What Procédés Chenel does

Procédés Chenel is a French decorative-materials manufacturer founded in 1896 and headquartered in Vanves, France. The company develops and produces proprietary fire-resistant expandable honeycomb paper technology under the DROP PAPER® trademark, alongside a portfolio of more than ten branded material variants (FLUO DROP®, DROP JET®, PERFO DROP®, HEMP DROP®, LINEN DROP®, KRAFT DROP®, GEO DROP®, STRONG DROP®, DROP A LA CARTE) and the INFRASYSTEM© modular construction system designed by Grégoire Borach. These materials are transformed into decorative and architectural products across six categories: partitions (cloisons), ceilings (plafonds), lighting fixtures (luminaires), furniture (mobilier), accessories, and the Smoke Out® stretched-ceiling line.

The business operates as a direct-to-consumer B2B manufacturer. All production is conducted in-house at the Vanves workshop, where seven specialized capabilities (printing, shaping/faconnage, cutting, metalwork/serrurerie, honeycomb assembly, origami, and installation) are co-located. Distribution runs through a Shopify-powered multilingual e-commerce storefront (chenel.com, available in French, English, Spanish, German, and Italian) and an appointment-only showroom at the Vanves headquarters; pricing is quote-based and undisclosed publicly. The firm holds the French state-issued EPV (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant) certification and positions a sustainability narrative via Drop Cake® panels made from recycled production waste. Customer segments span museums and cultural institutions, events and exhibitions, hospitality, corporate offices, retail, and education; no end-customer logos are publicly named, and revenue, headcount growth and ownership structure are not disclosed in available sources. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 band.

Name

Procédés Chenel

Legal name

PROCEDES CHENEL

Website

https://chenel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Procédés Chenel is a French manufacturer (founded 1896, HQ Vanves) of proprietary fire-resistant honeycomb paper materials (DROP PAPER®) and the INFRASYSTEM© modular system, selling decorative and architectural products to museums, events, hospitality, retail, corporate and education clients via direct e-commerce and an appointment showroom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Decorative Materials Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing (3379)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950), Miscellaneous Furniture & Fixtures (2590)

akta.pro primary industry

Stationery & Office Paper Products (notebooks, pads, forms) (IMAMAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

Keywords

• Paper honeycomb materials
• Decorative architectural solutions
• Fire-resistant paper products
• Modular construction systems
• Custom fabrication services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vanves

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct sales of proprietary paper honeycomb materials, pre-designed products (ceilings, partitions, furniture, luminaires, accessories), and custom fabrication services through e-commerce platform and showroom.
2. Custom Fabrication Services: Bespoke manufacturing services including printing, cutting, shaping, origami, metalwork, and installation for client-specific projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Procédés Chenel manufactures and distributes proprietary fire-resistant expandable paper honeycomb (nid d'abeille) materials and transforms them into decorative and architectural products — ceilings, partitions, lighting fixtures, furniture, accessories, stretched ceilings (Smoke Out®), and modular systems (INFRASYSTEM©) — for museums, exhibition designers, hospitality venues, retailers, corporate offices, and event producers. Sales occur primarily via direct B2B e-commerce and a Vanves, France showroom, supplemented by in-house custom fabrication across seven specialized workshops.

Product overview

Procédés Chénel is a French company specializing in innovative honeycomb paper materials and architectural/decorative solutions. The core product family is the DROP PAPER® line, which includes multiple material variants (DROP PAPER®, FLUO DROP®, KRAFT DROP®, HEMP DROP®, LINEN DROP®, GEO DROP®, STRONG DROP®, DROP JET® for printing, PERFO DROP® for perforation, and DROP A LA CARTE for customization). These materials serve as the foundation for diverse product categories including partitions (CLOISONS), ceilings (PLAFONDS), lighting (LUMINAIRES), furniture (MOBILIER), and accessories. The INFRASYSTEM® modular construction system enables configurable furniture and architectural elements. Innovation initiatives include Drop Cake® panels made from recycled material waste. The company also offers webinars as educational content and provides custom manufacturing services through their 7-expertise workshop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DROP PAPER®: Fire-retardant paper material and product line including Drop Paper, Drop A La Carte, Fluo Drop, Drop Jet, Perfo Drop, Hemp Drop, Linen Drop, Kraft Drop, Geo Drop, Strong Drop variants
• INFRASYSTEM®
• Drop Cake®
• Smoke Out®

