Graves Workshops

What Graves Workshops does

Graves Workshops (legal name ATELIERS DES GRAVES, marketed as ADG — Les Ateliers des Graves) is a French industrial equipment designer and integrator founded in 1981 and headquartered in Villeneuve-Tolosane near Toulouse. With approximately 40 employees, the company delivers turnkey custom industrial equipment — from feasibility studies and value analysis through detailed design, fabrication, installation, and industrialization — for clients in Aeronautics, Defense, Nuclear, Space, Environment, Energy, and Simulators. Its revenue mix blends one-time project contracts, recurring Maintenance in Operational Condition (MCO) services (notably for SID and Naval Group), and hardware sales of simulators and test systems.

The company's core technology stack combines mechanical engineering expertise in welding (aluminum, steel, stainless steel per EN ISO3834), sheet metal work, and special processes with CAD/CAE tools (CATIA V5, PRO-ENGINEER, ROBOT, ANSYS, FEMAP/NASTRAN) supporting static, dynamic, seismic, and thermomechanical simulation. It operates from a Toulouse-area workshop with a satellite agency in Toulon, and holds an unusually deep certification stack for a firm of its size: ISO 9001:2015, EN 9100:2018 (aerospace), EN 1090 EXC3 (steel/stainless/aluminum structures), EN ISO3834-2 (welding), and EcoVadis Bronze (61/100, Top 35%).

ADG's go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with each project staffed by a dedicated engineer serving as the single point of contact from concept through final acceptance. Customer relationships are anchored by major French primes (Airbus, ATR, Dassault Aviation, Naval Group/SID) and large environment operators (VEOLIA, SUEZ), with public-sector and education tenders (INSA Toulouse, DGAC) supplementing the mix. Marketing is modest — primarily LinkedIn, YouTube project videos, and the company website — consistent with a reputation-driven, project-based industrial services model.

Name

Graves Workshops

Legal name

ATELIERS DES GRAVES

Website

https://adg-sa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Graves Workshops (ADG) is a 40-person French industrial designer and integrator founded in 1981, delivering turnkey custom equipment and ongoing maintenance for aerospace, defense, naval, nuclear, space, and environment primes including Airbus, Dassault, and VEOLIA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Engineering and Custom Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing (3331)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Cranes, Hoists & Overhead Material Handling (Industrial) (IMAHABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Attachments & Work Tools (Buckets, Augers, Hammers) (IMAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Industrial equipment design
• Aerospace tooling integration
• Defense naval equipment
• Custom mechanical engineering
• Special process welding

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeneuve-tolosane

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Industrial Equipment Design & Manufacturing: Turnkey industrial equipment projects from feasibility studies through fabrication, installation, and industrialization. Includes engineering services, manufacturing, and on-site installation.
2. Maintenance in Operational Condition (MCO): Ongoing maintenance contracts for naval defense, water treatment plants, and industrial facilities, providing continuous support and spare parts
3. Simulator and Test Equipment Supply: Design and manufacture of simulators, test benches, and validation systems for industrial, medical, and aerospace applications

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Graves Workshops (ADG - Les Ateliers des Graves) designs, engineers, manufactures, and integrates complex custom industrial equipment for demanding sectors including Aeronautics, Defense/Naval, Nuclear, Space, Environment, and Energy. The company delivers turnkey projects from feasibility studies and value analysis through detailed design, fabrication, on-site installation, and industrialization, complemented by ongoing maintenance in operational condition (MCO) for installed equipment.

