Ridha Ketata is the founder and general manager of Le Raccordement, based in the small town of Hencha in Sfax governorate. The company is a manufacturer of pipe-fitting products, which are required in construction and operation of factories.
After earning a degree in electrical engineering from the Higher National Engineering School of Tunis (ENSIT), Mr. Ketata spent several years serving as the head of maintenance for a range of companies working in packaging, construction, and other sectors.
Having gained a solid professional background, Mr. Ketata founded Le Raccordement in 2013. However, due to political instability and a devaluation of the dinar, the company postponed its launch.
The company effectively started producing fittings for metal piping in 2018, facing an immediate shortage of working capital.
The company's products were sold primarily to domestic wholesalers like General Metal and HBC Tunisie, while there was substantial interest from international companies in countries like Spain, Italy, France, and Germany. The company secured one French client and began exporting its products at the beginning of 2020. However, meeting demand from both local wholesalers and international clients was a significant challenge for the company as it lacked working capital to purchase raw material.
Le Raccordement took a major hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, as it had to stop its activities for four months and many of the company’s clients dropped orders. While the company was still able to secure a pre-order from a new Slovakian client during this time, it lacked funds to purchase raw material such as metal tubes to be transformed into final products. To help Le Raccordement meet the demand, JOBS awarded it a grant to purchase the needed raw material. Also, JOBS helped Le Raccordement implement an enterprise resource planning system (ERP) to streamline operations and gain an international quality-management certification to increase competitiveness.
As a result of JOBS’ assistance, Le Raccordement was able to sustain 19 jobs, create five new jobs, and grow sales by 14%.
“As the sole African company offering these products and services, we are determined to capitalize on this advantage and venture into new markets.”
Ridha Ketata
Founder – Le Raccordement
