Les Ateliers du Moulin a Vent

What Les Ateliers du Moulin a Vent does

Les Ateliers du Moulin à Vent is a French ESAT (Établissement et Service d'Aide par le Travail, a sheltered medico-social workshop under French law) operating as a nonprofit subsidiary of Fondation Richard, a publicly recognized utility foundation. Founded in 1983 in Saint-Fons (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) and consolidated to a single 450 m² facility in 2015, the establishment engages a workforce of approximately 108 workers with motor disabilities or brain injuries, supervised by industry-trained moniteurs and production managers. Its primary function is to provide industrial subcontracting and on-site staffing services to enterprises while delivering adapted, supportive work environments to its beneficiaries.

The company operates six industrial service divisions — General Mechanics (two CNC machining centers for aluminum, steel, and alloy parts), Engraving (CO2 laser and mechanical engravers handling signage, machine plates, and custom plaques up to 600 × 1200 mm on PVC, aluminum, stainless steel, brass, plexiglass, wood, and copper), Electrical (wiring harness assembly, cable cutting, crimping, micro-soldering), Assembly (simple and technical assemblies, sorting, shrink wrapping), Packaging/Mailroom (folding, mailing, laminating, shrink wrapping, A3-A4 color reprography, scanning), and Mise à disposition / hors-murs (on-site staff provision for industrial, logistics, and tertiary tasks including filing, archiving, digitization, mail, reception, and quality control). A separate artisanal leather sub-brand, Graine de Cuir (acquired in 1999 from La Sandale du Pèlerin and operated by 23 leather artisans), produces handcrafted bags, sandals, small leather goods, and belts from French leather, sold through e-commerce and a Saint-Fons boutique, and customizable for corporate gifts.

The revenue model is dual-track. The industrial arm is a professional services operation: B2B contracts priced by quote based on project scope, with the regulatory OETH (obligation d'emploi des travailleurs handicapés) 6% disabled-worker quota benefit transferred to client buyers, who can fulfill up to half the obligation through ESAT subcontracting. The artisanal arm is a one-time-sale consumer and corporate-gift model with fixed prices listed via grainedecuir.com. Distribution is purely domestic and regional: direct enterprise sales, on-site staff dispatch, and a single physical boutique plus e-commerce storefront. The customer base spans manufacturing/industrial enterprises, companies seeking RSE-aligned suppliers and corporate gifts, and individual consumers, with named enterprise customers undisclosed.

Name

Les Ateliers du Moulin a Vent

Legal name

Ateliers du Moulin à Vent

Website

https://ateliersdumoulinavent.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Les Ateliers du Moulin à Vent is a French ESAT sheltered workshop providing industrial subcontracting — CNC machining, engraving, electrical work, assembly, packaging, and on-site staff provision — to manufacturing enterprises, plus artisanal leather goods under the Graine de Cuir sub-brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Subcontracting Services

NAICS

Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing (316990)

SIC

Leather & Leather Products (3100)

akta.pro primary industry

Leather Goods Components & Subassemblies Manufacturing (Straps/Handles/Hardware Assemblies) (IMAOAHAI)

Keywords

• Industrial subcontracting services
• Sheltered workshop services
• CNC machining services
• Contract packaging services
• Artisanal leather goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-fons

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Subcontracting Services: B2B subcontracting services for manufacturing companies requiring mechanical work (CNC machining, milling, drilling), electrical wiring, assembly, packaging, and on-site service provision (hors-murs). Revenue generated through service contracts with enterprises.
2. Artisanal Leather Products (Graine de Cuir): Sale of handcrafted leather products including sandals (standard and custom), bags, small leather goods, and belts through e-commerce and physical boutique. Also includes corporate gifts and personalized products with company branding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Les Ateliers du Moulin à Vent is a French ESAT (sheltered workshop) providing industrial subcontracting services to businesses across six core areas: engraving (gravure), packaging/mailroom (conditionnement), assembly (montage), electrical wiring (électricité), CNC machining/metalworking (mécanique générale), and on-site staff provision (mise à disposition/hors-murs). The organization also operates an artisanal leather goods unit, Graine de Cuir, producing handcrafted bags, sandals, small leather goods, and belts for individual consumers and corporate gift buyers.

Product overview

Les Ateliers du Moulin à Vent is an ESAT (sheltered workshop) offering industrial subcontracting services and artisanal craft production. The company operates seven core service divisions: Gravure (industrial engraving), Conditionnement (packaging/mailroom), Montage (assembly), Electricité (electrical work), Mécanique générale (CNC machining/metalworking), and Mise a disposition (on-site staff provision). Additionally, the Graine de Cuir sub-brand provides artisanal leather goods including bags, sandals, small leather goods, and belts. All industrial services are performed either in the Saint-Fons workshop or on-site at client locations (hors-murs), serving companies across various sectors with quality comparable to ordinary industry while accommodating workers with disabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Graine de Cuir: Artisanal leather goods unit producing sandals, bags, small leather goods, and belts. Products are handmade with French leather from French tanneries.

