Their Jaren multifunction kettle had nevertheless attracted more than 2000 people in pre-orders, and some have even been delivered. But these first productions of durable, local and repairable kettles could not hide the difficulties encountered by the Toulouse company Kippit. Its cash flow has indeed been greatly weakened by the problems encountered by the supplier of the stainless steel tank, the French industrialist DEP Industrie. “We knew there was a big hole in the racket around stainless steel production in France. But this industrialist, for 2 years, maintained that he was very close to mass production. With hindsight, we understand that they were wrong when designing the production tool,” explains, disillusioned, Kareen Maya Levy, co-founder of the company.
An additional illustration of the difficulty of reindustrializing the French territory, despite the many incantations. “It makes sense, economically, ecologically and socially. But it’s not that simple, ”says the Toulousaine, who has initiated legal proceedings against the industrialist. “We must review the training, the level of investment of the big manufacturers, who no longer have the tools or the appropriate know-how. »
A Chinese solution to bounce back?
With a cash flow at its lowest, Kippit faces a judicial liquidation requested by the commercial court of Toulouse. This was made official on September 22. But Kareen Maya Levy and Jacques Ravinet, the two co-founders, do not want to give up. “We need 800,000 euros to ensure the serial production of the Jaren. But we have a big problem with our basic promise. The solution is Chinese. The industrialist would ensure the production of the first orders and the industrial tools would then be repatriated or replicated in France.
This would be possible in the event of the arrival of investors likely to accompany the project, in which case Kippit would appeal the liquidation. “People got attached in August,” explains Kareen Maya Levy, who wants to believe it. “Our proposal corresponds to strong market expectations. We have requests every day. »