What SIMA does

SIMA SAS is a privately-held French industrial distributor and light manufacturer established in 1961 and headquartered in Lormont, near Bordeaux. The company organizes its offering around two interlocking verticals: lifting equipment (wire ropes, chains, slings, textile slings, lashings, hoists, lifting accessories, and stainless-steel hardware) and rescue/marine safety (PPE, lifejackets, survival equipment, pyrotechnics, buoys, ropes, life rafts and rescue boats). Its catalogue is composed primarily of branded products from international OEMs it distributes in France — including Crosby, Tractel, Van Beest, Secumar, Survitec, Zodiac, Rema, Huchez and Protecta — alongside SIMA-branded items. Technology content is concentrated in partner-offered proprietary construction (e.g., Zodiac's thermobonding technique for life rafts) and in the company's own regulatory-compliance expertise on SOLAS 74/88 and ISO 9650/15372 specifications.

The business combines product distribution with a service station that performs maintenance, repair, equipment rental, and periodic statutory inspections (Vérification Générale Périodique, or VGP), plus a purchase-assistance team. Revenues come mainly from one-time B2B product sales into construction, industrial, marine/offshore, rope-course-park and architectural customers, complemented by recurring inspection and maintenance work on installed equipment. The company operates a PrestaShop-based e-commerce storefront (simafrance.com) supported by direct phone and email sales channels, distinct email addresses for marine and industrial buyers, and an online VGP portal (vgponline.simafrance.com). Customer segments are verticalized in the company's go-to-market (industry–construction and marine offshore tagged as primary), and the customer base is diffuse across small-to-mid B2B buyers with no named enterprise anchors.

SIMA is structured as a Société par Actions Simplifiée with €300,000 in declared share capital, registered in Bordeaux (RCS B381 151 174), with 101–250 employees and no disclosed parent, subsidiaries, funding rounds, or institutional investors. Its operating geography is regional (Western Europe), and there are no signals in the source material of organic growth investments, M&A, geographic expansion, or new product development beyond routine catalog maintenance. The defensible read is of a stable, mature, multi-decade SME focused on product distribution and compliance-driven service in a low-growth industrial niche.

Name

SIMA

Legal name

SIMA

Website

https://simafrance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SIMA is a privately-held French distributor and light service provider, founded in 1961 and based in Lormont, specializing in lifting equipment and marine/rescue safety products for industrial, construction, marine-offshore and rope-course customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Lifting Equipment

NAICS

Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing (3331), Rope, Cordage, Twine, Tire Cord, and Tire Fabric Mills (314994), Ship Building and Repairing (336611)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifting Accessories & Rigging (Slings, Shackles, Hooks, Spreaders) (IMAHAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Life-Saving Appliances & Safety Equipment (Davit Systems, Lifeboats, Firefighting) (IMAJAIAG), Lifting Attachments & Material Handling Accessories (Fork Attachments, Slings, Rigging) (IMAHABAJ)

Keywords

• Lifting equipment
• Marine safety equipment
• Industrial rigging supplies
• Personal protective equipment
• Rope and cordage

Headquarters

HQ city

Lormont

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Lifting Equipment: SIMA generates revenue through the sale of lifting equipment including wire ropes, chains, slings, textile slings, lashings, lifting accessories, and stainless steel products. These are primarily one-time product purchases with no recurring revenue model mentioned.
2. Product Sales - Safety/Rescue Equipment: Sale of safety and rescue materials including life jackets, life rafts, survival equipment, pyrotechnics, and rescue boats. One-time product transactions.
3. Equipment Rental: SIMA offers equipment rental services for lifting and safety equipment
4. Service Station and Maintenance: Service station for maintenance and repair of equipment, control of lifting equipment (Vérification Générale Périodique - VGP), and related services

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SIMA designs, manufactures, and distributes lifting equipment and safety-rescue materials for industrial, construction, and marine offshore applications. The product portfolio spans wire ropes, chains, slings, textile slings, lashings, hoists, lifting accessories, stainless steel hardware, PPE, life rafts, rescue boats, ropes, buoys, and survival equipment. The company also offers complementary services including equipment rental, periodic inspection (VGP), maintenance and repair, and purchase assistance.

