Sofema facts for kids

Sofema is a French company that helps make old military equipment like new. This includes vehicles for land, ships for the sea, and aircraft for the air. They also sell and take care of this equipment. Most of what they work with comes from the French Armed Forces.

The company's main office is in Levallois, which is close to Paris. Their workshops are in La Teste (in the south-west of France) and Châteauroux.

History of Sofema

Sofema was started in 1997. It was created by joining two older companies, Ofema and Sofma. These companies used to help big French defense and aircraft companies sell their products to other countries.

The first president was Ivan Barbot. In 1998, Sofema became a private company. This meant it was owned by a group of important companies. These included EADS, Safran, DCNS, Thales, NEXTER SYSTEMS, Dassault Aviation, and Renault Trucks.

In 2001, General Bernard Norlain became the new leader. He started to change what Sofema focused on. This was because the big defense companies began selling their own products directly.

In 2007, Guillaume Giscard d'Estaing became the new chairman and CEO. Under his leadership, Sofema changed a lot. In just a few years, the company went from being a middleman in big sales to selling renovated land, air, and sea equipment. Some of the equipment they work with includes the VBC-90 vehicle, the Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé (an armored troop carrier), and the Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopter. They also work with light armored cars like the AML and Eland series.

What Sofema Does

Making Equipment New Again

An Eland Mk7 armored car that Sofema upgraded and delivered to Chad.

Sofema buys older military equipment. Most of it is from France. Then, they make it look and work like new. They do this in their own workshops or with special partners. When they sell this renovated equipment, they also help the buying countries. They provide support and training, just like when new equipment is sold.

Selling Spare Parts

Besides making old equipment new, Sofema also sells spare parts. These parts are needed to keep the equipment working.

Giving Advice

Sofema has a team that gives advice to companies around the world. They help these companies grow internationally. They offer help with money, sales, and services. This includes areas like defense, security, aerospace, energy, and transportation.