WTX

a successful business diversification

WTX, a compelling diversification project

Founded more than 60 years ago in Roubaix, in Hauts-de-France, WTX originally specialized in manufacturing flexible ducts for the construction and automotive industries. The company, which is now owned by the Japanese groups Maruyasu Industries and Sekiso Corporation, needed to find new opportunities for its Roubaix site to ensure its continued viability. To achieve that, the local team explored two new avenues that garnered the support of both WTX’s parent company, which has invested €5.4 M, and local government, which provided a €400,000 loan through the Regional Council.

Historic business as an automotive equipment supplier

Quite naturally, WTX first turned towards its core automotive business to sustain its future. With that in mind, its R&D teams focused on developing an innovative process to reduce ventilation noise inside vehicles. That project that earned WTX the opportunity to promote French industry in Germany and demonstrate French companies’ ability to offer innovative solutions. Its new product also grabbed the attention of BMW’s teams, who decided to test it out. The tests were conclusive and BMW is now in the process of installing the product in its prestigious “Series 3.” As Jean-François Charlet says, “There are certain pairings that just work! BMW continues to apply rigorous ongoing quality control with very high-level inspections to check the quality of our product, so we are all on the same page.” WTX aims to build on that initial success by showing other manufacturers that its product excels at improving user comfort and is a must-have for their new vehicles.

WTX, further diversification into the construction industry

The WTX success story doesn’t stop there! Emboldened by its new achievement in its historic automotive business, WTX began to consider other applications for its innovation and quickly set its sights on the construction industry. This time, the company focused its attention on air conditioning. Its first step was to develop an HVAC duct silencer. With support from ECO TLC*, WTX moved into eco-friendly acoustic materials, using clothing donated through Le Relais textile recycling centers in its project. The new products made with recycled textiles achieved very high performance levels, meeting all the relevant current and upcoming standards. WTX took that eco-friendly approach even further with a commitment to minimizing the environmental impact of its production. Its next step was to create a brand: eHHo. The eHHo range, which is designed for both home and public use, combines textures, materials and colors for truly custom designs. On the sales side, WTX is currently benchmarking the market and has created a website. *Eco TLC was founded to promote the collection and reuse of textiles, household linens and footwear in order to address the environmental challenges of reducing waste and preserving natural resources in line with the principles of sustainable development.