Product overview

SIMA is a French company specializing in lifting equipment and safety-rescue materials for industrial and maritime applications. The company operates as a single unified product and service portfolio organized around four core categories: (1) Lifting Equipment including wire ropes, chains, slings, textile slings, lashings, hoists, lifting accessories, and stainless steel products; (2) Rescue and Safety including PPE (fall arresters, harnesses, lanyards), lifejackets, lifesuits, survival equipment, pyrotechnics, and emergency markers; (3) Marine Offshore including life rafts (professional and pleasure craft), rescue boats (Survitec RIBO series and Zodiac Milpro), buoys, floats, ropes (polyester, nylon, polypropylene, HMPE/Dyneema, copolymer), and naval equipment; (4) Professional Services including equipment rental, periodic inspection/certification, maintenance/repair, and purchase assistance. The product portfolio includes branded products from partners such as Survitec (life rafts, rescue boats), Zodiac Milpro (inflatable boats), and Crosby, Tractel, Van Beest (lifting accessories). SIMA serves industries including construction, marine/offshore, adventure parks, and architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wire Ropes Wire ropes for lifting and marine applications, including antigiratory, coated, standard, and technical variants for industrial and maritime customers.
• Chains Lifting chains, marine chains, and general-purpose chains for various industrial and maritime applications.
• Slings Chain slings and wire rope slings for lifting operations, including related accessories.
• Textile Slings Textile slings designed for gentle lifting applications and surface-sensitive loads.
• Lashings Webbing lashings and chain lashings for cargo securing, available in grade 10 and grade 12.
• Lifting Equipment Hoists (electric and manual chain hoists, lever chain hoists), trolleys, clamps, jacks, beams, jib cranes, winches (creeper and manual), and clamps for material handling operations.
• Lifting Accessories Lifting eyes, open wedge sockets, thimbles, lifting hooks, shortening hooks, sockets, swivels, connecting links, master links, quick links, aluminium ferrules, shackles, blocks, sheaves, wire rope clips, and turnbuckles.
• Stainless Steel Range Stainless steel accessories, lifting accessories, slings, cables, shackles, turnbuckles, and cable terminations for corrosion-resistant and marine-grade applications.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Fall arresters, harnesses, lanyards, helmets, lifeline systems, and carabiners for worker safety at height.
• Rescue Equipment Permanent buoyancy lifejackets, professional inflatable lifejackets, lifesuits, and lifejacket accessories for maritime rescue personnel.
• Buoys and Floats Buoys, protections, floats, marking balisages, and rescue sauvetages for marine applications.
• Ropes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Van BeestminorOthersManufacturer partner supplying lifting hardware and accessories to SIMA's catalogue
• TractelminorOthersManufacturer partner supplying lifting and safety equipment products
• CrosbyminorOthersManufacturer partner supplying rigging hardware and lifting accessories
• SecumarminorOthersManufacturer partner supplying life jackets and maritime safety equipment
• SurvitecminorOthersManufacturer partner supplying life rafts, rescue boats, and maritime survival equipment
• ZodiacminorOthersManufacturer partner supplying life rafts and inflatable rescue boats
• ProtectaminorOthersManufacturer partner supplying safety equipment products
• RemaminorOthersManufacturer partner supplying lifting and handling equipment
• HuchezminorOthersManufacturer partner supplying lifting equipment
• BealminorOthersManufacturer partner supplying ropes and cordage products
• EENOVminorOthersWeb agency responsible for website design and development (eenov.com), based in Mérignac, France
• OVHminorOthersWeb hosting provider for simafrance.com, headquartered in Roubaix, France

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Crosby Group: Crosby Group is one of the world's largest manufacturers of lifting accessories (shackles, hooks, master links, wire rope clips) and rigging hardware. While SIMA distributes Crosby products, Crosby also sells directly through its own European subsidiaries, making it a broad incumbent peer in the lifting-accessories category.
• Beal: Beal is a French rope and cordage manufacturer producing dynamic and static ropes, accessory cords, and slings for climbing, rescue, and industrial use. Although SIMA distributes Beal products, Beal also sells directly, making it a relevant incumbent peer in SIMA's rope and safety-equipment lines.
• Gunnebo Industries: Gunnebo Industries manufactures and distributes load-handling and lifting equipment (chain blocks, lever hoists, lifting chains, slings) across Europe and globally. It is a much larger incumbent serving the same industrial buyer base as SIMA but with broader geographic and category reach.

Direct peers

• Marlow Ropes: Marlow Ropes is a UK-based manufacturer of marine and industrial ropes (polyester, nylon, HMPE/Dyneema, polypropylene) used for mooring, towing, lifting, and safety. It directly overlaps with SIMA's rope catalogue across maritime and industrial customers.
• Camp Safety: Camp Safety (part of Camp Group) designs and distributes PPE, harnesses, lanyards, and rescue equipment for work-at-height, rope access, and industrial fall protection. It competes with SIMA's PPE line, particularly into the rope-course park and construction segments SIMA explicitly targets.
• Wichard: Wichard manufactures marine hardware (shackles, snap hooks, blocks, rigging fittings, quick-release fittings) for sailing and offshore applications. Its forged stainless-steel rigging and lifting accessories compete head-on with SIMA's lifting-accessories and stainless-steel ranges for marine buyers.
• Plastimo: Plastimo is a French marine-safety and leisure-equipment manufacturer offering lifejackets, harnesses, buoys, and other safety gear for boating and offshore use. It is the closest French-headquartered peer in SIMA's Marine Offshore and Rescue & Safety categories.
• Petzl: Petzl is a French manufacturer of PPE, harnesses, lanyards, fall arresters, headlamps, and rescue equipment for work-at-height and vertical-rescue professionals. It is the most direct European peer in SIMA's rescue-and-safety line, with overlapping distribution channels into rope-course parks and industrial safety.
• SpanSet: SpanSet designs and manufactures lashing, lifting, and load-securing products (textile slings, round slings, cargo lashings, fall-arrest systems). It directly competes with SIMA's slings, lashings, and PPE offerings across European industrial and transport customers.
• Tractel: Tractel manufactures and distributes lifting, hoisting, fall-protection, and load-securing equipment globally. Although SIMA distributes some Tractel products, Tractel also sells direct through its own subsidiaries in Europe, making it the closest comparable for the lifting/PPE/rescue overlap with SIMA's industrial catalogue.

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfr-fr.facebook.com/sima.venture.9
• LinkedInfr.linkedin.com/company/sima-sas

Compliance13 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 SIMA