At the age of 52, Guillaume Lagarrigue left Bordeaux, his native land, to…
At 52, Guillaume Lagarrigue left Bordeaux, his native land, to embark on a new adventure. “For six years, I was general manager of a kitchen and bathroom furniture manufacturing company. We had 200 employees for 34 million euros in turnover. I felt like I was drifting away from who I was. » A lover of “human contact”, he wanted to invest in a structure “that works directly or indirectly for the planet”. He thus hopes to “take the baton” before passing it on in around fifteen years.
Three competitors
“The objective is to put people at the heart of our organization and to make biodiversity a key element of our strategy. » The Landes company benefited from strong media coverage in 2003 during the sinking of the oil tanker “Prestige”, the cause of the most serious oil spill in the history of the Aquitaine coast. “The government had ordered between 80 and 100 machines to equip the municipalities. There had been a huge period of activity for eighteen months. »
Today, the company is present in around a hundred French municipalities and generates 50% of its turnover in France. Its second largest market remains Spain (30% of turnover). “Export is a major issue. Certain geographic areas need help with pollution control. Everyone has already seen images of beaches littered with rubbish,” says Guillaume Lagarrigue. Positioned in a niche sector, the company has only three competitors in the world.
“The government had ordered between 80 and 100 machines to equip the municipalities”
Landes machines use the screening technique to clean the sand. “A blade goes in and collects between five and ten centimeters of sand, which is then deposited on a vibrating metal belt. The sand falls on the beach and the waste ends up in a dumpster,” he continues. Larger models can clean up to 20,000 square meters of beach per hour. The company only sells the machine: it is not involved in the cleaning service.
Guillaume Lagarrigue and Ghislaine Canicas in front of the company’s premises in Vieux-Boucau.
Pams Marbles
Working on sustainability
Having just arrived in the company, Guillaume Lagarrigue wishes to understand the needs of the sector in order to define new areas of work. “We can also position ourselves on the protection of the coastline, contribute to the renaturation and preservation of biodiversity,” indicates the business manager. It therefore aims to reduce turnover to 1.8 million euros in order to tackle this new shift in the best conditions (2025 turnover is 1.3 million euros).
To sustain its development, the company relies on its territorial roots. It works with suppliers based in Magescq, Dax and, for some of them, in Spain. “In January, we will launch an eco-design audit to determine what proportion of made in France we are achieving. »
The Landes company is also leading a functionality and cooperation economy project to think about “how to continue to exist without depending solely on the sale of new products”. So far, Pams Canicas relies on its experience and know-how to assemble “sustainable” machines. “With regular maintenance, some models can operate for more than twenty years. » The business leader now wishes to strengthen this axis around the sustainability of his products. “Rather than manufacturing something new, the idea is to offer retrofits,” explains Guillaume Lagarrigue.