Product overview

ADG (Les Ateliers des Graves) is an industrial equipment designer and integrator offering a unified portfolio centered on mechanical engineering and custom manufacturing. The core offering combines engineering services (feasibility studies, value analysis, preliminary design, detailed implementation) with in-house fabrication and on-site installation capabilities. Product offerings span aerospace tooling (production outillage, test benches, handling equipment), defense equipment (naval MCO systems), nuclear fabrication equipment, space Ground Support Equipment, environmental/energy machinery (sludge treatment machines), and simulator/test systems. All offerings are custom-designed and built to client specifications with associated engineering studies, manufacturing, and installation services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Industrial Equipment Design and Integration End-to-end design, engineering, and integration of complex industrial equipment spanning feasibility studies, value analysis, preliminary design, detailed implementation, and industrialization for sectors including Aeronautics, Defense, Energy, Environment, Nuclear, and Space.
• Aerospace Tooling and Outillage Production tooling, handling equipment, workstations, and test benches for aircraft assembly operations for clients such as Airbus and ATR. Equipment ranges from manual to mobile and motor-driven variants enabling operator access to complex assembly zones.
• Defense and Naval Equipment (MCO) Complex equipment for Maintenance in Operational Condition (MCO) of surface ships and submarines, including transport structures and cutting operations, executed under SID (Defense Infrastructure Service) surveillance with EXC3/EXC4 quality criteria.
• Nuclear Sector Equipment Fabrication solutions meeting high traceability and quality requirements for nuclear applications, including non-destructive testing, weld quality assurance, and rigorous documentation (Welding Book, LOFC, QMOS-DMOS, QS).
• Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and Space Integration Tooling Ground support equipment for satellite construction and antenna integration, including integration tooling and cleanroom assembly capabilities for the space sector.
• Environmental and Energy Equipment Maintenance equipment for water treatment plants (Suez, Veolia), towed windrow machines for sludge treatment, and equipment for photovoltaic panel installation.
• Simulators and Test Systems Complete systems for improving, validating, and certifying equipment, performance, or physical aptitude including test machines, embedded units, and simulated cockpits for industrial, medical, pilot training, and sports applications.
• Ergonomic Positioning Machine Ergonomic positioning machine for assembly and mounting operations featuring 750mm vertical stroke, -90° to +90° rotation, intuitive HMI control, and laser tracker precision adjustment.
• Bioreactor Test Bench Bench of 6 pressurized bioreactors for studying microbial consortia, designed and manufactured for INSA Toulouse research project after ADG won the tender.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% customers report being 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied'
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INSA ToulousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on design and fabrication of a research bench with 6 pressurized bioreactors for studying microbial consortia. ADG won the tender and manufactured equipment meeting specific scientific needs. Project involved ongoing collaboration with researchers including Léa Laguillaumie, Simon Dubos, and Nicolas Alran.
• Lycée Professionnel AirbuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADG designed and supplied training fixtures using recovered wing structures for student hands-on learning in aircraft assembly, disassembly, adjustments, safety, and professional skills. Project conducted with pedagogical teams. During royal visit, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands viewed the ADG-made training equipment.
• VEOLIAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWater treatment plant operator for whom ADG provides maintenance in operational condition (MCO) of strategic equipment. ADG completed a major silo delivery project for VEOLIA and SETMI, with VEOLIA authorizing video documentation of the project.
• SETMIminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCoordinated with ADG on silo construction project with VEOLIA authorization.
• CFA de Basso CombominorOthersVocational training center providing apprenticeship programs in welding and metalworking. Several ADG employees trained through this CFA, including Alexis Dorlet who earned welding diploma and was hired as CDI.
• GRETAminorOthersVocational training network providing welding certification (CQPM). Killian Cauquil completed welding training at GRETA before joining ADG.
• Icam - Institut Catholique d'Arts et MétiersminorOthersEngineering school providing interns and graduates to ADG. Multiple employees (Rémi, Mehdi, Xavier) trained at Icam Toulouse. Icam graduates include welders and engineers joining the company.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Latécoère: French Tier-1 aerospace supplier of aerostructures and interconnection systems to Airbus, Boeing, and Dassault. Comparable to ADG as a Toulouse-based aerospace industrial supplier with deep prime-contractor relationships and regulated-industry certifications.
• Daher: Large French aerospace, defense, and industrial group offering manufacturing, logistics, and integrated industrial projects. Comparable to ADG as a France-headquartered industrial equipment/systems provider serving aerospace and defense primes, but at substantially greater scale and broader scope.
• LISI Group: French industrial group with aerospace, automotive, and medical segments producing fasteners, structural components, and assembly solutions. Overlaps with ADG on aerospace and defense mechanical components and tooling, though LISI operates as a much larger incumbent.

Direct peers

• Assystem: French engineering and project management firm with strong nuclear and energy infrastructure focus, providing engineering services and industrial project integration. Highly comparable to ADG's engineering/design role in nuclear and energy, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Figeac Aéro: French aerospace Tier-1 supplier specializing in structural parts, mechanical sub-assemblies and tooling for Airbus, Dassault, and Safran. Highly comparable to ADG in customer base (Airbus, Dassault) and offering of aerospace tooling and assembly equipment.
• Mecachrome: French aerospace and motorsport subcontractor that designs and manufactures complex mechanical structures and tooling. Comparable to ADG as a France-based industrial equipment maker serving aerospace primes with custom-engineered solutions.

Others

• Saur: French water and environmental services operator for whom ADG performs industrial equipment maintenance contracts. Relevant adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, illustrating the customer-overlap dimension of ADG's environmental segment.

Regional players

• SPIE: French multi-technical services group delivering industrial engineering, electrical and mechanical services to industrial clients across Europe. Overlaps with ADG in industrial equipment integration and maintenance for demanding regulated industries, though at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Bertrandt: German engineering services provider to automotive, aerospace, and industrial clients, specializing in development of complex mechanical systems. Comparable to ADG as a European engineering integrator for industrial equipment and tooling projects in regulated industries.
• Akka Technologies: European engineering and technology consulting firm serving aerospace, defense, automotive, and energy clients. Comparable to ADG in delivering industrial engineering projects for French primes, though Akka operates as a consultancy/modeling specialist rather than equipment fabricator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adg-les-ateliers-des-graves

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Graves Workshops