History - Sojadis

« In 1981, a paraplegic man came in to our family garage and asked us to adapt a vehicle so that he could drive, go to work and take his kids to school again. We never could have imagined that this request would be the catalyst for such a socially responsible, business and technological adventure.. »

To enable René Pineau to get back behind the wheel, the Humeau Garage installed an automatic clutch control system in a vehicle. Although the garage gained rapid recognition in the West of France for this specific innovation, Jean-Marie Humeau was eager to go further to meet the particular needs of those with reduced mobility and provide them with the best quality and safety levels. In 1994, the garage had its first driving aid patented, ACCEL, an electronic accelerator that made its market debut in 1997.

Recommended by Peugeot to its French dealers, ACCEL marked the starting point of the SOJADIS journey.
Since then, Jean-Marie Humeau and his team have been driven by one ambition:
to develop a full range of innovative solutions integrating cutting-edge electronic technology and automakers’ requirements in order to make driving easier for everyone.

Milestones dates

1981

1st instalment of a driving aid for a paraplegic customer.

1994

1st patent: ACCEL, a manual electronic accelerator.

2003

1st ISO 9001 certification.

Tier 1 supplier to PSA.

2006

The SOJADIS trademark is registered.

2007

Range of driving aids distributed as white label products by Renault Tech and recommended by Peugeot, Citroën and Volkswagen.

Awarded the INPI (French National Institute of Industrial Property) trophy for innovation.

2008

Development of the OCTOPUS electronic integration card.

Launch of the COMDIS steering wheel control.

2009

Start of the installer-partners network in Europe with the signing of the first markets in the United Kingdom and Italy.

2013

1st international markets developed outside Europe, in the Middle East and Brazil, then in South Korea in 2015.

2016

Launch of the SURFDIS transfer plate.

Export activities increased to 20% of global revenue.

Awarded the Pays de la Loire “INPI talent” label.

2017

Certified compliant with the QSB+ referential.

Restructuring and modernization of the buildings.

2018

Launch of the manual brake, STOPDIS II.

UTAC certification as a Qualified vehicle adapter.

2019

Enlargement of the production area.

Launch of the the accelerator and brake handle, ACCEL BIKE II.

2020

Development of new driver assistance products.

2021

Integration of the La FrenchFab movement.

Launch of the ACCELSENT and OCTOCLIN ECUs.

Participation in the Dinamic+ project and implementation of 5S work sites.

2022

Launch of the driving school pedal unit for Citroën AMI.

Introduction of the Steeple internal communication tool.

Launch of the ACCELEG left foot accelerator pedal.

Certification as a MERCEDES VAN PARTNER.

Creation of virtual reality driving experiences.

IN THE BEGINNING…

a family company