What SOTEREM does

SOTEREM is a privately held French engineering and manufacturing firm (SAS structure, founded 1975) headquartered in Castanet-Tolosan near Toulouse, with 11–50 employees organized as 40% engineers/managers and 60% qualified technicians. The company designs, develops, qualifies and produces custom electric motors (brushless, stepper, brushed) qualified for harsh environments — space vacuum, irradiation up to 44 MGy, cryogenic conditions down to -170°C, and 200 bar pressure at 350°C — alongside embedded electro-mechanisms (actuators, electromagnets, separator nuts, brakes) and complex instrumented assemblies including high-temperature furnaces (up to 1500°C under vacuum) used aboard the ISS and in CEA research reactors. Revenue is generated through project-based custom product development and small-to-medium series manufacturing, plus Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) services executed in ISO 8 clean rooms and dedicated test facilities, with quote-based B2B pricing and no disclosed recurring or subscription component.

The customer base is concentrated in institutional and prime-contractor channels — CNES, ESA, ISRO and JAXA on the space side, CEA on the nuclear side, and Airbus on the aeronautics side — with revenue roughly evenly split 30% Space / 30% Nuclear / 30% Aeronautics & Defense / 10% Industry. The firm operates under a multi-certification framework (EN 9100, ISO 9001, RCC-M/RCC-MX/RCC-MRx, ECSS, DO-160G) that constitutes a meaningful barrier to entry but also a fixed cost structure. A sister-company partnership with SERMAT provides electrical-machine expertise for aeronautics, and SOTEREM retains an in-house R&D, design office, manufacturing workshop, integration laboratory and special-process capabilities (orbital welding, 1100°C brazing, spatial bonding, hot-metal spraying, non-destructive testing) plus a STUDER CNC cylindrical grinder for external subcontract work.

Name

SOTEREM

Legal name

SAS SOTEREM

Website

https://soterem.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Electromechanical Components for Aerospace and Nuclear

NAICS

Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620), Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Spacecraft Integration, Assembly & Test (IAT) (IMABACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Structures, Mechanisms & Thermal Control (IMABACAF), Chillers & Cooling Plant Equipment (IMAHAKAE), Avionics Test, Simulation & Calibration Equipment (IMABAFAN)

Keywords

• Electric motors
• Electromechanical actuators
• Space mechanisms
• Nuclear experimental devices
• Aerospace components

Headquarters

HQ city

Castanet-tolosan

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom electromechanical product development and manufacturing: Design, development, qualification and industrialization of custom electric motors, electro-mechanisms, and complex equipment for space, nuclear, aeronautics and defense sectors. Revenue generated through project-based custom product development and small to medium series manufacturing.
2. Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) services: AIT services for space and nuclear projects including integration laboratories (clean room ISO 8, grey rooms), testing services (vacuum chambers, ovens, leak tests, pressure tests), and configuration management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

SOTEREM designs, develops, qualifies, industrializes and integrates custom electric motors, electromechanical actuators and complex experimental equipment tailored for space, nuclear, aeronautics and defense customers. Its products are qualified for extreme environments, including space vacuum, cryogenic temperatures down to -170°C, irradiation up to 44 MGy, pressures up to 200 bar and high temperatures up to 1500°C under vacuum. Beyond products, the company delivers Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) services and special process implementation (welding, brazing, bonding, grinding) supported by an ISO 8 clean room and in-house test facilities.

