“In twenty years, I have never encountered this type of difficulty ”, testifies Pascal Levoux, at the head of the Deolois carpentry which bears his name. For several months, this craftsman has had to deal with the shortage of materials, some of which are even in total rupture. So, for example, since the spring there has been no way to find wood fiber. Consequences of this shortage, delays on construction sites and great price volatility: “We are constantly reassessing our price list ”, he said.
Faced with this situation, Pascal Levoux found a solution : “We are going to build a 200 m2 extension at the start of the year to store materials. It is a question of being able to guarantee, at the same time for us and for the customer, a schedule and a reliable tariff and to bring serenity.”
The adventure began 20 years ago
After eight years in the boilermaking, Pascal Levoux opened his joinery in January 2002, just twenty years ago. He started out on his own in a small room in the city center of Déols before having a 400 m2 building built in the artisanal area of the Champs du Bois, which grew to 1000 m2 in 2015. Over the years, the company has grown: it now has nine employees and an apprentice.
Specialized in the manufacture of stairs, it is part of a group of about fifty craftsmen who share the patents of the Treppenmeister franchise, the inventor of the suspended wooden staircase. She also works on everything that is exterior and interior joinery (cupboards, dressing rooms, etc.).
Train apprentices
Since its creation, the company has focused on training. “One of the major problems is the lack of companies that take on apprentices. You should not complain after not finding a qualified workforce”, He believes. Since the start of the crisis, he has also many requests from people in retraining. “It is more difficult with courses which are very distant. You can’t train a carpenter in a few months”, He recalls.
Since the start of the pandemic, activity is more sustained, often linked to projects to improve the living environment born during periods of confinement.