Gape Cemes

What Gape Cemes does

Gape Cemes is a privately-held French industrial production ecosystem headquartered in Vouneuil-sous-Biard, near Poitiers. Founded in 1988 as Gape and structured under the HGCI holding since 2013, the group comprises two operating business units — Gape (industrial automation, robotics, cobotics, and electrical wiring/assembly) and Cemes (design and construction of special assembly and packaging machines) — plus HGCI as the support-services entity. The company combines mechanical design (TopSolid, SolidWorks), electrotechnical engineering (See Electrical Expert), multi-platform automation programming (Siemens, Schneider, Omron, Rockwell), robotics integration across Universal Robots, Stäubli, Fanuc, Kuka, Denso, Adept, and ABB, and industrial vision from Keyence, Cognex, and Omron. With approximately 40 employees and combined revenue above €6 million, Gape Cemes delivers turnkey production solutions — from prototype to complete line — to industrial manufacturers across France (notably Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire, and Centre-Val de Loire), with documented delivery into pharmaceutical sterile filling (Fareva, Recipharm, GSK), packaging (Quadripack, Gebo Cermex, Mondelez, IMA), aerospace (Safran), automotive (Valeo), and energy (Itron, Saft, Forsee Power, Schneider Electric). Specialized capabilities include high-cadence packaging up to 1,500 tablets per minute and aseptic-environment production lines.

Gape Cemes monetizes primarily through project-based, custom-quoted contracts: one-time project revenue from custom special machine design and manufacturing, professional services revenue from automation/robotics integration and commissioning, and product revenue from electrical cabinets and proprietary lines such as the Gape Gesi nautical terminal series and pedagogical training equipment sold to apprenticeship centers (AFORP, CFAI). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers obtain quotes via direct contact. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with on-site consultation, supported by a corporate website, LinkedIn, YouTube, email newsletter, and limited earned media (e.g., L'Usine Nouvelle, November 2020). Strategic partnerships add platform reach: Item for modular components (regional representation since September 2020) and Universal Robots for cobot integration, alongside sub-brands Gape Cobots and Cemes Wrapping Machines. Ownership remains private, controlled by co-founders Jean-Michel Jousseaume (President of HGCI, CEO of Cemes) and Didier Crenn (CEO of HGCI, CEO of Gape), with BPI France Excellence labeling and regional Nouvelle-Aquitaine support indicating public-sector endorsement but no external institutional capital.

Name

Gape Cemes

Legal name

HGCI

Website

https://gape-cemes.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gape Cemes is a privately-held French industrial automation integrator and special machine builder, serving pharmaceutical, packaging, automotive, aerospace, and energy manufacturers with custom production lines, robotics integration, and electrical cabinet manufacturing, operating from Vouneuil-sous-Biard under the HGCI holding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vouneuil-sous-biard

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

Revenue model

1. Custom Special Machine Design and Manufacturing: Design, engineering, and fabrication of custom special and semi-standard machines for assembly, packaging, and specific environments. Projects range from prototypes to complete production lines. Revenue generated through one-time project-based contracts.
2. Automation and Robotics Integration Services: Engineering studies, programming, installation, and commissioning of industrial automation systems, robotic cells, and cobot integrations. Services include electrical cabinet manufacturing, wiring, and assembly. Revenue generated through project-based professional services.
3. Electrical Cabinet and Equipment Manufacturing: Manufacturing of control cabinets, enclosures, and electrical equipment for industrial applications. Includes both series production and custom unit orders. Revenue through product sales and assembly services.
4. Gape Gesi Nautical Products: Sale of proprietary nautical/harbor electrical distribution equipment under the Gape Gesi brand. In-house product line serving marina and waterfront infrastructure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gape-Cemes is an industrial production ecosystem (Gape + Cemes under HGCI holding) that designs, engineers, and manufactures custom special machines and turnkey production lines for assembly, packaging, and specific-environment manufacturing. The company integrates industrial automation, robotics and cobotics, industrial vision, and electrical cabinet/wiring capabilities, serving industrial manufacturers from feasibility study and prototype through to commissioning and after-sales service.

