Daniel Delmas (known as Dany), born on 01 May 1952 in Cahuzac sur Vère, is a French inventor. He left his mark on the history of agriculture by inventing the electric pruning shears. Following this discovery, he set up INFACO, which stands for INnovation FAbrication et COmmercialisation. He set up the company in his native village, near Gaillac in the Tarn region, the place where his invention was born.
It was during the winter of 1984-1985 that Dany's flagship invention began to see the light of day: the world's first electric pruning shears. The tests were tough, particularly because of the polar cold that winter, and there was a lot of fine-tuning to prepare for the presentation of the innovation at SITEVI 1985 in Montpellier. He won the ingenuity competition... no, this idea wasn't completely mad, it was revolutionary!
In just three days at the show, all 500 pruning shears made by Daniel in his garage had been sold. This success has become a real source of motivation for the Delmas couple.
After the show, the ELECTROCOUP was immediately adopted. The profession, particularly winegrowing, recognised the interest and benefits that the use of such a tool would bring to its users. It was this objective that kept the inventor coming up with ingenious ideas to improve farmers' working conditions. What's more, the invention of the professional electric pruning shears has led to a considerable reduction in musculoskeletal disorders caused by the use of manual pruning shears.
In the early 1980s, Dany invented the Pivitub: a vine stake with no hole or notch to hold the wire. It works with a self-locking spiral that slides along a round tube and allows the wire to be hooked onto it to support the vines. Then, in 1982, he came up with the Rapide Attache, a reusable fastener for attaching rods after pruning. In 1985, shortly after the invention of the world's first electric pruning shears, he developed a motorised fringe mop, much appreciated by catering professionals in particular.
Most of Dany Delmas's innovations have been in the wine-growing sector, which is very close to his heart. In fact, it was winegrower friends from the Gaillac region (one of the oldest vineyards in Europe, near Cahuzac sur Vère) who inspired him to create the pruning shears. Other inventions, for products that are not marketed, have marked its history.
Throughout his long career as an inventor, Daniel Delmas has received a number of awards for his work.
1985: Palme d'Or for best innovation for electric pruning shears
1987: Banque Populaire national prize for business creation, innovation and modernisation
2006: Grand Prix for Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 - Groupe L'Expresse-Expansion - EY (Ernst & Young)
2013: Grand Prix for Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 - EY (Ernest & Young)
2021: Knight of the National Order of Merit
Other prizes have been awarded to INFACO in particular. To see the list of winners, go to the Company page, in the "Awards" section.
Dany is now enjoying a well-deserved retirement with his wife, who has always been part of Infaco's great adventure, but... his brain is still teeming with ingenious ideas!
