57 countries, eight subsidiaries: how the export business was built

Hexagone Manufacture was founded in 1987 by Richard Chouraqui and Jean-Pierre Pappalardo, at a time when the pool market was growing fast and no European manufacturer offered this kind of robot. The founding choice was the public pool, and it has never changed.

In 2002 Yoann Chouraqui joined the company and took charge of sales and international development. "That's when I began deploying an export strategy. After all, public swimming pools exist everywhere in the world," he told Bpifrance.

The figures he gives today: 101 people, 57 countries, eight subsidiaries — Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Italy, the Benelux region and Scandinavia. Exports account for 52% of a €17.6 million revenue, for a 25% global market share. Names like CHRONO MP3, EXPRESSO XL or VIKING MP3 mean nothing to the general public; they are nonetheless at work in one public pool in four worldwide.

His reading of what worked comes down to a few points, none of them a formula. A solid marketing department, so the customer understands what they are buying. Good documentation in the local language. Teams able to work in English. Serious attention to each country's regulations and certification requirements, which resemble each other nowhere. And hard negotiation with carriers, because logistics weigh.

Above all he insists on responsiveness. The sector has around fifty competitors worldwide. "You can't respond to an inquiry five days later — it's a matter of trust, especially when you are far away from your clients."

The hardest part to pass on comes last. "In an export business, you build unique relationships with people. Sometimes you meet their families — it becomes a cultural exchange. You need to be prepared for that, but it's also what makes this work so rewarding."