Product overview

SOTEREM is a French company specializing in the design, development, manufacturing, and integration of electro-mechanisms, electric motors, and complex equipment for space, nuclear, defense, and aeronautics industries. The product portfolio centers on electric motors (brushless, stepper, brushed motors for harsh environments), electro-mechanisms (actuators, electromagnets, separator nuts), and experimental devices (irradiation furnaces, high-temperature furnaces up to 1500°C, thermal vacuum test tools), complemented by Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) services, special processes implementation (welding, brazing, bonding), and cylindrical grinding services. The company serves four industry sectors: Space (30%), Nuclear (30%), Aeronautics and Defense (30%), and Industry (10%).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Motors Custom-designed electric motors (brushless, stepper and brushed variants) engineered and qualified to operate under harsh conditions including space vacuum, cryogenic environments, high irradiation, and elevated temperature/pressure for space and nuclear applications.
• Electro-mechanisms Embedded electromechanical actuators comprising motors with and without gearboxes, rotary or linear servo-controlled actuators, electromagnets, electromagnetic brakes, and non-explosive separator nuts produced in partnership with SERMAT for aeronautics, space and defense applications.
• Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) Assembly, integration and testing services for space applications including mechanical and thermal integration, environmental test configuration, and MGSE/EGSE specification and manufacturing, executed in an ISO 8 clean room and supported by vacuum chambers, ovens, leak tests and pressure test infrastructure.
• Experimental Devices Complex instrumented assemblies for nuclear research, including irradiation furnaces, irradiation devices for experimental reactors, and instrumented experimental devices supplied to research organizations and laboratories.
• High Temperature Furnaces High-temperature vacuum furnaces (up to 1500°C under vacuum) built with refractory materials for space and nuclear experimental applications, including space furnaces for microgravity materials science research that have been deployed on the ISS and in CEA research reactors.
• Thermal Vacuum Test Tools Ground test equipment and tooling for thermal vacuum testing of satellite instruments, including regulated exchanger plates compatible with ultra-high vacuum environments used to qualify space hardware against thermal cycles from -196°C to +150°C.
• Special Processes Implementation Specialized industrial processes including orbital MIG/TIG micro welding, silver/tin brazing, spatial bonding, hot metal spraying, high-temperature brazing at 1100°C, sheet-metal working and non-destructive testing (X-ray, leak tests), performed by certified personnel such as QMOS welders and COFREND-certified inspectors.
• Rectification (Cylindrical Grinding) Contract CNC cylindrical grinding services for single-piece or series production on a STUDER favorit 1044 internal/external grinder, suitable for precision machined parts used in SOTEREM's programs and external customers.
• Aeronautics and Defense Equipment Embedded equipment for the aeronautics and defense sector, including mechanical assemblies, electromagnetic and firing devices, drive motors, linear and rotary actuators, locking actuators, door opening actuators, servo actuators, air compressors, and separation systems, developed and manufactured under EN 9100.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 30 alloys successfully tested in ISS through space furnaces
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• SERMAT (Machines électriques pour l'aéronautique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company partnership for electrical machines for aeronautics. SOTEREM and SERMAT work together with SOTEREM developing, qualifying and industrializing embedded electromechanical actuators, while SERMAT provides electrical machine expertise.
• Airbus EVTmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirbus provides thermal vacuum testing facilities (SIMLES chamber) for SOTEREM's integrated products, enabling environmental testing at -160°C conditions for space instruments like the PIM ARGOS.
• CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique)coreTechnology or IntegrationLong-standing collaboration since 1975 for nuclear research devices. CEA is a key customer for irradiation furnaces and experimental devices for research reactors, using RCC-M, RCC-MX construction codes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• RUAG Space (Beyond Gravity): Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space) supplies space structures, mechanisms, thermal products and payload electronics to European satellite primes. Its mechanisms and thermal hardware are directly comparable to SOTEREM's electro-mechanisms, thermal vacuum test tools and high-temperature furnaces for space missions.
• SABCA: SABCA (Société Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques) designs and manufactures actuation systems, landing gear, aerostructures and space mechanisms. Its actuation and mechanisms product lines directly overlap with SOTEREM's electro-mechanisms, actuators and aerospace onboard equipment.
• Liebherr Aerospace: Liebherr Aerospace develops and manufactures flight control and actuation systems, landing gear systems and onboard electronics for commercial and military aircraft. Its actuation and electromechanical subsystems directly overlap with SOTEREM's aeronautics embedded electro-mechanisms, actuators and locking/door-opening devices.
• Serma Group: Serma is a French group of laboratories and engineering services covering embedded electronics, qualification testing and component engineering for aerospace, defense and nuclear. It is a natural French specialist peer to SOTEREM in testing, AIT and qualification services, and its SERMAT subsidiary is SOTEREM's named sister-company partner.
• Moog Inc. Moog is a global specialist in precision motion control, electromechanical actuators and motors for aerospace, space and defense applications. Its product portfolio (brushless motors, servo actuators, positioning systems) directly overlaps with SOTEREM's electric motors and electro-mechanisms lines, especially for harsh-environment space and defense programs.

Broad incumbents

• Thales Alenia Space: Thales Alenia Space is a major European manufacturer of satellites, space systems and orbital infrastructure, and a frequent integrator of AIT services. It both competes with and buys from SOTEREM in mechanisms, AIT and test tools for satellite programs.
• Airbus Defence and Space: Airbus Defence and Space is a top-tier European space and defense prime that integrates satellites, launchers and orbital systems. It is both a customer of SOTEREM (Airbus EVT for thermal vacuum testing) and a broader competitor for integrated electromechanical subsystems in space and defense platforms.
• Framatome: Framatome is a major French nuclear reactor and fuel-cycle vendor with deep involvement in nuclear research, irradiation services and experimental devices. Its nuclear R&D and fuel-cycle activities make it a large-scale counterpart to SOTEREM's nuclear irradiation furnaces and experimental devices for CEA research reactors.
• Safran: Safran is a large French aerospace group with deep activity in aircraft equipment, electrical systems, space propulsion (via Safran Aircraft Engines / Safran Electronics & Defense) and aeronautics actuators. It competes with SOTEREM across multiple verticals (aeronautics, defense, space mechanisms) but at much greater scale and breadth.
• Parker Hannifin Aerospace: Parker Hannifin's Aerospace division is a global supplier of flight control, hydraulic, electromechanical and pneumatic systems for commercial and military aircraft. Its electromechanical actuators and motion control portfolio overlaps with SOTEREM's aeronautics embedded actuators, door-opening systems and separation systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 SOTEREM