Products and services

• Gravure (Industrial Engraving) Industrial engraving services covering internal and external signage (safety markings, wayfinding, location identification), cable markers, machine plates (CE, load plates), professional plates, mailbox and door plates, ink stamps, and custom engravings on PVC, aluminium, stainless steel, brass, plexiglass, wood, and copper up to 600 x 1200 mm. Targeted at industrial companies and enterprises needing customized marking solutions.
• Conditionnement (Packaging & Mailroom Services) Packaging and mailroom services including article packaging, labeling, reprography and assembly, mailings and routing, using mailing machines, laminators, shrink wrappers, strapping machines, color photocopiers (A4-A3), and scanners. Targeted at industrial and enterprise clients needing outsourced packaging and document handling.
• Montage (Industrial Assembly) Assembly services including simple and complex assemblies, finish assembly of technical parts, tool-based assembly, piece counting and sorting, product packaging, and shrink wrapping. Targeted at manufacturers needing flexible manual assembly capacity.
• Electricité (Electrical Wiring & Harness Assembly) Electrical services including wiring diagram box assembly, electrical harness assembly and wiring preparation, cable cutting to length, crimping, tinning, and micro-soldering using pneumatic crimpers, cable cutting machines, semi-automatic wire strippers, tin baths, torque screwdrivers, and soldering irons. Targeted at industrial clients needing sub-contracted electrical sub-assembly work.
• Mécanique générale (CNC Machining & Metalworking) CNC machining and metalworking services including machining of aluminium, steel or alloy parts for construction and industry, length cutting, CNC milling machine operation, milling, tapping, drilling, part assembly, and deburring. Uses 2 CNC machining centers, pillar drills, automatic saws for soft and hard metals, and tumbling/deburring equipment. Targeted at construction and industrial companies needing custom machined parts.
• Mise à disposition (On-site Staff Provision / Hors-murs) On-site staff provision where trained workers are deployed directly at client sites to perform industrial, logistics, and tertiary services such as filing, archiving, digitization, data entry, mail services, reception, packaging, quality control, and sorting. Available as regular, recurring, or one-time interventions. Targeted at enterprises needing flexible on-site manual workforce capacity.
• Graine de Cuir (Artisanal Leather Goods) Artisanal leather craft sub-brand producing handcrafted bags, sandals (standard and custom-made), small leather goods (cases, keychains, pouches), and belts, manufactured in Saint-Fons using French leather sourced from French tanneries. Sold through e-commerce (grainedecuir.com) and a physical boutique. Also offers personalized products for corporate gifts. Targeted at individual consumers and companies seeking corporate gifts.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Adecco: Global staffing and workforce-solutions provider offering on-site managed services, including industrial and logistics staffing. Comparable in the hors-murs / on-site staff-provision line, though operating at vastly larger scale and without the social-employment framing.
• Mecachrome: French precision-mechanics and CNC machining subcontractor serving aerospace, automotive, and industrial clients. Comparable in the general mechanics / CNC machining service line, although operating at industrial scale with conventional (non-sheltered) workforce.
• ManpowerGroup: Global staffing and workforce solutions provider with strong presence in France offering on-site industrial, logistics, and administrative staffing. Comparable to the company's hors-murs service line in business model and target buyer (enterprise HR/procurement).
• Hermès: French luxury house with significant in-house leather goods (saddlery, bags, small leather goods) manufacturing including ESAT-style artisan ateliers. Relevant broad incumbent for the Graine de Cuir sub-brand's leather-goods category.

Direct peers

• Groupe Arche: French parent of multiple ESATs and adapted enterprises (EA) providing industrial subcontracting, packaging, and assembly services to enterprises. Closest direct peer in terms of service mix and B2B sheltered-workshop model.
• Vitamine T: French social enterprise operating adapted enterprises and sheltered workshops offering industrial subcontracting, logistics, and packaging services. Comparable B2B service portfolio with similar social-employment positioning.
• L'Arche: International federation operating ateliers and ESAT-equivalent workshops employing people with disabilities in craft and light-industrial production. Comparable social-enterprise model combining sheltered employment with artisanal output.
• ADAPEI: Federation of French associations operating ESATs and sheltered-employment services for disabled workers across regions. Directly comparable as a parallel ESAT operator serving enterprise B2B clients with the same regulatory OETH-compliance value proposition.

Regional players

• Le Tanneur: Historic French leather-goods brand producing bags, small leather goods, and accessories, primarily for the French market. Comparable in product category (handcrafted leather goods) for the Graine de Cuir sub-brand.

Emerging players

• Polène: Fast-growing French D2C leather-goods brand selling handcrafted bags and accessories online and through its own boutiques. Comparable go-to-market (D2C e-commerce + flagship boutique) to Graine de Cuir, and the most direct French mid-market competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 Les Ateliers du Moulin a Vent