Fountaine-Pajot
Encyclopedia
Fountaine-Pajot is a maritime construction company that specialises in catamaran
s both for leisure and sea use. The company was founded in 1976 by Jean François Fountaine and Yves Pajot, in the town of Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
, in Seine-Maritime
.
This company is now the world leader in cruise catamarans.
It also now has a factory at La Rochelle
.
The company started on an industrial estate in Aigrefeiulle, and today is the largest employer in the town, with about 250 employees. But the group as a whole has about 430.
It started to make public transport catamarans in 1983, or to put it another way, ("since then, we have made 668 of them in 21 different models")
Nowadays it makes between 150 and 180 boats a year, both sailing catamarans and powered ones.
It made the catamarens for the experimental service along the River Seine, the Voguéo
.
department, and continues to lead in the field of catamarans. It invented a unique process of making boat hulls by injection moulding
.
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
s both for leisure and sea use. The company was founded in 1976 by Jean François Fountaine and Yves Pajot, in the town of Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.-Neighbouring communes:*Saint-Christophe, La Jarrie, Croix-Chapeau, Le Thou, Forges, Virson-Population:-External links:*...
, in Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
.
This company is now the world leader in cruise catamarans.
It also now has a factory at La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
.
A modern business
Fontaine-Pajot made its home at Aigrefeiulle, and has become the first in the world for cruise catamarans.The company started on an industrial estate in Aigrefeiulle, and today is the largest employer in the town, with about 250 employees. But the group as a whole has about 430.
It started to make public transport catamarans in 1983, or to put it another way, ("since then, we have made 668 of them in 21 different models")
Nowadays it makes between 150 and 180 boats a year, both sailing catamarans and powered ones.
It made the catamarens for the experimental service along the River Seine, the Voguéo
Voguéo
Voguéo was a water taxi service operated on the River Seine and the River Marne in the Île-de-France .The Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France adopted the service in 2007. It started on 28 June 2008 between the Gare d'Austerlitz in the 13th arrondissement of Paris and the École Vétérinaire de...
.
Innovation
The company tries always to stay ahead of the competition, and lead the field. It has a Research and DevelopmentResearch and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
department, and continues to lead in the field of catamarans. It invented a unique process of making boat hulls by injection moulding
Injection molding
Injection molding is a manufacturing process for producing parts from both thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic materials. Material is fed into a heated barrel, mixed, and forced into a mold cavity where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the cavity...
.