Sofila R&D department: at the service of textile innovation

All of SOFILA’s know-how and expertise has been passed down from generation to generation since the 19th century in all areas of activity, with all materials and all transformations.

This immense knowledge is coordinated by our R&D department, which is the heart of SOFILA: it manages both the quality controls to guarantee the highest level for our customers and the flow of development or innovation projects, either at our initiative or that of our customers.


Human expertise at the heart of our commitment

Behind each project, it is above all professional men and women who pool their skills to support our partners. Drawing on their expertise, they work together on a daily basis to ensure an optimal sharing of knowledge and know-how, thus guaranteeing a constant level of excellence.

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Eric Grosjean

Head of product development

Textile engineer with over 20 years’ experience in yarn manufacturers.

Eric is a specialist in covering, and regularly interacts with our customers on technical issues for medical and footwear applications. He has also spent many years supervising product quality and procurement, which has given him a thorough knowledge of the specifications of the materials used. Eric coordinates the activities of the R&D department and trains new arrivals

Jennifer Weimmerskirch

Innovation and eco design manager

Doctor in materials physics, more than 7 years of experience in yarn manufacturing

Thanks to her university and research background, Jennifer regularly works on upstream research projects with external partners (universities, schools, defense, industrial consortia, etc.). She also manages the technology watch, which today gives SOFILA operational knowledge of more than 2,000 materials. Finally, Jennifer is specifically looking for more environmentally responsible materials to support our customers in their transition.

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Narcisse Kouakou

Operation director

Textile engineer with almost 20 years’ experience in yarn manufacturing

Narcisse joined SOFILA straight after leaving school in 2006. He quickly took charge of a workshop, then the BMI (Billion Mayor Industrie) factory in Malaysia, mainly active in double-twist yarn for clothing and narrow tape/accessories. Narcisse is currently the director of the two Sofila factories, and devotes almost half of his time to development, mainly supporting the Garments, Lace and Accessories sectors.

Pierre-Yves Suchail

Technical yarns commercial and development manager

Former manager of Moulinage du Solier, more than 25 years of experience in technical yarns

Pierre-Yves joined the team in 2024, bringing additional expertise to SOFILA, with his many years in the technical yarn sector, generally with higher titrations, with different materials and constraints. Pierre Yves has recognized and extensive expertise in aramid yarns, for which he has even developed specific processes that SOFILA still uses (Nexocolor to offer colored aramids). Pierre-Yves is the point of contact for the most technical yarns, including for aeronautics and defense.

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Didier Meresse

Project manager texturization and fancy yarns

More than 20 years of experience in yarn manufacturing, equipment and development

Didier spends half his time in the workshop, where he manages the equipment for fancy yarns and air texturing on a daily basis, of which he is a specialist. The other half is dedicated to the development of new yarns, either at the customer’s initiative or at his own to offer new products to our partners. Didier, like Eric, is one of the trainers for new arrivals to facilitate the transfer of knowledge. His expertise makes him the point of contact for the Upholstery sector.

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Aymie Voisine

Development and production ingineer

Textile engineer, 1 year of experience in yarn manufacturing

Aymie joined SOFILA straight after school. She divides her time between production (improving the functioning and quality of the workshops) and the lab, where she trains with the experts and brings new tools to the team for the monitoring and systematization of our work.

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A tailor-made work tool for the development team

The SOFILA laboratory, located in the Drôme department, was completely renovated in 2024 to meet current requirements in terms of expertise and quality, thus offering an optimized environment for the development team.

Whether for the control of technical specifications or for the development of new solutions, the laboratory has all the appropriate equipment:

  • Yarn unwinding and quantity measurement
  • Precision scales (titration)
  • Torsion meter
  • Dynamometer
  • Tensiometer
  • Texturmat (texture measurement)
  • Binoculars (yarn structure analysis)
  • Ovens (wet/dry shrinkage)
  • Knitting machine and dye baths (dye affinity test)

The SOFILA R&D department carries out almost 200 developments and studies for our customers every year. 95% of the yarns produced by SOFILA are yarns that have been developed specifically for each customer.