The Alkos Group has just inaugurated its new Inter Cosmétiques plant near Angers, France—a 17,000 m² factory built on a plot of 46,000 m² (three times the size of the former factory also located in Angers). PhilippePavageau, CEO, looked back on the Group’s track record and on the construction of this factory, which took two years :
 
“The challenge was to reposition Inter Cosmétiques, one of our entities, as a major industrial player in the sector of personal care and makeup contract manufacturing,” explained Philippe Pavageau, “by providing the company with an industrial tool that would allow the best conditions for producing the innovative formulas devised by our marketing teams and developed by our R&D teams.”
 
The entire relocation project lasted two years (2016/2017). The logistics activity moved first in December 2017, while the complete transfer from the former sites to the new one was completed at the end of March 2018.
 
The new site offers a bigger manufacturing capacity (1,400 m²) and a very large surface area for the conditioning workshop (3,000 m²). Brand new equipment was also installed, including a new Atex6 ton-tank for the cold processing of liquids, a next-generation lipstick filling machine equipped with metal and silicone pans with automatic feeding (labeling, mechanical nominal output of 60 pcs / min on average). According to Alkos, these new investments will enable Inter Cosmétiques to increase its production and manufacturing capacity by about 40%. This also allows the Group to have a manufacturing workshop with the highest international standards, to gain competitiveness and consolidate the quality of customer service.
 
 “Working conditions have also improved considerably,” explained Pavageau. “It is important to stress that we are also committed to a very active Corporate Social Responsibility policy, which is part of our values,and which meets the expectations of all our key accounts. As such, we are proud to have recently been granted theEcovadis GoldCertification for the Inter Cosmétiques and Alkos sites.”
 
Three entities
Alkos Group includes Inter Cosmétiques, Sagal Cosmétiques and Alkos Cosmétiques under its name to serve global players of the cosmetic industry worldwide. Inventor of the wooden makeup pencil, Alkos Cosmétiques says it “is now at the forefront of technological innovation for plastic pencils,” and says it is the sole French cosmetic manufacturer to produce “Made in France” high quality makeup pencils, with responsive service and competitive prices.
 
Inter Cosmétiques is a skincare specialist and a makeup expert. Its two specific R&D laboratories follow market trends and develop standard or tailor-made formulas for skincare and makeup. With its machinery equipment and technical means, Inter Cosmétiques can adapt to the most diverse and comprehensive demands.  Founded in the 1980s by three major French perfumers, Sagal Cosmétiques is a reference in the cosmetic and perfume industry, renowned for its high-quality perfumed soaps and deo sticks.
 
PHOTO: Philippe Pavageau, CEO, Alkos Group, cuts the ribbon at the new plant opening; Florence Lefeuvre (at his right) looks on.
 
—From Beauty Packaging’s European correspondent, Jean-Yves Bourgeois