[Big Média] Color intelligence transforms the industry

From basic research to industry: color intelligence becomes reality

At the crossroads of chemistry and industry, Olikrom has established itself as a French pioneer in intelligent color-changing materials. Founded by Jean-François Létard, a former CNRS researcher, the Bordeaux-based company transforms matter into a tool for detection, safety and optimized use. Its pigments react to light, heat, pressure or gas, offering concrete solutions for the aeronautics, military, construction, health and cosmetics sectors.

Developed with a complete industrial approach – from R&D to production – Olikrom technology is now integrated into a wide range of applications, from security equipment to detection devices invisible to the naked eye. The company masters its formulations, protects its intellectual property and meets highly specific challenges for leading industrial customers.

LuminoKrom®, luminous paint for safety and ecology

Olikrom’s flagship product, LuminoKrom® photoluminescent paint is capable of lighting up for ten hours without any energy source. Installed in 2018 on an initial bicycle path in Pessac, it is now deployed in nearly 100 French communes. This intelligent marking improves visibility on roads, particularly in accident-prone or unlit areas, while meeting the challenges of energy sobriety.

This innovation is also finding applications in developing countries, where access to electricity is unstable. It provides a simple, sustainable and environmentally-friendly solution for safe travel, even in the absence of infrastructure. In keeping with its ethical approach, Olikrom ensures that its innovations are genuinely useful, and refuses commercial requests that are deemed misleading or gimmicky.

An industrial ambition driven by innovation and the region

Having become an industrial entity in its own right with the creation of its factory in 2018, Olikrom now employs 21 people. The company boasts strong roots in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, while pursuing a strategy of international expansion. LuminoKrom® is currently being developed in several countries, including India, Malaysia and Africa.

Olikrom’s growth is based on a clear business model: produce locally, keep a firm grip on technology, and aim for rational expansion. Olikrom now aims to become a benchmark industrial ETI, thanks to a trajectory based on independence, profitability, long-term vision and impact. An approach hailed by the French deeptech ecosystem and supported by Bpifrance through the Coq Vert community.