The company derives its knowhow from the technical capabilities and experience of his management and workforce.
The company derives its knowhow from the technical capabilities and experience of his management and workforce.
Jean Fichou started his business in 1946 as a workshop in Fresnes, a small city in Paris suburb. It evolved into a private company in 1969. The company is located in the same area since 1946. Beginning of the 70’s, Jean Jacques and André Contet joined the company and in 1985 Jean Jacques took over the management of the company from his grandfather, at that time the company was operating with 30 employees.
1975 shows the entrance of Optique de Précision Jean Fichou in the space market with its contribution to the Exosat project. Since then, the company is a key player in that sector as demonstrated by its participation to the Chemcam / Curiosity project.
In 1982, to answer the increasing need for optical coatings in laboratories and industries, the Optique de Précision J.Fichou’s shareholder’s founded Tofico. Tofico is specialised in standard and custom thin film deposition for external and internal needs.
It is also in 1982, that Optique de Précision J.Fichou entered in the Thales Atlis POD project, followed by the investment in a Zygo interferometer to answer the new characterisation needs.
Optique de Precision J.Fichou was part of the telecom boom beginning of 2000, especially with a polarisation system for equipment test produced for a key customer, Photonetics.
Following his brother André’s death in 2001, Jean Jacques carried alone, the family adventure. During the second part of 2013, discussions started between Philippe Gruson, Philippe Goupilleau and Jean Jacques Contet leading to the sale of Optique de Précision J.Fichou and Tofico to PGI (Photonics Group International), a company newly created for the acquisition purpose.