20 years and 20 funfacts about Vipamat

Vipamat celebrated the 20st anniversary of the Hippocampe wheelchair. All 3 models of Hippocampe wheelchairs are now distributed all around the world: the Hippocampe Beach and All-terrain, the Hippocampe Marathon and Trail and the Hippocampe Pool.

20 years for the Hippocampe wheelchair

The last two decades, the company worked to allow its users to enjoy leisure activities. The team also wants to continue to advance its wheelchairs through new options.

Vipamat would like to thank the people who have allowed it and allow it to continue to develop: the team, partner companies, suppliers and distributors internationally. Vipamat also thanks the individuals and associations who have chosen the Hippocampe for their projects. Thank you for your confidence, the whole team hopes that you will continue to have a good time with your Hippocampe wheelchair.

To get to know us better, we share 20 key information about the company!

20 facts about Vipamat

1 – The company is based in Ploemeur in Brittany. Vipamat has chosen a town by the sea to develop the Hippocampes. After 20 years, the company remains faithful to this city where it was born.

2 – In 20 years, 1 300 000 parts have left the Vipamat workshop. This is at least what was needed to manufacture and distribute the 3 Hippocampe models around the world.

3 – At first, the idea of the Hippocampe was born because Patrice Faucogney, now co-manager, wanted easy access to his favorite water sports: kayaking and diving. He developed the product with his physiotherapist of the time: Vincent Leroy, now second co-manager.

4 – 20 options allow to personalize the Hippocampe Beach and All-terrain, 13 for the Hippocampe Marathon and Trail.

5 – Vipamat has been awarded numerous design and innovation prizes since 2002 for the Hippocampe beach wheelchair.

6 – In 2021 Vipamat marketed its products in more than 40 countries.

7 – If we put the aluminum tubes that make up the Hippocampe end to end, the distance would be 64 km.

8 – 3 wheelchairs make up the Hippocampe range: The Hippocampe Beach and All-Terrain, the Hippocampe Marathon and Trail and the Hippocampe Pool.

9 – The tubes of the Hippocampe are inspired by windsurfing booms.

10 – In 2021, Vipamat obtained ISO 13485 certification in order to comply with the new CE quality obligations imposed in 2021.

11 – Vipamat has an office in the USA since 2004. Today the office is in Houston.

12 – 15,348 km is the distance covered by a Hippocampe Beach and All-Terrain from our workshop to reach a user based in Bora-Bora.

13 – In 2020, the Hippocampe Marathon and Trail served as a torchbearer for the Paralympic Games in Japan.

14 – Vipamat works with a network of distributors. It is thanks to them that the wheelchair Hippocampe can develop internationally.

15 – At the launch in 1999, Vipamat was an association, it became a company 20 years ago in 2002.

16 – By the end of summer 2022, the team will manufacture the 10,000th Hippocampe wheelchair.

17 – 800m² is the surface area of ​​our workshop in France.

18 – Transportable and dismountable, was one of the priority objectives during the development of the prototype. Hippocampes can even be transported in a roof box on the car !

19 – Vipamat à la certification FDA aux USA, indispensable à la mise sur le marché de matériel destiné aux personnes en situation de handicap.

20 – Adventure is the first word that comes to mind for the team to sum up the last 20 years. Moments of sharing with collaborators, suppliers, distributors and users. A shared trust that the Vipamat team hopes to keep for many more years to come