CDK Technologies continues to grow » PACA’s economic and political letter

6 months after the acquisition of CDK Technologies by Inspiring Sport Capital, the stated ambitions find a first materialization today with an exclusive discussion for the acquisition of the La Rochelle company well known to skippers, C3 Technologies.

This external growth operation completes the extension of its Lorient buildings planned for the second quarter of 2023.

Since its takeover by Inspiring Sport Capital, CDK Technologies has displayed new ambitions driven by its new management team. « We have given ourselves the time to analyze our environment and identify areas for development: consolidate our position as leader in offshore racing, specialize our surfaces and our equipment in order to improve the manufacturing performance of certain elements such as foils, strengthen the expertise of our teams and put us on the path to becoming a solid partner in the growth of the maritime sector, from luxury yachting to low-carbon mobility solutions”, announces Cyril Abiteboul, CEO of CDK Technologies.

CDK Technologies in exclusive discussions for the acquisition of C3 Technologies.

As part of this strategy, CDK Technologies will acquire C3 Technologies, one of its historical partners whose company shares the positioning and culture. “I would like to thank Jean-Marie Buignet for his confidence in CDK Technologies for the future of C3 Technologies. This agreement is a means of accelerating the implementation of our strategy, particularly around the foil market for which C3 Technologies is a historic and highly recognized player,” says Cyril Abiteboul. Based in Périgny, the latter, which has 28 employees, has been highly specialized for more than 15 years in the design and manufacture of high-performance composite parts (prototypes and series) such as daggerboards and rudders, internal boat structures and composite technical equipment. “C3 Technologies, based in La Rochelle, benefits from great momentum and a substantial pool of jobs. It addresses a market very close to ours, which is part of our strategy of consolidating our position through integration and specialization. We also want to move into new markets, but not to the detriment of our historic market, offshore racing, which is increasingly demanding in terms of responsiveness, speed and quality,” he continues.

For his part, Jean-Marie Buignet, Managing Director, is also delighted with this upcoming takeover: “Hubert Desjoyeaux has always been, for me, a human and technical reference. As such, the fact that the history of C3 Technologies is part of that of CDK Technologies and in the dynamic driven by the new team resonates perfectly with the growth and expansion ambitions that I have for our company. I am convinced that our common passions and our future collaborations will be beneficial and will contribute to the reputation of CDK Technologies. »

An extension of the workshops planned for 2023

Beyond its external growth strategy, the site has planned an extension of 6,000 m2 of its buildings in Lorient, which will start next year. The work will be spread over two years. “Beyond the extension, the specialization of our offer will also go through that of our surfaces. This will allow us to establish our position as a reliable partner of offshore racing, but also to diversify with new spaces dedicated to the requests of the customers that we intend to address in the yachting industry, or in other industries requiring high performance composite application, » says Cyril Abiteboul. “Quality and productivity must be exemplary. Our ambition is also that the working environments of the teams, adapted to the regulations of today and tomorrow, become a reference that the players in sailing will be proud to mobilise”, he specifies.

About CDK Technologies

Created more than 35 years ago by Hubert Desjoyeaux, the CDK Composites shipyard, which became CDK Technologies in 1993, is a leading shipbuilder in the field of large high-performance composite parts. He works on all the parts that make up a racing sailboat: multihull and monohull platforms, masts, booms and foils for the Ultimate, OCEAN Fifty and IMOCA categories. The track record accumulated by the 40 boats built by the shipyard – around thirty titles in first-class races – make CDK Technologies the most successful shipyard. It will also be the most represented shipyard at the next major offshore racing events.

The expertise accumulated by the hundred employees of CDK Technologies on its two sites of Lorient and Port-La-Forêt alongside the greatest skippers, as well as the unique production tools in Europe in the treatment of carbon, allow the shipyard to play a key role in the decarbonization of the maritime industry, in particular through its participation in the consortium initiated by the Chantiers de l’Atlantique for the implementation of the Silenseas project.

About C3 Technologies:

It is following a long experience within CRAIN*, mainly focused on the America’s Cup, that C3 Technologies was born. On the strength of the know-how acquired in these areas of excellence, the Company, very connected to the world of ocean racing, has been able to build a strong reputation in terms of the quality, precision and reliability of its productions. By specializing in the construction of appendages and structures for racing yachts, it quickly touched a large part of the players in this world as exciting as it is demanding, and had the pleasure of equipping, with structures and appendages, the six last winners of the Vendée-Globe as well as the giant trimarans of the Ultim class.

During its recent history, C3 Technologies has been able to diversify and approach other fields of application of high performance composites such as industry (defense) or aeronautics. Offering solutions and developing innovative processes for complex productions constitute the Company’s DNA. It has thus developed and perfected original and innovative techniques to produce in a single operation (Oneshot technique) all the constituent elements of the aerostructure of a two-seater carbon aircraft: wing, fuselage, ailerons, flaps, elevators and leadership…

About INSPIRING SPORT CAPITAL: www.inspiringsportcapital.com

INSPIRING SPORT CAPITAL is an investment company based in Paris and London 100% dedicated to the sports industry and economy. Beyond financial resources, ISC provides specific strategic support to managers through unique expertise in sports marketing and the evolution of its economic models, by implementing consolidation policies, and by pooling the levers of digital transformation. and international expansion.

ISC was founded in 2014 by Laurent Damiani and Lucien Boyer, two pioneering entrepreneurs in international sport business who became hands-on investors. They bring together around them a strategic committee made up of leading economic, institutional and sports players.

ISC has already invested in three other verticals: gaming with the acquisition of Funbridge and BBO, now merged under 52 Entertainment (this group also bought Virtual Regatta), golf with Piguy Golf Challenge, Duchell, Range King and Golf Support merged under PGC Group and the outdoor with