The 60s: manufacturing differently to seduce the customer

The story begins in the 1960s with quality “modern” refrigerators and continues today, 57 years later, with exceptional high-end, efficient, intelligent, communicating and design radiators… ahead of their time.

Nogent sur Seine in the Aube. Founded in 1959, Campa was originally a family business. Its founder, Mr. Camps, is the inventor of the various processes which have led to the manufacture of insulating plastic walls for fridge-freezers of the Frimatic brand.

From the start, the principle of quality and performance is a recurring problem, and thanks to innovations such as the Freezmatic and the double and triple Blizzard flap, the brand revealed its exceptional innovative spirit which enabled to compete against the American giants of the sector in France and in Europe.

1965, the growing importance of design in the creation process

If technical innovation is one of the keys to success, giving careful attention to the aesthetics of refrigerators is another. Not only is the quality excellent and the manufacturer already announced energy savings of 40% at the time thanks to its innovations, but they also offer, for the first time, a variety of colors which changes the perception of the household appliance by making it also a decorative object. It will now be the trademark of the Campa spirit.

If we cannot expressly speak of "technological design" yet, all the elements are gathered to infuse a radically new way of thinking. This will influence the evolution of the perception of industrial objects in French households. Indeed, where we generally considered the utilitarian function of an object to be self-sufficient, Campa introduced colors, by placing the user / object relationship at the forefront. By creating an emotional relationship based on inspired aesthetic preferences and relying on reliable and efficient technologies, the company has developed an innovative thinking model that will be the source of future success.

The 70s, elsewhere in Champagne, the Teurquetil company was founded

It was in 1961 that the Teurquetil workshops were created on the site in Fismes, France. Their main activity was then linked to the voltage change operations of household appliances (from 110 volts to 220 volts). The company then develops new know-how and a technical expertise of the industrial process which will be the key to its success and will allow it to enter partnership agreements with EDF and, from 1968 with GDF for industrial applications involving gas. It has now established itself as a key player in progress and change.

1971, the Teurquetil company embarked on the production of electric convectors to meet the demand of a growing market. The success is there, business is flourishing, but it quickly appears that there is a demand for devices that are more efficient but also, more elegant and design.

1973, Campa introduces the concept of "technological design" with the Campaver

Back in the Aube. 1973 is the perfect illustration of the “Campa spirit”. The company has shifted its production and now specializes in heating appliances. Based on the results of studies carried out in the framework of space research in the USA, the company conducts its own experiments in climatology laboratory in order to adapt the circuit board technique to its own needs. It creates a new type of electronic radiant panel, no longer simply mechanical, with materials never used, like glass which provides a modern and forward-thinking design: the Campaver.

30 years later, the Campaver remains an essential reference from a technological and aesthetic point of view, which still influences designers today ... and formalizes the concept of “technological design” which will now be one of the pillars of the company’s future developments and success. Campa’s full commitment is also at the origin of the recognition of its know-how by its peers, by various non-profit organizations and by public authorities. But if the Campaver is a technological feat, its unusual dimensions at the time make its production and marketing more difficult. Research therefore continues to create the ideal device.

1978, The meeting of know-how, the birth of an exceptional brand

The convergence of ideas, know-how, resources and skills of Campa and the Teurquetil company will make the development and production of this “ideal radiator” possible. The two entities are now one and the activity will continue under the name of Campa, but on the Fismes production site.

For more than thirty years the company will continue to be a specifier in design and technology. That spirit which has been the strength of the company from the start continues to permeate strategic choices. By developing its own research and development laboratories, Campa has continued to maintain this dynamic which is today its strength, and which naturally projects the company to the front of the environmental scene, as a key player in high-end thermal comfort and sustainable development.

2010s: the formal recognition

In 2012, Campa, which is now part of Muller Group (specialist in thermal comfort solutions), was awarded the Chaptal Prize by the Société d’Encouragement pour l’Industrie Nationale /Society for the Encouragement of National Industry. This award recognizes each year the exemplary journey, the creative and dynamic spirit of a company for its commitment in the field of French industry and know-how.

It is therefore quite naturally that Campa, in 2013, decided to engage in the OFG (Origine France Garantie) certification process with, as declared objectives, a total control of manufacturing processes, a guarantee of quality in production and for customers, more transparency and satisfaction.

2014, Campa unveils its Premium range and reaches a new milestone in terms of innovation

The presentation of the Premium Campa range perfectly illustrates the company's commitment to an ambitious project, from design in our design offices, development, tests and finally production in our factory in Fismes, France.

Performance, design, intelligence and remote control (smartphone), we wanted to do more by offering exclusively for this range ... ultra-compactness. Quality of materials, technological performance, perfect thermal comfort, these radiators with remarkable design have a maximum thickness barely exceeding 5 cm, a true technical achievement for which Campa received the prestigious 2014 Janus Industry award.

Since 2014 and today in 2018…

2014 also marks a high point for the company, which won the prestigious 2030 Innovation Competition (organized by the Ministry of Productive Recovery, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Innovation and Digital Economy) for its smart solution for storing renewable, intermittent and traditional energies in the form of heat (EESS).

In 2015 Campa was awarded the “Observeur du design” label for the quality of its work, which aims at promoting design to the public, and raising awareness about the fact that the design is an essential differentiating factor which will emerge as a force of proposals for the future.

With the creation of the Maison du futur in 2016, a real interactive simulation space for the development of future thermal comfort solutions, Campa creates the tools that will help providing solutions best suited to meet the environmental requirements necessary for a responsible and sustainable development, as defined by the nations at COP 21 in Paris.

2018 ... the story continues.