Skip to main content

Plastimo:

The right course

for 6O years!

About us

Plastimo is an emblematic brand of the yachting industry, accompanying sailors and yachting professionals on all seas of the world.

 

Our values

 

Our proprietary ranges carry the DNA of the Plastimo brand
and are complemented by a selection of well-known specialist brands.

In all, there are 11,000 products that share the core values that have become the true points of reference for the Plastimo team:

Safety

Article image 2
Article image 2

At Plastimo safety is a commitment at the brand's DNA, as evidenced by the latest lifejackets, lanyards and harnesses born in the Lorient R&D department. This has been the company's philosophy for 60 years.

Button

Innovation

Card image 2
Card image 2

At sea, safe is simple. The most innovative product is only valuable if it is intuitive to use. This is what Plastimo is all about, every day, to be able to offer you a range of products at the cutting edge of maritime technology, in line with our values, our expertise and our 60 years of knowledge.

Button

the pleasure of the practitioner

Card image 3
Card image 3

At Plastimo, we never lose sight of your goal: the pleasure of enjoying the sea with confidence. Whether you are a yachtsman who wants to make a success of his family cruise, a sailor who doesn't give up or a professional who wants to satisfy his customers, with Plastimo, the sea smiles at you!

Button

The service to the professional

Card image 4
Card image 4

Plastimo is attentive to changing habits, to the evolution of boats and to the demands of its customers. Our presence on the market for 60 years gives us a maturity and a perfect knowledge of the needs of the network and the boaters.

Button

Research
& development

0 

years of experience

0 

products

+0

specialized brands

Plastimo has an integrated R & D team, composed of engineers and technicians with complementary specialties, allowing to study a product in its global environment and to develop a complete solution: plastic injection and plasturgy, sewing and welding of coated fabrics, electromechanics are as many technologies which are mixed on a boat... and in the Plastimo Design Office.

design image
design image

Our history

Discover the most important dates of the last 60 years!

  • 1963
    1963

    Catalog of 215 pages, 2 500 products.
    400 employees in Lorient. Opening of the Plastimo UK subsidiary in the United Kingdom.

    1978 : the compasses became the ambassadorial range of Plastimo, as shown by several catalog covers over the years.

  • 1970
    1970

    Nearly 2,000 products in the catalog, 85% of which are manufactured in Lorient.

    150 employees, ¾ of the production workforce. The pace becomes industrial, the design office is organized, and Plastimo receives the Hermine d'Or de l'Exportation in 1970.

    1963: the Plein Ciel vest, the "must-have" on board. Until the 1980s, the Glénans uniform.

  • 1972
    1972

    1st magnetic compass made entirely of plastic.

    By 1974, the range included 20 models of compasses, specifically designed for yachting and 3 to 4 times less expensive than traditional brass and mineral glass compasses.With these compasses, Plastimo's reputation, until then limited to vests and fenders in France, took on an international dimension, accelerated by the launch of the dual-reading Contest in 1975.

    The mythical Contest compass, vintage version from 1973.

  • 1974
    1974

    300 employees. On the Fishing Port, the factory now occupies 4,500 m² and workshop extensions are necessary.

    The export activity develops (50 countries) and the company receives the Oscar of Exportation.

  • 1976
    1976

    Launch of the Shark electronic range and the Navik speed controller.

    "Oldie but Goldie", the Navik will remain in the catalog for 30 years, until 2006.Plastimo receives the "Laurier d'Or de l'Expansion".

    Shark electronics & Navik windvane gear.

  • 1978
    1978

    Catalog of 215 pages, 2 500 products.

    400 employees in Lorient. Opening of the Plastimo UK subsidiary in the United Kingdom.

    1978 : the compasses became the ambassadorial range of Plastimo, as shown by several catalog covers over the years.

  • 1979
    liferaft_1979

    The Design Office specializes, the DNA of the brand becomes clear: Safety and Compass.

    Capitalizing on its expertise in sewing and welding coated fabrics, Plastimo launches its first life raft. The double chamber principle (still exclusive to this day) is a guarantee of reliability and resistance over time. Plastimo will also be a pioneer with many innovations on the liferafts (waterproof pre-bag, percussion head with assisted release...). Imitated since then by all manufacturers, Plastimo was the first to launch the 12-year warranty on rafts.

    1979 : 470 employees in Lorient.

  • 1980
    1980

    Plastimo adopts a real marketing approach: brand work, corporate communication, market studies, focus groups with boaters and racers, etc. opening the way to new ranges:

    1981: launch of sailboards 1982: collection of sea wear, including the legendary Clima jacket 1984: first plastic jib furler 1987: Navman, the first portable digital chart plotter. 1992: Plastimo consolidates its presence in Europe: export markets represent 40% of the activity.

    The cult Clima jacket seen on all the pontoons for nearly 20 years

  • 1993
    1993

    Pioneer of the inflatable vest: anticipating the future, Plastimo launches its first model on the export markets.

    It was not until 1995 that French regulations authorized inflatable vests in safety equipment: Plastimo already had a complete, tried-and-tested range that was highly appreciated by export customers. COMPASS PRIMES : in 1992, the Offshore compass won the first Industrial Design Prize in France, then Germany, USA and Japan.

    1994: same award in France and Japan, this time for the Iris 50.

  • 2000
    2000

    Plastimo is more than ever the specialist in the safety specialist, as shown by the loyalty of the great skippers.

    In 2000: Grant Dalton, winner of The Race on Club Med, wearing an Optisafe vest. And two promising young skippers: Alain Gautier and Michel Desjoyeaux.

    Optisafe: the favorite vest of top skippers in the 2000s

  • 2008
    2008

    2008: launch of AdvanSea Electronics.

    2010 : ISO 9001 certified factory for the design, manufacture and maintenance of life jackets & life rafts.

  • 2013
    2013

    The company celebrates its 50th anniversary and its 3 millionth compass!

     

  • 2014
    2014

    The brand reaffirms its industrial vocation: safety and compasses, as well as its mission: ergonomics integrated with pleasure at sea.

    New impetus for the brand, driven by a wave of new products.

  • 2023
    plastimo logo 60 ans

    Plastimo à 60 ans 

Our worldwide network

We have a strong presence in France and in Europe. We benefit from a worldwide distribution network.

An international scale

Nearly half of our activity is carried out abroad, notably through famous distributors in countries with a strong maritime vocation.

0 

dealers in France

+ 0 

countries as distributors

Our emblematic products

 

While compasses, lifejackets and liferafts have built Plastimo's reputation worldwide, our ranges also include deck, anchor and on-board comfort equipment. These proprietary ranges designed by Plastimo carry the brand's DNA and are complemented by a selection of famous specialist brands.

  • Liferafts
  • Compasses
  • Lifejackets