Are politicians powerless against large groups that decide overnight to close a factory? We remember the anger of Christophe Degruelle, president of Agglopolys, after the decision of the Tecalemit company announced in 2020 to merge its two sites in Blois and Luceau in Sarthe. The specialist in the manufacture of hydraulic hoses had received public aid from the Centre-Val de Loire region but it did not hesitate to wipe off the map a site that employed around a hundred employees. “The leaders are making fun of the world,” Christophe Degruelle was indignant. The Tecalemit factory had definitively closed its doors in May 2021.
Could history be repeating itself with the Poulain factory in Villebarou, which is scheduled to close at the end of the year?
“We make him understand that we will be vigilant”
This time again, the pill is not going down well with the elected officials. François Bonneau, Christophe Degruelle and Marc Gricourt had already pointed out that the local authorities had supported the company for several years and that the Blois site was even positioned to benefit from new aid as part of the national “Industrial Rebound 2030” scheme. In a letter addressed to the Decaux family, the main shareholder of the Eurazeo investment fund, owner of Carambar & Co, they had also asked that everything be implemented “to preserve this French industrial flagship in Blois”.
But since trust is not an option, Christophe Degruelle has opted for preventive measures. This Tuesday, July 2, the elected representatives of Agglopolys, meeting in a community council in Saint-Bohaire, adopted a resolution to notify the company CPK Carambar that the urban community was interested in buying all the plots of land on the site. “We make him understand that we will be vigilant, explains Christophe Degruelle. And that we will not let her carve up the land in order to carry out a financial transaction and speculate. It is a legal precaution. We do not hold all the cards. We are giving ourselves the means to weigh in on the debate but we are obviously not acting on the closure of the factory.”
“The location of the site is strategic”
In the unanimously voted resolution, it is mentioned that the land represents a total of 24.3 ha, 3 of which are classified as agricultural with a wooded area and that part of it is not serviced and not cleared of archaeological excavations. Agglopolys considers that “The location of the site is strategic, particularly in terms of accessibility due to the proximity of the motorway and major traffic routes, with companies already established in adjacent business parks allowing the development of synergies and pooling, and the proximity of residential areas likely to reduce the carbon impact of home-work travel.”
Knowing that, in this sector, the land available for marketing for tertiary and industrial activities is few in number (less than 10 ha) and that the same is true of the areas remaining to be developed in the short term (17 ha), Agglopolys has no intention of letting just anyone do anything. It feeds “ strong ambitions for the site » and wishes to privilege “an amicable acquisition in the event of confirmation of the closure of the Poulain factory.”
