdown forced us to shut down our production tools for five weeks, but we were able to restart very quickly to be ready during the high season. If our business shows a slight decrease at the end of December 2020, our financial strength remains strong. As for the wood energy business, sales are doing well and the seasonal temperatures of January and February allow us to forecast sustained growth in this business.

Can you tell us about the “Relation Positives” project?

The “Relation Positives” project is a long-term project that involves all the employees of the group. It aims to engage in three areas:

– Perpetuate the relationship of trust with the women and men who work within the group. We are committed to safe working conditions, training and promoting diversity

– Promote the relationship of trust with the territories in which we operate by working on the reduction of waste, on the reduction of energy consumption and on the continuous improvement of our carbon footprint

– Develop a responsible relationship with our ecosystem through the promotion of our “Responsible Purchasing” card for our three branches, proactive listening to the end customer and social commitment with sports sponsorship and cultural patronage.

Interview by Nicolas Audigane – Poeles.Net