French firm Expliseat, which has made a name for itself by designing and manufacturing ultra-light aircraft seats, has just announced that it has completed a €17 million fundraising round with the SPI (Sociétés de Projets Industriels) fund, Go Capital, NCI and one of Expliseat's historical shareholders, BNP Paribas Développement.This new capital injection will enable Expliseat to triple its industrial capacity by setting up its first site in Angers (49), thus giving it the means to respond industrially to recent orders. This plant will be entirely designed around a new production organization thanks to the integration of digital technologies in the manufacturing processes. In total, it will cover more than 6,000 square meters for a production capacity of 25,000 seats per year, expandable to 37,000 seats per year thanks to an industrial partner located in Montauban. Expliseat plans to triple its workforce in Paris as well as in Angers, with a view to accelerating sales on its new markets and supporting the industrial development of its new products from the diversification initiated in 2020. 

Reducing aircraft weight from 600 to 1,800 kilos

The company, notably with the "TiSeat", the world's lightest seat at only 4 kilos, relies on technological building blocks to improve the energy efficiency of passenger transport means thanks to technical and industrial expertise in the use of new and recycled composite materials. In total, there are more than 100 patents that enable aircraft weight to be reduced by 600 to 1,800 kilos and generate CO2 emission savings of 3 to 7% per passenger.