Jean-Jacques Graffin maintains innovation at Serac for 50 years

Jean-Jacques Graffin

More than 50 years ago, JJ Graffin developed his first weigh-filling machine for liquids in his mother’s garage. It was a highly accurate, innovative machine because, unlike other machines of that era, it was unaffected by liquid temperature variations that caused fluctuations in filling cycles.

That early innovation led him to found Serac in la Ferté Bernard in the Pays de la Loire region in northwest France in 1969.

The company specializes in the design and manufacture of liquid filling and capping machines, as well as blow molding equipment. It is a leading manufacturer of liquid filling and capping machines for all types of food products, home and personal care products and industrial products.

Graffin expanded Serac by developing a blow molding machine that is integrated with its filling machines; that system provides an all-in-one bottle manufacturing and filling solution to reduce customers’ transportation costs. It created a surge in demand from several businesses, including the sports and energy drink sector.

From its modest origins 51 years ago, Serac now employs more than 600 workers in 10 countries and manufactures on four continents. Despite that vibrant growth, Graffin said he enjoys continuing to work as an engineer for the company, rather than strictly in an administrative or management capacity.

Graffin received the Nessim Habif Prize from the Society of Arts and Crafts Engineers for lifelong career achievements in 2009, and the French government granted him the National Order of Merit in 1979. He reflected on his career and on the growth and evolution of his company in an interview with Bruce Adams, senior staff reporter at Plastics Machinery Magazine.