SDMO

SDMO, or Société de distribution des moteurs de l'Ouest, is a Breton generator set manufacturer. It was founded in 1966 by the Meunier family, a family of local entrepreneurs who hired Guy Coisnon as managing director. It distributed marine engines before moving into generator sets (in 1969). The company expanded thanks to strong growth in agriculture, particularly in Brittany. In the 1970s, it made a name for itself on the export market, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. SDMO took advantage of EDF's peak day load shedding scheme, which encouraged users to buy generators. It bought SOREEL, a company specialising in automation. In the 2000s, SDMO became Europe's leading manufacturer of gensets and the 3rd largest in the world. It manufactures at Guipavaset and Kergaradec, near Brest. In 2005 it was sold to the American group KOHLER, another generator manufacturer. Innovation continues, with SDMO launching biogas engine gensets in 2010. It will also diversify into motor pumps. SDMO is also very committed to reducing carbon emissions, by optimising its products and equipping its sales staff with electric cars.