Industrial success for sustainable innovation

Olikrom goes industrial to meet soaring demand

In an interview with Placéco, Jean-François Létard, founder and president of Olikrom, gives a positive assessment of the company’s industrial ramp-up. Founded in 2014, the Gironde-based SME specializing in smart materials has transformed laboratory know-how into a competitive industrial offering. Today, Olikrom has its own production lines in Pessac, where coatings capable of reacting to stimuli such as temperature, light, pressure or even the presence of gas are manufactured. This complete mastery, from pigment to formulation, enables the company to provide tailor-made solutions to numerous French and international manufacturers.

Among our flagship innovations, LuminoKrom® photoluminescent paint stands out for its ability to capture daylight and restore it at night for over 10 hours, without the need for electricity. Already adopted by over 150 local authorities, it embodies Olikrom’s positioning at the crossroads of safety, energy transition and economic performance.

A winning strategy combining innovation, sovereignty and international deployment

With references including Eiffage, Airbus, ArianeGroup, Safran and Thalès, Olikrom demonstrates that innovation made in France can meet critical needs in mobility, defense, aeronautics, healthcare and even luxury goods. The company is also involved in strategic collaborative projects, such as the one with Thalès DMS and SECO to develop SmartKrom, an intelligent colored additive designed to improve the traceability of surface treatments.

To support this dynamic, Olikrom has invested 6 million euros to triple the surface area of its industrial site. The new complex, which will be operational in 2024, will double the workforce, boost production capacity and enable us to continue the pre-industrialization of new, high value-added products. This expansion confirms the company’s ambition to become a world leader in color-change materials, while anchoring its development in France, in the heart of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.