Products and services

• DROP PAPER® family (Drop Paper, Drop a la Carte, Fluo Drop, Drop Jet, Perfo Drop, Hemp Drop, Linen Drop, Kraft Drop, Geo Drop, Strong Drop) Proprietary fire-resistant expandable paper honeycomb material sold as the foundational product; the family includes variants for printing (Drop Jet), perforation (Perfo Drop), fluorescent color (Fluo Drop), eco-friendly hemp fibers (Hemp Drop), linen texture (Linen Drop), natural kraft (Kraft Drop), geometric patterning (Geo Drop), reinforced strength (Strong Drop), and custom specification (Drop a la Carte). Used by interior designers, exhibition builders, and architects as raw material for ceilings, partitions, lighting, and furniture.
• INFRASYSTEM© Modular construction system based on paper honeycomb materials that allows designers to assemble partitions, furniture, and architectural elements; sold/configured with specific pieces such as Banc Donut and Banc Eclair au Choco benches.
• Drop Cake® Panels made from recycled DROP PAPER® cuttings, representing a sustainable material option that upcycles production waste into sellable decorative panels.
• Smoke Out® Premium stretched ceiling solution positioned as Procédés Chenel's high-end ceiling product for commercial and architectural interiors.
• Cloisons Non Feu (Non-Feu Partitions) Fire-resistant honeycomb paper partition walls used to divide spaces in offices, museums, events, hospitality, and retail environments.
• Plafonds Non Feu (Non-Feu Ceilings) Fire-resistant honeycomb paper ceiling systems installed as decorative and architectural features in commercial and public interiors.
• Luminaires Non Feu (Non-Feu Lighting) Fire-resistant honeycomb paper lighting fixtures, including luminous walls and chandeliers, for decorative and architectural lighting projects.
• Mobilier Non Feu (Non-Feu Furniture) Fire-resistant honeycomb paper furniture pieces, including INFRASYSTEM© items such as donut-shaped and éclair-shaped benches, for commercial and public interiors.
• Accessoires Non Feu (Non-Feu Accessories) Fire-resistant honeycomb paper accessories (e.g., Christmas Tree, Origami Christmas Tree, Guirlandes garlands) for decorative applications across events, retail, and interiors.
• Atelier de fabrication (Custom Fabrication Services) Bespoke manufacturing services spanning printing, shaping, cutting, metalwork, honeycomb assembly, origami, and professional installation for client-specific decorative and architectural projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fire-resistant (Non Feu) paper materials for safety compliance
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vescom: Vescom manufactures decorative wallcoverings and acoustic solutions for hospitality, retail, offices, and healthcare interiors. It is directly comparable to Procédés Chenel as a B2B decorative surface/materials supplier serving overlapping verticals with project-based sales.
• Arpa Industriale: Arpa Industriale produces decorative high-pressure laminate (HPL) panels built from paper-based layers for architectural and interior design surfaces. Highly comparable to Chenel as a paper-based decorative panel manufacturer targeting architects and interior specifiers.
• Atelier Sedap: Atelier Sedap is a French manufacturer of decorative lighting fixtures and acoustic plaster panels for architectural spaces. Comparable to Chenel as a France-based, design-led decorative product maker serving hospitality, retail, and cultural interiors.
• Moss Inc. Moss builds custom three-dimensional environments, graphics, and structures for exhibitions, retail, and corporate events. Directly comparable to Chenel's museum/event/exhibition use cases, often with bespoke fabrication of large-format decorative installations.
• Greenlam Industries: Greenlam manufactures decorative laminates, compact surfaces, and allied interior surfacing products for residential and commercial projects. Comparable to Chenel as a specialty decorative surface manufacturer serving architects and interior projects.
• Kvadrat: Kvadrat develops and produces high-end textiles, acoustic solutions, and architectural materials for interiors, with strong adoption in hospitality and cultural venues. Comparable to Chenel as a premium design-material partner for architectural and decorative applications.
• Maharam: Maharam supplies textiles, wallcoverings, and leathers for high-end commercial interiors, with strong presence in offices, hospitality, and cultural institutions. Comparable to Chenel as a project-driven, design-led material supplier for architecture and interiors.

Broad incumbents

• 3M Architectural Markets: 3M's architectural finishes portfolio (e.g., DI-NOC) covers decorative films and surface solutions across commercial, retail, and healthcare interiors. Comparable to Chenel in serving decorative surface needs for interiors, but as part of a much broader industrial portfolio.
• Knoll: Knoll offers office furniture, architectural products, and workplace solutions for corporate, hospitality, and cultural interiors. Overlaps with Chenel's offices, hospitality, and museum segments, though Knoll's core focus is furniture rather than decorative paper surfaces.
• Steelcase: Steelcase is a global workplace furnishings and architectural solutions provider serving corporate offices, higher education, and healthcare. Comparable to Chenel in the office/corporate segment but oriented around furniture and modular systems rather than decorative paper materials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8vaFQ6-4vyzhkRr4sI-PFg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProcedesChenel
• Instagraminstagram.com/procedes_chenel
• Pinterestpinterest.fr/procdschnel
• Xx.com/procedes_chenel

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Procédés Chenel