First patent: 60 years of innovation
27 October 2026
Maviflex celebrates 60 years of innovation: a look back at the first flexible door patent
In 2026, Maviflex will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Mavil’s first patent for a strip-type roller door.
Filed in 1966 by Victor Simon, this patent marks a pivotal moment in the history of the family-run business and in the development of its expertise in industrial flexible doors. Even at that time, it illustrated the company’s commitment to anticipating needs and developing new solutions.
From 1936 to 1966: the beginnings of a family venture
The story begins in Lyon in 1936, when Victor Simon, having previously worked alongside André Citroën and Paul Berliet, among others, acquired a bicycle manufacturing business.
By 1939, the company already had 100 employees.
Victor Simon subsequently expanded his business into the United States, where ‘made in France’ bicycles proved a great success. The company then became the Manufacture Villeurbannaise de cycles, later known as Mavil.
Over the years, the business diversified: from bicycles to wire-based products, then to cableways and finally to locking solutions. This ability to evolve and break new ground has been a hallmark of the company since its inception.
1966: the first patent for a strip-type roller door
In 1966, Victor Simon filed a patent for the strip-type roller door known as Mavisouple.
With this invention, Mavil emerged as a pioneer and laid the foundations for its expertise in industrial flexible doors.
A few years later, in 1973, the company, led by his son Bernard Simon, launched its first high-speed flexible door, confirming its commitment to this new line of business, which would eventually become Maviflex’s core business.
Visuel © Pixel de Lune
60 years of innovation and over 40 patents
In 2026, Maviflex builds on:
- 60 years of expertise and innovation in industrial flexible doors,
- over 40 patents,
- four generations of the family involved in its history,
- 180 committed employees working together every day,
- a range of manual and high-speed industrial flexible doors,
- a presence in France and internationally.
From the very first strip-type roller door to today’s solutions designed for industry, the food and drink sector, logistics and clean environments, Maviflex remains committed to the same goal: designing high-performance solutions to optimise energy consumption, workflow, safety and working conditions.
This expertise is underpinned in particular by an in-house design office, which supports R&D and enables Maviflex to design and develop its solutions in close alignment with industrial needs.
A family-run business looking to the future
Sixty years on from that first patent, Maviflex’s DNA remains rooted in five key pillars: commitment, innovation, the environment, performance and ‘Made in France’.
Anne-Sophie Simon Panseri & Thomas Panseri
With a forward-looking approach, the company continues to rethink its solutions and anticipate developments in the industry.
A story that began in 1936, driven by four generations of the family, and which continues in 2026 with the same ambition: to innovate in France and support manufacturers around the world.
1966–2026: 60 years of innovation, and the story continues.