Founded nearly a century ago in Chalon-sur-Saône, the Escofier company, which became a subsidiary of the Galilé group in 2009, officially entered a new era by joining forces with the Pee Wee company in Frankfurt. These two cold rolling specialists are joining forces to become the world number two in this market, which is currently being battered by the health crisis and the war in Ukraine. In Côte-d’Or, Galilé also operates Provéa, based in Venarey-Les Laumes and specializing in mechanical and boilermaking subcontracting. Interview with the Founding President of the Galilé group, Eric Michoux.
– Escofier
The Galilé group bought the Escofier company, which specializes in cold rolling, in other words machining by deformation, in 2009. How is it doing today?
It is a business that is doing well. Thirteen years ago, she was in trouble. It is an extraordinary company, with absolutely remarkable know-how and personnel. And it is certainly the oldest company in the Saoneor park, in Chalon sur Saône.
Who are your clients ?
Our customers are automotive, aeronautical and armament companies. All companies that need to manufacture parts by cold deformation of the material. It is a technology which makes it possible not to have to machine, therefore which is very economical in terms of material. So it’s Renault, Peugeot, Easy, Framatome in Chalon, etc.
This expertise in cold threading already makes Escofier a major player in France and even internationally. Why ally today with the German Pee Wee?
Pee Wee is also one of the important players in Germany since he was one of the founders of these technologies. Pee Wee is the size of Escofier, ie a company of about 50 people. It achieves between eight and eleven million euros in turnover. The association of the two companies, which are more or less in the same industrial sector, the cold forming of metals, will allow them to cover practically the entire planet, since Pee Wee works a lot in Eastern Europe, South America and Spain, and Escofier works a lot in Western Europe and the United States, which means that we have very significant geographical coverage, especially since we also have a subsidiary in India. And on the other hand, the product ranges are themselves complementary since Escofier is recognized for very very high-end machines, and Pee Wee, is on entry-level and mid-range machines. What makes that the technological and geographical association will place us in number two world.
– Escofier
How will this alliance translate?
It is the Galilé company which will therefore take over a majority stake in the Pee Wee company, and it is Joël Duprat, the general manager of Escofier, who will manage the two companies. There will be a harmonization of design offices, production departments and commercial departments. This will allow the two companies to continue to exist and to develop each in their area of life, ie one in Chalon-sur-Saône and the other in Frankfurt, Germany. These companies each employ around 50 people and in the automotive world, this is becoming very low. Sooner or later, there will be a need for rapprochement. There are critical size needs today.
In terms of jobs, will this change the situation?
This will change the situation by an increase, I think, of the workforce and this will make it possible to maximize the significant industrial resources that are in place at Escofier, since we have a fleet of “machines” to manufacture parts, which is very important and which can run more dynamically.
This alliance will also make it possible to better deal with the consequences of the health crises and the war in Ukraine, which are destabilizing the markets. However, Escofier has two trades: a first trade in the manufacture of machine tools where orders are coming in and the outlook is rather encouraging for the Chalonnaise company, but where delivery times are getting longer. But Escofier also sells the tools that go on these machines, in particular what are called knurls and tools that wear out. For this production, the deadlines are much shorter, from a few days to a few weeks, which makes it possible to stabilize the company’s activity despite everything.