Focal Recognised By French Government With EPV Status Renewal
FRENCH HiFi BRAND FOCAL RECOGNISED WITH RENEWED EPV STATUS
Focal has received a renewal of its Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV), or Living Heritage Company, status, recognising the French company’s expertise in acoustic design, manufacturing and specialist craftsmanship.
The EPV label is awarded by the French Government for a five-year period to companies recognised for exceptional industrial and artisanal know-how. Focal has held the distinction since 2014.
FOCAL AND FRENCH AUDIO EXPERTISE
Founded in 1979, Focal designs and develops its products and audio systems at its workshops in Saint-Étienne, covering home loudspeakers, Home Cinema systems, professional monitors, automotive and marine applications, and headphones. The company says its French engineers develop the technologies used across its products.
The renewed EPV recognition specifically acknowledges Focal’s acoustic expertise, its training of teams in rare and specialist techniques, its manufacturing facilities in Saint-Étienne and cabinet-making workshop in Bourbon-Lancy, as well as its innovative patents.
MADE IN FRANCE MANUFACTURING
While Focal has a broad international product range, its French manufacturing remains focused on selected products. The company’s high-end loudspeakers are manufactured in its Saint-Étienne production workshops, while its Focal Ébénisterie Bourgogne (FEB) facility in Bourbon-Lancy produces cabinets and finishes for the Utopia and Sopra loudspeaker ranges.
The Bourbon-Lancy workshop combines cabinet-making skills with a range of materials and finishing techniques. Focal highlights examples including white ebony, ziricote and its Black Gold Moiré finish, alongside more traditional materials such as wood, lacquer, leather, concrete and gold leaf.
FOCAL’S TECHNOLOGIES
The company’s French development work also includes a number of its proprietary acoustic technologies. Focal lists technologies including K2 Power, W and Flax sandwich membranes, Slatefiber and Polyglass, together with tweeter technologies using materials including beryllium and aluminium/magnesium.
The EPV renewal therefore covers both the technical and manufacturing aspects of Focal’s operation, from acoustic research and patented technologies through to production and specialist cabinet-making.
FOCAL’S FRENCH HERITAGE
Focal says the renewed EPV status reflects the continuing work of its teams and its approach of combining French manufacturing, innovation and traditional craftsmanship. The company has also been a member of the Comité Colbert since January 2024, an organisation representing French luxury and craftsmanship brands.
For Focal, the renewed EPV status provides formal recognition of the French expertise and manufacturing capabilities that remain part of the company’s operation more than four decades after its foundation.
HiFi PiG says: Congratulations Focal!
