Companies

Sainrapt et Brice

Created in 1852

The Banque de France branch office in Caen under construction (late 1922)

Sainrapt et Brice was created in two stages. In 1852, Michel Sainrapt set up a company specialised in consolidation works and special foundations. Upon his death, he was succeeded by his daughter-in-law. In 1901, she teamed up with a young engineer named Alexis Brice, who had been recruited by Michel Sainrapt, to create Sainrapt et Brice. Though Sainrapt et Brice remained a family-owned company, it reported strong growth, thanks to effective use of reinforced concrete, as demonstrated by the construction of the Banque de France branch in Caen in 1922.
During World War II, Sainrapt et Brice chose collaboration with the Germans. Louis-Pierre Brice, Alexis Brice's heir, who was chairman during the war years, was banned from running the company for several years. Sainrapt et Brice, however, was allowed to continue to operate and was awarded major work in the port of Dunkirk in 1947. In the 1950s, it installed electrical power facilities at the Carla falls on the Agout river near Castre.
Sainrapt et Brice successfully expanded in France's overseas territories. The company recorded its greatest successes in Africa, through subsidiary Satom. Satom reported strong growth, while the parent company Sainrapt et Brice suffered a deep recession. Sainrapt et Brice was purchased by Devars-Naudo and merged with SGE in 1981.