The end of the compulsory wearing of masks in public transport is causing an entire market to collapse. At the start of the pandemic, many of them launched production lines for 100% French masks, all over the country. But with the evolution of the health situation in France, some have prepared to turn the page and develop another activity. In Vélizy, the French Mask factory is launching another brand: Weal.fr, which will manufacture connected electric bicycles.
The production of masks will continue, especially for the medical community, but the machines will be idling. In another part of the building will be the bicycle workshop, as Emmanuel Nizard, the general manager, explains: “We are going to have in our factory a part dedicated to the assembly and manufacture of bicycle parts, and another part in which, depending on the needs, we will launch the mask machines according to the orders.
– Pheline Leloir-Duault
If the French Mask started its activity in April 2020, in the middle of the first wave of Covid, the production of masks followed the evolution of sanitary measures. “The goal is not to stop the production of masks, even if we know that we will produce much less than before”says Thomas Le Tiec, the industrial director. “The real blow was stopping the wearing of the mandatory mask, so now it’s just a second phase of the decrease in the mask”. This is why the idea of developing another activity in parallel with masks emerged at the end of 2020, when the vaccines arrived in France.
In 2021, 660,000 electric bikes sold in France
But to learn how to make bikes, employees will have to train. “We are lucky to have next to our premises, in the 78, a school called the INCM which provides training in cycle and bicycle assembly.develops Thomas Le Tiec. We have partnered with them so that they can train our operators, in order to make the transition between the mask part and the bike part a success.
And there are many new missions to assimilate: “They will learn how to mount all the parts on the bike frame, and therefore check the quality of the frame and the spare parts, and ensure that the bike is compliant by carrying out a range of tests to make it available to customers. They will also have to be able to repair it and provide after-sales service if ever there is customer feedback, which of course we try to avoid!”he adds with a smile.
– Pheline Leloir-Duault
In 2021, 660,000 electric bikes were sold in France compared to 500,000 in 2020.