Over 100 years old and yet SNEF has never been so young and dynamic

News for May 2022

Xavier Macaire and his new Groupe SNEF Class40 return to competition

After the launch of his brand new Class40 and the first test runs, adjustments and training sessions, it's time for Xavier Macaire to resume competition. The Groupe SNEF skipper will take the start in the CIC Normandy Channel Race on May 15 with the aim of continuing to discover and develop his new steed in preparation for the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe.

To help him in his task, Achille Nebout who has solid experience in Class40 will back him. The duo—they both know each other well reaching the podium in the 2019 Sardinha Cup—is getting together again with pleasure and great anticipation for their first confrontation on the Class40 circuit.

The CIC Normandy Channel Race will take the competitors through the Channel and the Celtic Sea on a demanding 1,000 mile course mixing coastal and ocean sailing. For a week, the duo will play in complex navigation areas such as the Normandy coasts, Southern England and even Ireland. A first race during which they will have to be strategic to make the most of it.

Xavier, what are your first impressions on board Groupe SNEF Class40 after the various test runs and adjustments?

“It's a great racing machine with a lot of potential! I'm still getting to know it, you can feel it's a bigger boat that requires more effort. For example, the manoeuvres are different, longer, you have to anticipate them more. I'm happy with my first impressions and sensations of the boat, it's powerful and has an almost infinite acceleration potential, that's what struck me from the start. In terms of potential and power, it's a good intermediary between the Figaro Bénéteau 3 and the Ocean Fifty, both of which I sailed last year.”.

What has been your program since the launch?

“We're really in the process of fine-tuning the boat. It's a phase that I really enjoy. I repeat manoeuvres, we test the sails and fine-tune the settings. With Pierre Daniellot and Guillaume Avrilla, the two boat preparers, we ask ourselves lots of questions, we analyze the data, we brainstorm to find solutions. This phase of discovery and development of the boat is really exciting.”

Will the CIC Normandy Channel Race mark your return to competition? Somewhat impatient?

“Right now, there is still a lot of work to do, we don't have time to be bored. Mentally, physically, we're on a tight rope. But it's true that I will be happy to take the start of my first race aboard the Groupe SNEF Class40. I will be super happy to arrive in Caen, especially since there are few races on the schedule.”

How are you approaching this first race?

“Above all, the objective is to be able to handle the boat well, to apply everything we have been working on since the launch, do some tests and comparisons. As far as I am concerned, the main objective is not the results, it is to continue to develop the boat. However, being how I am, I still want to be in the game; we will go there to perform well. But I don't want to put unnecessary pressure on myself in this respect.”

Why did you choose Achille Nebout as co-skipper?

““I really like Achille, he's a friend, and we get along well. That's important when you set out on a double-handed race. In addition, we have a shared history from our beginnings with the Figaro Bénéteau 3: we trained together during the pre-season and then we took part in the Sardinha Cup, finishing in a great third place. I have excellent memories of that. And then Achille has very valuable experience in Class40; he took part in the last two Transat Jacques Vabre on this type of boat and finished second in the last CIC Normandy Channel Race. He has much to bring me; it will be great to benefit from his feedback. Finally, his motivation convinced me. As soon as he knew that I had a Class40 project, he never let go of me to take part in the race!”

Achille Nebout: "Maximizing the boat's potential"

“Sailing with Xavier is an immense pleasure and a source of pride. We did it in 2019 at the start of Figaro 3 and it is still a very strong memory in my career as a professional skipper. I am very happy that he called on me again. Class40 is a class that I discovered a few years ago and more specifically last year when I took part in the CIC Normandy Channel Race with Luke Berry and I had a great time. We finished second after a hard fight and a magnificent race. I wanted to do it again and I proposed to join Xavier as co-skipper, happy that he accepted. He has a brand new boat, on my side, I have a little Class40 experience with two Transat Jacques Vabre and a CIC NCR to my credit. I'll try to pass on to him the knowledge I've acquired on this type of boat as best I can, whether it's on manoeuvres, sails or a little technique. We're going to try to have a good race, with good trajectories and make the most of the potential of this boat which is, as we know, an excellent boat!”

Interview by Julie Cornille/Com'On!

News for May 2022

Groupe SNEF, a key player in sustainable development at the service of its customers

Lactalis has been active in all categories of the dairy products market since 1933. As the world’s leading cheese manufacturer and the European leader in drinking milk, the Lactalis Group called on Groupe SNEF to implement an HVAC solution meeting the highest standards while being environmentally friendly.

Committed to a policy of sustainable development, Groupe SNEF deploys solutions designed to optimize its customers’ energy expenditure.

This was the purpose of the project carried out by the SNEF teams in the Grand Est region of France at a Lactalis Group cheese production unit.

Perfect command of the trade has always been a driving force at Groupe SNEF, an industry and infrastructure specialist. The teams deployed their expertise in the fields of industrial refrigeration, regulation and automation.

Energy Savings Certificate studies as well as an energy performance contract (EPC) were carried out. This significant achievement reduced electricity consumption by nearly 30%.

News for April 2022

Groupe SNEF is increasingly committed to Occupational Health and Safety

As part of World Day for Safety and Health at Work on April 28, 2022, Groupe SNEF and all of its subsidiaries joined forces through original initiatives and dedicated workshops.

Training and awareness-raising were on the agenda to ensure that all Groupe SNEF employees take responsibility for their own health and safety. Risk analysis, shared vigilance as well as rigor and caution are all part of our "safety" culture.

Throughout the year, actions are also implemented daily in our branch offices to achieve "zero accidents" and strengthen our "safety" processes: talks, role-playing, knowledge of one’s environment are all tools for raising collective risk awareness.

Let's take action together! Let's protect ourselves and all of our employees. Safety is everyone's business, every day.

News for April 2022

Tubes in the metro: the AP-HM develops its pneumatic network

The hospital environment is modernizing to meet the expectations of staff and patients as best as possible. Developed to transport documents, samples or objects quickly and discreetly, pneumatic transport meets logistics needs. A specialist in this activity, Groupe SNEF from its branch office in Nice, is deploying solutions for its long-standing customer, AP-HM, the Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Marseille and 3rd University Hospital Center in France.

An effective solution

As part of the Biogénopôle project, Marseille's hospitals have focused on optimizing delivery times between the Hôpital de La Conception and all units at La Timone. Thanks to the pneumatic interconnection installed by Groupe SNEF, some 8,000 daily samples are transferred from the patient's bed to the technical platform in just 5 minutes, including real-time monitoring. This is a feat that avoids possible losses and time wasted on road transport. Instead of roads, our teams have chosen to use the Marseille metro system! Have users noticed the tubes that cross the stations between the two hospitals?

Adaptation and proximity

From a technical point of view, this expertise has been built up over time with a team capable of adapting high-level know-how to a specific request. While pneumatic transport networks are commonly used in banks, in the industrial world or in mass distribution, installation in a hospital environment requires some adjustments. As such, our teams work both on site and in care services notwithstanding the fact that the pandemic risk is still relevant. A lot of preparation and flawless collaboration with the Hygiene Department of the AP-HM enable this on-going project to progress serenely. Organization and benevolence are the key words in this long-term commitment.