What SAPELEM does

SAPELEM is a French manufacturer of ergonomic industrial handling equipment founded in 1959, operating as the flagship handling-solutions subsidiary of Groupe ZeKat — an independent French industrial group founded in 2005 by Pascal Denoël that consolidates mechatronics and digital technology subsidiaries. The company designs and produces four product families — industrial manipulators (pneumatic and electric, including the ZE'Solution series and aluminum poly-articulated R2a arms), vacuum technology components (suction cups, pneumatic and electric generators, grippers, vacuum circuits), lifting beams and grippers (MODULEM, PIVOTEM, and SPIDEM series), and the SAPELEM PROTECT operator safety line (FIRST, FLEX, PREMIUM). All manufacturing is performed in-house at the Beaucouzé facility near Angers, France, certified French Fab and French Tech, with in-house suction cup mold development enabling bespoke adaptations for specific materials, shapes, and load profiles up to several tonnes.

The business model combines one-time equipment sales (standard catalog products and custom-engineered solutions), bundled installation, commissioning, and training services, custom design-office engineering for tailor-made applications, and recurring annual preventive maintenance contracts supported by a 4,000+ reference spare-parts inventory. Pricing is quote-based and varies by configuration and capacity, with an e-commerce storefront handling mid-market and component orders. The go-to-market is hybrid: seven territory-based regional sales managers physically embedded across all French departments (West, North-West, North, East, South, Corsica, and Overseas), a dedicated export team, and a curated international distributor and integrator network covering 140+ countries.

SAPELEM serves enterprise customers across 12+ verticals — aerospace and aeronautics (Alstom, Bombardier, Daher), automotive (Volvo, Scania, Iveco), rail (SNCF), construction and materials (Saint-Gobain, Lafarge, Bouygues Construction), food processing, logistics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, packaging, sheet metal, and carpentry — with a stated mission of reducing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which represent 90% of recognized occupational diseases in France and cost French businesses an estimated 2 billion euros annually in direct and indirect costs. Cumulative deliveries exceed 500,000 products worldwide.

Name

SAPELEM

Legal name

Groupe ZeKat

Website

https://sapelem.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SAPELEM is a French manufacturer of ergonomic industrial manipulators, vacuum-based gripping systems, lifting beams, and operator safety equipment, serving enterprise customers across aerospace, automotive, food processing, rail, and logistics industries in 140+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Beaucouzé

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

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. Industrial Handling Equipment Sales: Sale of standard and custom-manufactured industrial manipulators, lifting beams, grippers, vacuum components, and operator protection systems. Products are sold with installation, commissioning, training, and maintenance services.
2. Custom Engineering and Design Services: Bespoke design office services for tailor-made handling solutions including thorough work environment studies, component selection, and custom design. Project management from design through implementation.
3. Preventive Maintenance Contracts: Comprehensive preventive maintenance services with parts and components availability to extend the lifespan of installations. Systems are scalable and adaptable with regular updates and technology integration.
4. Training Services: Training programs for operators, technicians, and production managers to ensure autonomy in using handling solutions effectively.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SAPELEM designs, manufactures, and sells ergonomic industrial manipulators, vacuum-based handling components (suction cups, generators, grippers, vacuum circuits), lifting beams (MODULEM, SPIDEM, PIVOTEM series), and operator protection systems (PROTECT — FIRST, FLEX, PREMIUM). All products are 100% designed and manufactured in-house at the Beaucouzé facility in France, with custom engineering services and preventive maintenance contracts offered alongside equipment sales.

Product overview

SAPELEM offers a comprehensive portfolio of ergonomic handling solutions centered around vacuum technology and industrial manipulators. The product ecosystem consists of: (1) Industrial Manipulators including the ZE'Solution Electric Manipulator and Pneumatic Manipulator series with aluminum poly-articulated arms and pneumatic lifting balancers; (2) Vacuum Technology components including Vacuum Generators (pneumatic Venturis/ejectors and electric pumps/turbines), Suction Cups (molded, handling, and manual types), Grippers (gripping plates, inflatable fingers, handling pens), and Vacuum Circuits (filtration, distribution, control, safety accessories); (3) Lifting Beams and Grippers under the MODULEM, SPIDEM, and PIVOTEM series for various suction cup configurations; and (4) SAPELEM PROTECT operator safety solutions with FIRST, FLEX, and PREMIUM ranges. All products are designed and manufactured in France with 100% French production, targeting industries including aeronautics, automotive, food processing, logistics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, rail, and sheet metal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Protect: Operator protection solutions offering three product ranges: FIRST for logistic environments, FLEX for indoor/outdoor environments, and PREMIUM for custom high-risk applications.
• ZE'Solution
• MODULEM
• PIVOTEM
• SPIDEM
• Vacuum Technology

Products and services

• ZE'Solution Electric Manipulator
• Pneumatic Manipulator
• Vacuum Generator
• Suction Cup
• Gripper
• Vacuum Circuits
• MODULEM Series Lifting Beams
• SPIDEM Series Lifting Beams

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of occupational diseases in France are musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• International Distributor & Integrator NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSAPELEM has built a vast international network of distributors and integrators covering 140+ countries. Each partner is carefully selected, trained, and supported to offer localized solutions and services adapted to specific industry sectors. The network enables SAPELEM to meet customer needs anywhere globally.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Festo: Global pneumatics and automation major with broad portfolio covering pneumatic components, handling systems, and automation — overlaps with SAPELEM in pneumatic manipulators and vacuum technology but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• ABB: Swiss-Swedish industrial automation conglomerate with broad robotics and material handling portfolio — adjacent to SAPELEM's addressable market and competing at large enterprise accounts.
• KUKA: German industrial robotics and automation major — competes in handling and material handling adjacent to SAPELEM's manipulators, particularly for automotive and industrial cobotics applications.
• Konecranes: Finnish lifting equipment and industrial cranes major — adjacent competitor in the material handling space, particularly for heavier industrial lifting applications served by SAPELEM's lifting beams.
• SMC Corporation: Japanese global leader in pneumatic components and automation — overlaps with SAPELEM's pneumatic manipulator and vacuum generator product categories, but at much larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• TAWI: Swedish provider of ergonomic lifting equipment, vacuum lifters, and mobile manipulators — competing head-to-head with SAPELEM's manipulators and lifting beams across food, pharma, and logistics verticals.
• AERO-LIFT: German manufacturer of vacuum tube lifters and crane-mounted handling systems — directly comparable to SAPELEM's vacuum lifting and ergonomic manipulator offering for industrial buyers.
• Piab: Swedish vacuum technology specialist offering suction cups, vacuum generators, grippers, and end-of-arm tooling — overlapping product portfolio with SAPELEM's Vacuum Technology line and matched industrial customer base.
• Schmalz: German market leader in vacuum handling and ergonomic material handling — directly competes with SAPELEM across vacuum grippers, suction cups, vacuum generators, and industrial manipulators for similar industrial customers.
• Dalmec: Italian manufacturer of industrial manipulators and pneumatic/electric lifting aids — directly comparable to SAPELEM's ZE'Solution and Pneumatic Manipulator product lines for ergonomic handling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sapelem

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries10 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 SAPELEM