Product overview

Gape Cemes is an industrial production ecosystem comprising three companies: Gape (automation, robotics, cobotics, wiring), Cemes (special machines for assembly and conditioning), and HGCI (support functions). With 40+ employees and over 6M€ revenue, the ecosystem offers a comprehensive portfolio from concept to turnkey production lines. The core Production Solution unifies mechanical design (TopSolid, SolidWorks), electrotechnical studies (SEE Electrical Expert), automation programming (Siemens, Schneider, Omron, Rockwell), robotics integration (Universal Robots, ABB, Kuka, Fanuc, Stäubli), industrial vision (Keyence, Cognex, Omron), wiring/assembly, and special machine fabrication. Gape also operates specialized sub-brands including Gape Cobots (Universal Robots cobot integration) and Gape Gesi (nautical terminals), while Cemes operates Cemes Wrapping Machines (high-speed packaging). The ecosystem leverages strategic partnerships with Universal Robots and Item for modular components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gape Gesi: Marque de bornes nautiques pour les pontons et les berges, issue de l'expertise industrielle acquise depuis plus de 30 ans.

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ItemcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2020Cemes partnered with Item in September 2020 to offer solutions using Item's modular component systems (casings, actuators, etc.). Cemes represents Item in the Nouvelle Aquitaine and Pays de la Loire regions. This partnership enables provision of semi-finished and finished products of high quality using modular components.
• Universal RobotscoreTechnology or IntegrationGape is a partner of Universal Robots for collaborative robot (cobot) integration. Gape helps clients optimize production tool performance, improve workstation layout, and address musculoskeletal disorders (TMS) through cobot integration. Gape-cobots.com is a dedicated subsidiary website for cobot solutions.
• Cemes Wrapping MachinescoreOthersCemes Wrapping Machines (cemeswm.com) is a related brand focused on high-speed wrapping and packaging machinery, complementing the special machines business.
• Gape CobotscoreOthersGape-cobots.com is a dedicated website for collaborative robot solutions, a subsidiary brand focused on cobot integration services using Universal Robots technology.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bausch + Ströbel: German specialist in aseptic pharmaceutical filling and packaging machines. Closely aligned with Gape Cemes' sterile and high-cadence packaging niche serving pharma groups like GSK and Recipharm.
• Sidel: French-based global provider of packaging line solutions for beverages, food and home/personal care. Comparable as a French-headquartered packaging-machinery specialist with similar enterprise customer profile.
• Sepro Group: French-Chinese robot and automation integrator specializing in plastics processing and general industrial automation. Closely comparable French SME-sized systems integrator competing in similar mid-market deals.
• Syntegon Technology: German-based packaging machinery specialist (formerly Bosch Packaging Technology) focused on pharma, food and FMCG lines. Comparable in high-speed and aseptic packaging capability Gape Cemes offers to European manufacturers.
• Körber Pharma: German pharma machinery group covering processing, packaging and vision. Directly comparable in pharmaceutical packaging and aseptic production equipment Gape Cemes delivers to customers like Fareva and Recipharm.
• IMA Group: Italian global leader in packaging and processing machinery for pharma, cosmetics and food. Directly comparable as a special-machines and packaging-line builder serving many of the same enterprise customers (IMA is itself also referenced as a Gape customer).

Broad incumbents

• Stäubli Robotics: Global robot manufacturer and integrator across pharma, food and industrial markets. Comparable technology overlap (robot integration) and customer overlap, but operates as a much larger incumbent OEM.
• Bosch Rexroth: Global automation, drives and assembly technology provider with factory automation and assembly solutions. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering overlapping automation and assembly-line capabilities for industrial manufacturers.
• Fives Group: Large French industrial engineering group with broad machinery, automation and process-equipment capabilities. Comparable as a French-headquartered industrial-machinery player but much larger and more diversified.

Emerging players

• BA Systèmes: French integrator of robotic cells and special machines for industrial customers. Closely comparable in business model (custom robotic and special-machine integration) and French SME scale, though focused on specific sub-segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8eo_kKDw8e0YG6EojCQBCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gape

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 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 Gape Cemes