The heavy equipment manufacturer, whose production resources are entirely “made in France”, announces a new 3 million Euro investment plan
On June 29th, despite the sweltering heat, over 650 people including current and retired staff of the Allimand Group, their family and friends, attended the Company’s open day where they were greeted by the Chairman & CEO in person, his wife, his son François, executive assistant, and Simon Cena, Managing Director.
ALLIMAND, a designer and manufacturer of paper and nonwovens machines, wanted to take advantage of the large number of machines currently under construction to open its doors…
Here is a look back on a day filled with warmth, friendliness and fun…
The Group’s expansion in Europe and the rest of the world since 2010
“As an employer, it is always important to present the Company to the men and women behind the Group’s success as well as their families” explained Franck Rettmeyer, CEO of the ALLIMAND Group.
The primary aim of the “OPEN DAY” was to showcase the Group’s sizeable design and manufacturing resources and secondly to highlight its strong international growth since 2010, via its subsidiaries in Spain, China and the United States. With operations in more than 50 countries, the development of the Allimand Group hinges on its expertise, experience and close working relationship with its customers.
A new 3 million Euro investment programme
The ALLIMAND Group has established a reputation as a leading provider of high value-added special paper machines and wetlaid “nonwovens” machines which use natural or synthetic fibres. Over the years, the Group has leveraged on its expertise, its technology, its 6 pilot machines and its process, paper, mechanical and automation engineers, to develop a comprehensive range of innovative solutions for the world market. A 3-million-Euro investment programme was recently initiated to enhance the Group’s production capacity in France.
3 highlights of the day
The “OPEN DAY” was marked by three main events, namely the presentation of the Design department, an autograph session with “World superbike” motorcycle racer Loris BAZ and the exhibition of the production equipment.
The presentation of the Design department, led by Philippe COUDURIER really demonstrated the leaps and bounds made in incorporating design into the Company’s product development processes. “Offering customers the option to customise their machines with their company colour provides them with genuine added value as it combines the pride of the employees who work on a daily basis with the functional and aesthetic appearance of their machines.”
Therefore, not only is design in keeping with the values of innovation, it also has marketing, security and maintenance benefits.
The main highlight of the day came during the cocktail reception, the autograph session with Loris Baz: Baz is a rising star in the Superbike world, who has been sponsored by the ALLIMAND Group since 2012. Franck Rettmeyer explained: “Building on this partnership, we are committed to supporting the rise of a young racer who is making a name for himself in a highly competitive motor sport; the idea is also to draw a parallel between an industrial business leader, who is constantly taking risks year round, and a motorcycle racer.”
Finally, “the visitors were both amazed and impressed with the large production equipment implemented by the ALLIMAND Group and its employees, particularly the presentation of the head boxes, a SC Sizer and a 6-metre reel in the large component assembly workshops,” added Francois Rettmeyer, Managing Attaché.
“This “OPEN DAY” gave visitors the opportunity to learn about various professions: boilermakers, lathe operators, milling machine operators and fitters – sectors which are currently facing shortages. Let us hope that this event aroused keen interest among young people and convinced them of how relevant these promising avenues are for the industry!” stated Jean-François Besson, Production manager to conclude.
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