Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant, a label promoting the preservation of know-how
Distinguishing know-how of excellence
The label "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" (EPV) rewards French companies with rare, renowned or ancestral know-how in the field of craftsmanship and industry. Its aim is to prevent the disappearance of exceptional economic and cultural talents, too often threatened in a globalized context. French companies with the EPV label share the same passion for the profession and are committed to maintaining their production activity in France.
Heir to an exceptional tradition, Henri SELMER Paris places the preservation of French manufacturing and craft heritage at the heart of its priorities. Established in Mantes-la-Ville (78) for more than a century, the company has always made sure that its unique know-how (inherited from the workshops of Adolphe Sax) is passed on from generation to generation in the respect of tradition.
Innovation has been associated with this traditional craftsmanship, which has enabled Henri SELMER Paris to maintain its status as a leader and to remain a reference in the world of music. Its instruments and mouthpieces reflect the high standards of the musicians who design them and the craftsmen who make them.
The manufacturing process, thus combining state-of-the-art technology and craftsmanship, requires a highly skilled workforce, trained in-house in more than 100 professions specific to instrument making. These require a long period of apprenticeship, but also rigour, dexterity and meticulousness. A saxophone is indeed made up of more than 600 parts, whose assembly requires more than 2,000 operations and involves a minimum of 30 hours of work.
The making of a clarinet is also a real work of art, involving the assembly of nearly 450 parts. Roughing, drying, turning and pointing the wood is only part of the work...
Supporting French craftsmanship and industry
This distinction is also a support for "made in France" and for those companies that combine know-how and creation, tradition and innovation, heritage and future, local and international. These companies which are able to offer tailor-made products to meet the most demanding needs. These companies which offering permanent jobs, forging the French economic and cultural identity, offering the public to discover their workshops, their history, their profession, their passion.
In order to preserve this heritage, the EPV label offers operational support for the development of member companies. It can thus encourage them to innovate, promote their international growth, create opportunities and ensure job enhancement in France.
The procedure for awarding the EPV label guarantees the excellence of the distinguished companies. The criteria for obtaining the label are entrusted to an independent National Commission whose secretariat is provided by the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts (Institut Supérieur des Métiers - ISM). The companies pre-selected by the ISM are visited by experts in the profession before the National Commission's examination and final decision.
The Henri SELMER Paris house is proud to have been distinguished by this label and would like once again to thank its artisans, partners and ambassadors. Looking to the future, it continues to ensure the preservation of its immense heritage while showing its willingness to reinvent itself every day.
► Learn more about the EPV label
