
GRIPPER FINGERS
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FINRIP is a cross-functional team delivering expertise throughout the value chain from R&D all the way to scale-up and launch to market.
The company’s founders are experts in industrial grasping.
They spent more than 30 years at the helm of COVAL, a French vacuum handling company, developing it to become one of the industry’s global market leaders.
Michel CECCHIN
Chief Executive Officer
From 2003 until 2023, Michel Cecchin was CEO of COVAL, the global vacuum handling business. He managed the company and led its growth. By 2023, it was generating €18m in turnover and had a staff of 90.
Following the sale of COVAL in 2023, Michel and his wife Christelle Cecchin created FINRIP, investing in it through their holding company, CEANS. Michel brings to FINRIP his extensive business management experience.
Christelle CECCHIN
Human Resources Director
From 2003 until 2023, Christelle Cecchin was HR Director of COVAL, which she founded, managed and grew. Following the sale of COVAL, she took responsibility for human resources at FINRIP, through CEANS.
Pierre MILHAU
Head of Research and Innovation
Pierre Milhau worked for COVAL for 31 years, starting in the engineering and design department and then progressing through the company as Head of Engineering and Design, Technical Manager, Quality Manager and most recently Head of Research and Innovation. Following the sale of COVAL, he moved to FINRIP to pursue an ongoing research project on new grasping techniques in partnership with CEA-List.
Pol HAMON
Senior Mechanical Engineer
2018: master’s degree in mechanical engineering and automation at INSA, Rennes, France.
2022: PhD in the design and control of an underactuated gripper for grasping complex objects at Centrale Nantes, France.
Research into the design of underactuated robot hands and model-free control.
Alexis HOU
Software Engineer
2017: master’s degree in mechatronics at ISAE‑Supméca, St-Ouen, France.
2018: dual degree at SupMicroTech, Besançon, France, specializing in robotics and control.
Sept. 2022: researcher at CEA ().
Alexis joined FINRIP in September 2024.
By partnering with CEA-List to create a joint research laboratory, FINRIP has broadened and expanded its R&D capabilities.
The team have set their sights on becoming the go-to specialists in multi-finger grasping. With their combined experience in business management, R&D, scale-up and the journey to market, and their specialist expertise in mechanical architectures for underactuated robotic hands, random grasping, software engineering and artificial intelligence, they are ideally placed to achieve this.
FINRIP S.A.S.
9 Allée Jean-Baptiste Venturi
ZA des Petits Champs
26120 Montélier – France
Phone
(+33) 06 06 06 06 06