Arthur PELISSIER, Managing Director of ECM TECHNOLOGIES, accompanies his New Year’s wishes with his testimonial: looking back on the past year, outlining objectives and ambitions to support our customers and partners, trends in heat treatment, new metallurgical testing center, and AI.
- At the beginning of 2026, how do you look back on the past year?
The year 2025 was demanding and extremely formative. In a changing industrial and geopolitical context, ECM demonstrated resilience by relying on the expertise of its teams, the trust of its customers, and its ability to adapt. We successfully delivered our vacuum heat treatment solutions across all our target territories and strengthened our position in strategic markets : defense, aerospace, nuclear, and permanent magnets manufacturing. Our commercial objectives were achieved, and we ended the year very strongly, with promising opportunities already converted at the beginning of 2026.
- What will be the main objectives for this new year?
Our priority is clear : to continue our development while strengthening our technological excellence and proximity with our customers. This involves continuous innovation of our equipment, as well as comprehensive support for our customers throughout the entire lifecycle of their installations. We want to be much more than a supplier: a true long-term industrial partner.
- What trends are emerging for the coming year in heat treatment?
Profitability is obviously the key priority for any industrial player. Many companies are choosing to invest in integrating heat treatment within their own workshops. Low-pressure carburizing remains our flagship and most requested process. We also see strong interest in our modular concept for other processes : vacuum brazing, nitriding, magnet sintering, and many others. Automation and process control are also in strong demand ; our robotic solutions, combined with our furnaces, are increasingly sought after and clearly differentiate our company. We are integrating and developing AI both within our internal processes and in our equipment. This is an essential topic for the industrial excellence of the future.
- Innovation is a strong pillar at ECM. How will it take shape this year?
Innovation is part of ECM’s DNA. It will be reflected through various investments, particularly in the digitalization and process control of our equipment. We will also soon unveil our new metallurgical testing platform, integrating a new type of equipment that will be launched on the market this year. The goal remains to anticipate our customers’ needs and offer solutions aligned with tomorrow’s industrial requirements.
- How does ECM support its customers in the face of rapidly evolving markets?
Our customers operate in highly competitive and constantly changing markets. Our role is to support them over the long term by providing guidance through our expertise in processes, materials, and our concept of scalable machines. We work closely with them to adapt our solutions to their specific challenges, whether related to performance, quality, productivity, or decarbonization. Co-developing high value-added processes with our customers within our equipment is one of ECM’s key strengths.
- Which markets does ECM see as the most promising today?
We closely monitor high-potential markets such as aerospace, defense, semiconductors, medical, and more broadly advanced industries. These sectors require very high-level vacuum heat treatment processes, where ECM’s know-how truly makes the difference. Our modular system is already a reference in many of these markets, and we aim to further strengthen its presence in these strategic fields. Our ambition is also to support emerging and promising markets, such as magnet recycling or the growth of strategic materials.
- What message would you like to convey regarding performance and the sovereignty of French industry?
Sustainability and industrial sovereignty are major challenges. At ECM, we are convinced that French industry has a key role to play, under conditions of investing in high-performance, sustainable, and safe technologies. Our solutions contribute to a more efficient, more resource-conscious, and more independent industry. Our long-standing choice to offer only electrically heated solutions, rather than gas-heated ones, is proof of this commitment. It is a responsibility we fully embrace, with pride and determination.
- You have been leading the company for nearly two years now. ECM is a family business built on transmission and heritage. Are these values you wish to uphold?
As the third generation leading the company, I learned the importance of transmitting ECM’s know-how and expertise, both through my ten years of experience within the company and through 33 years of Sunday family lunches. Transmission – both to our customers and to our employees – ensures the sustainability of ECM and its history. This is what I want to continue to develop and pass on : ECM and its historical expertise, as a pioneer of low-pressure heat treatment and a global leader in vacuum heat treatment equipment.
- Final word
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all our customers, partners, and suppliers for their renewed trust, as well as to our employees, whose commitment, professionalism, and passion are at the heart of ECM’s success. On behalf of ECM, I wish you all a very happy new year, filled with success, innovation, and promising projects.
