HERIPRET, our partner portrait

It was 44 years ago that HERIPRET built its expertise in manufacturing and maintaining overhead cranes for handling loads from 125 kg to 120 tonnes over spans of up to 35 meters. Founded in Wingles, in the Hauts-de-France region, in 1977 by Mr Heripret, the eponymous company went on to focus on maintaining lifting equipment, overhead cranes and hoists. It now operates from a facility of more than 5,500m² that includes its own production unit. Current CEO Mr MAITREPIERRE joined in 1992, tasked with growing the crane maintenance and upgrade services. A second agency followed in Valenciennes in 1993, a third in Calais in 1996, and a fourth in Abbeville in 1999. Mr MAITREPIERRE took ownership of the company in 2006 when its founder retired.

HERIPRET now employs 90 people, with over 3000 of its units currently in service. Its expertise reaches well beyond northern France, with HERIPRET carrying out installations at sites across the whole country. This experience, combined with its technical resources, lets the company deliver dependable aerial handling solutions tailored to the varied needs of customers in every industry. HERIPRET has belonged to the Verlinde after-sales service and EUROPONT networks since each was founded.

Interview with Mr Daniel Maitrepierre, CEO of Heripret

Tell us about your company's activities.

We specialise in aerial handling using swivel hooks, and our business rests on three pillars: production, maintenance and other services.
We build overhead cranes using VERLINDE components, and our catalogue offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of hoists and lifting devices available on the market.

We offer both innovative and high-performance systems designed for overhead handling, including single-girder and double-girder cranes, whether overhead-mounted or suspended, column-mounted jib cranes, and electric chain hoists.

We manage projects from start to finish — from the initial study handled by our design office, through crane manufacture in our production facility, to final installation. Whether standard or custom-built, our products suit every industry and meet current safety standards, including ATEX certification.

Does your installation service also cover maintenance?

We are experienced in managing both corrective and preventive maintenance of our installations, for Verlinde as well as every other handling-equipment manufacturer. Our qualified technicians keep installations running long-term through regular, thorough inspections (68 checkpoints) of the various lifting systems.

For us, the weight being lifted matters far less than how often the equipment is used — usage rate is what determines maintenance frequency.

We provide 3 types of preventive maintenance: interventions carried out within 24 hours; regular general inspections, including provision for test loads; and finally, integrated on-call services covering fleet management.

Every maintenance contract includes tracking through a CMMS, letting us manage essential elements such as the maintenance schedule, task frequency, availability rate, cost allocation, and more.

How is your company organized?

We have 90 employees, 55 of whom are mobile on-site technicians working across our 4 linked agencies, letting us respond to on-site calls 24/7. Our stock of genuine spare parts, our own access equipment (aerial platforms), test facilities (50 tonnes of test weights) and specialised tools all ensure customers get their installations running again as quickly as possible.

Ongoing training, the right authorisations, team spirit, mutual support and advisory services all underpin our efficiency.

How would you sum up your company culture?

We're a well-organised SME where decisions are made collectively across teams. From supervisors to technicians, we share a genuine corporate culture centred on the customer. Our management system, built on the MASE standard (Company Safety Improvement Manual), keeps us closely attuned to our employees' needs and concerns.

Which certifications do you hold?

Our production facility holds ISO 9001 2015 certification; our service agencies are MASE certified (Company Safety Improvement Manual). Managed day-to-day by our QSSE department, these systems deliver the traceability and rigour we owe both our staff and our customers.

What is your growth strategy?

On the services front, we've spent 15 years building up maintenance contracts with our clients. It's a winning approach: our daily presence keeps customers' equipment safe and available, and we also advise them on continually upgrading their lifting equipment.

We also offer compliance services, including refurbishing existing installations to boost their performance.

On the manufacturing side, over the past 3 years we've chosen to extend our original standard crane range (between 3.2 and 15 tonnes) to include heavier-capacity cranes of 60, 80 or 100 tonnes. Backed by VERLINDE, we're growing this product line for new markets — for instance Naval Group in Brittany, which handles submarine assembly parts, where an 80-tonne crane is due to be installed soon. FRAMATOME is another example, for whom we built and installed a 75-tonne crane. A 115-tonne crane for General Electric will shortly leave our production facility, and we also build cranes for specific applications (ATEX standard; Explosion-proof) for several RATP sites. We've also taken on a sales representative dedicated to this product and service line.

How do you view your growth given the Covid-19 pandemic?

2020 turned out well for the company. Although 2021 feels less certain, largely due to weaker economic confidence, we remain confident in planning for future growth.
Our strategy of building up maintenance contracts is proving highly valuable right now; understanding customer needs has never mattered more, and we stand alongside them to support their growth.
Remote working has changed daily routines and slowed decision-making, and we factor this into our commercial approach too.