11/03/2013

Business news : Intersport again "Cycleurope" Machecoul, the former manufacturer of bicycles "Gitane"

Intersport group was appointed Friday by the Commercial Court of Troyes (Aube) as purchaser of the bicycle factory Cycleurope Machecoul, famous for being the former place of production of "Gypsy" that were the glory of Bernard Hinault or Laurent Fignon.


Released in the fall by the group Cycleurope, the plant was in receivership and its 254 employees in the anguish of waiting for a potential buyer.

Friday afternoon, assembled in the factory, the workers were unable to completely relax the announcement of the name of their buyer they also learned that the letters of dismissal provided for in the recovery plan would leave the same evening. 
 

For Intersport, as indeed the other competing acquirer, has planned to recover only 175 employees. 
 

So, in this business where the CGT leadership as praise the spirit of solidarity, forty "old" employees have already announced that they accepted the dismissal. A dozen other, younger, have also indicated their intention to accept for a personal project. 
 

"There are 29 compulsory redundancies, and suddenly tonight, even if the employees have done well the party to celebrate the end of uncertainty, nothing will be done," said Didier Garreau, the CGT. 
 

Saturday or Monday morning, 29 people who do not yet know will receive a letter of dismissal. 
 

Redeemed by the Swedish Cycleurope in 1996, they have already experienced the mortification of departure, in 2004, their flagship brand, the "Gypsy." Bikes that made their fame time that they belonged to the Renault, with successively Bernard Hinault and Laurent Fignon, the team "Renault-Elf-Gitane" from the late 70s to mid 80s. 
 

This is the factory Cycleurope Romilly-sur-Seine (Aube), since competitor is manufactured hitherto Peugeot cycles, which now produces "Gitane".
 
 
The "Micmo", another name for the site Machecoul, the name of one of their brands now produce bicycles for most supermarkets but also several chains of sports.

Completed on bikes stored in the factory, the colors of their various clients, label dedicated emphasize that they were "fully assembled in France."


"Best in Europe"


Because we have ceased to Machecoul machined parts in the late 90s. "At present, we import parts from China," laments Guitteny Gabriel, director of production at the plant.


After 41 years in those places where he joined 18 years, "while low maintenance", it is part of the voluntary retirement who accepted the dismissal.


It was Friday morning visit with pride factory, seven production lines, tooling innovations introduced gradually to improve productivity and reduce illnesses.


"As we are the best productivity in Europe Cycleurope group," he says, but he acknowledges that the traditional Chinese competition, but also Germans who rely on him according to the Polish labor are égalables difficult.


In the workshop, men and women are equal proportion. And although many gestures seem repetitive or tedious - eg insert 36 spokes in a wheel, 450 times a day - the atmosphere is relaxed but focused.


After "Micmo", "Gypsy" or "Cycleurope", the new name of the plant that produces bicycles since 1925 will now be the "French Manufacturer of Cycle" and Intersport intends to centralize its French production cycles.

The group expects a production of around 200,000 bicycles in 2016 and aims to "achieve the fastest possible capacity of 300,000 bikes annually assembled," he says in a statement.


Machecoul will also "distribution center Cycle group destination of its stores and its customers."

( French source AFP ( Agence France Presse ) ) 

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