In Bergerac, the Akira company is diversifying into aeronautics and defense

At its head, David Fersztenfeld, 49, an atypical entrepreneur guided by a passion: “When I was young, I played hooky from school to learn mechanics in a garage,” he remembers. After a literary baccalaureate, I obtained a mechanic’s diploma in Canada. I was lucky enough to be taken to Ducati at the age of 18. »

For twenty years, he worked in competitive motorcycle teams, on engine optimization. “We needed to make our parts tailor-made for championship performances.” He therefore specialized in precision machining and created Ferszten Ingeneering in 2016. “Very quickly, Akira became a partner. We produced so much for them that they bought us in 2021. »

From the motorcycle to defense

The competition motorcycle is still relevant: “We design the performance and maintenance of Kawasaki competition engines in superbike and motocross. We also won the 2025 motocross world championship, with rider Romain Febvre. »

But today, the activity has greatly diversified. First in the test benches and special machines: “The principle is to subject certain parts, such as reactor blades, to stress, vibration and temperature constraints as close as possible to reality. We design test means and we sell the results.”

Large aeronautics and defense groups also use the services of the small business. Today, this represents almost a third of Akira’s turnover, which has even been awarded for its work. But the secrecy linked to this strategic sector will not allow us to know much more. “We can’t talk about our customers or what we do for them,” regrets the entrepreneur.

Invest, recruit

In five years, Akira’s turnover has increased from 8 to 12 million euros. “It’s quite rare to bring together the study, manufacturing, assembly and testing in-house. This is what allows us to be very agile. We are known for making complex pieces within fairly short deadlines. Which is appreciated by our customers. »