The Roiret saga: expertise in the residential sector
Adrien CURCI, Business Unit Manager of Roiret Résidentiel in the VEF Tertiaire Centre-est Sud pole, agreed to an interview. In this testimonial he talks about the history of his young and promising business unit near Lyon.
What is your background?
I have worked for the VINCI Energies Group, specifically Roiret Energies, for 12 years. After three years as a Project Technician, I had an opportunity to become Project Manager in the new residential sector, which offers a range of electricity (power supply / ELV) system solutions and services.
It was very difficult at first, but over time, as we gained experience, we achieved €3 million revenue, with very satisfactory profits. Just over a year ago, I had an opportunity to become Business Unit Manager of Roiret Résidentiel within Roiret Energies.
Could you tell us more about the creation of Roiret Résidentiel?
The idea of positioning ourselves in the residential market came up in 2015, when Patrick Bortolino was Business Unit Manager of Roiret Energies.
Within the business unit, each Project Manager develops a specific sector. Colleagues were already positioned in banking, logistics hubs, open-plan office spaces, and so on. Based on my previous experience and the fact that I wanted to develop a new market, I decided to take the opportunity of developing the residential market.
The Roiret Résidentiel business unit was set up on 1 January 2018 within Roiret Energies to provide a range of power supply and ELV (intrusion, access control, telephony, etc.) solutions and services.
Why did you get involved in this market?
Because of our experience and the strong development potential in the Lyon region. The idea was to not just work on new residential buildings, but to offer a broader, more comprehensive range of residential sector solutions: residential new construction and renovation, hotels, retirement homes and nursing homes.
The residential market is difficult because it is highly saturated and there are strong price pressures, especially in new build construction, but it is still very dynamic. There is strong demand, and it is up to us to position ourselves to meet it.
How is the business unit structured?
We currently have 29 employees following very strong growth in 2018, when we hired 17 people. To be viable as a business unit, we wanted to do without subcontracting and to hire qualified personnel for production. We still have some shortages. In this market, skills are scarce and specific. In the Lyon region, qualified people move around a lot!
In the new build residential market we talk about “incorporation”. Our electricians have bricklaying skills and for the renovation market they need to be able to work in occupied premises. They also have to have strong people skills, workplace skills and a very strong safety culture.
What developments can be expected in future?
We don’t plan to further develop the new build residential market because it is currently saturated in the Lyon region (scarce manpower, suppliers who can’t keep up, etc.). On the other hand, I think we are not yet sufficiently positioned in the renovation, retirement home and hotel markets. We are going to broaden our scope.
Could you give an example of a standout project?
Right now we are handing over the Ycone tower in the Lyon region. It is a high-profile project with good visibility thanks to its architect Jean Nouvel. We also have several high-rise projects under way, such as the Existen’Ciel project, to mention just one.
What should we wish for you in 2019?
We ended 2018 with revenue of €6 million after just one year of operation, which is very good. We hope to do as well or better in 2019!
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