Pierre Riou invests €10 million in Mauritius to create Riou Ocean Glass

The founder of the Norman mid-sized company RIOU Glass has just made an investment of 10 million euros to create a flat glass processing factory in Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean. A project that he is leading alongside recognized investors and his grandson, Louis Riou.

Tireless is the term that could characterize entrepreneur Pierre Riou. After creating the ETI RIOU Glass in 1979 (260 million euros in turnover; 1,000 employees), which he passed on in 2022 to his two children Christine and Nicolas Riou, the young retiree from Normandy is setting off on a new entrepreneurial adventure! Latest project: the creation of a flat glass processing factory in Mauritius, in the western Indian Ocean, called Riou Ocean Glass. A region of the globe that the entrepreneur knows very well having taken over the glazing and blinds activities of the Société Réunionnaise de Miroiterie (SOREMIR) in 2010.

To successfully meet this new challenge in Mauritius, the dynamism and legendary enthusiasm of Pierre Riou were able to convince a group of recognized investors including Hervé Coutelas, Founding President of the CAP Champenois Group, Jean-Pierre Souchaire , Founding President of the Isosta Group, as well as Emmanuel Thieblin, entrepreneur in agri-food processing, appointed for the occasion General Director of the factory. Pierre Riou will also be able to count on the skills and freshness of another partner: his grandson, Louis Riou, with whom he is leading this creation. “At the Riou’s, we have a strong family spirit. I am happy to lead this project with Louis in order to pass on my modest experience to him. By his side, I learn a lot! » laughs Pierre Riou.

A strategic position in the Indian Ocean
Based on the autonomous port of Port-Louis, the factory is built in an ultra-modern building of 10,000 m2. Its construction required an investment of 10 million euros. A sum which was also allocated to the installation of the latest generation equipment: a tempering oven, cutting tables, shaping, assembly lines (laminated glass and double glazing), lacquering, enamelling and digital printing… glass products very rarely present in Mauritius, Madagascar, Reunion and the countries of East Africa, the target markets that the factory plans to develop industrially. To gain market share in these regions, Riou Ocean Glass will offer delivery times of less than 10 days compared to currently 3 to 4 months, with most of the glazing being imported. The industrial site currently employs around forty people, partly trained at RIOU Glass in France. It will be inaugurated on April 18 in the presence of elected officials and local and international personalities.

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