France: In Alsace, the relocated textile industry becomes a future sector

On the border of the Vosges massif, you must have a breath to follow Pierre Schmitt, the boss of the Velcorex-Emmanuel Lang group, when he walks his factories installed on several hectares in Saint-Amarin in the Haut-Rhin department.

In these vast premises, dozens of machines, sometimes more than 70 meters long, cut, disenchant, dry, brush, whiten or ring the tissues.These mechanical and electronics jewelry were kept in extremis when this 68 -year -old entrepreneur took over former local textile companies, promised to liquidation in the early 2010s.

By dint of wanting to master the entire production chain, his group has reached, almost 20 years after the relocation of the latest French linen spins, to bring back Hungary machines to reopen one in Hirsingue (Haut-Rhin) in 2020.

"Today we are the only ones to be able to say that flax, itself produced in France, is spun with us, woven with us, and ennobled with us," he says.

The very first collection from this entirely French production, with jeans, jackets, and flax velvet pants, is presented at the Made in France fair in Paris, until November 14.

"Innovation ecosystem"

Beyond his group, which now employs 150 people and continues to recruit, Pierre Schmitt is delighted to see the sector structure itself in France: the country is the world's leading producer of Lin Textiles, and has, with Schlumberger, installed in Guebwiller (Haut-Rhin), of the world leader in the manufacture of long fiber machines (flax, hemp, wool and nettles).

In Alsace, the group intends to mobilize textile engineering schools, created at the time of the industrial revolution, to develop research projects.

"Proximity is the essential condition for creating an innovation ecosystem.This is what we are doing, "says Pierre Schmitt."I am convinced that we will soon be able to file patents".

Its ambition relates to the design of new materials: mixed with resins, textile fibers can replace certain plastics, oil derived as well as glass and carbon fibers.

"The fiberglass has no flexibility, it is inert, it breaks at the slightest shock," explains Christian Didier, the director of the subsidiary Emmanuel Lang."While linen has several advantages: it is lighter, it is recyclable, and it absorbs shocks".

The applications of these composite materials are multiple.The company will participate in the making of the Roland Jourdain boat hull for the next Vendée Globe.A car manufacturer is interested in making the rigid elements of the dashboard of its vehicles.And other uses, in the thermal and sound insulation of buildings, are also envisaged.

"Banks would need"

To carry out all these projects, the group seeks to project itself on "Le Temps Long", but still struggles to bring together the funds necessary for its investments.

"It is sure that the lack of means has hampered us, we have already lost two to three years," said Pierre Schmitt, who had mortgaged his house to finance the first activities of the group.

Its group is looking for 10 million euros for new developments, and develops alternative solutions: crowdfunding has been launched and an envelope of 2.6 million euros was obtained from the State within the framework of the planRELAUNCH.

Insufficient aid nevertheless to complete the budget."To finish funding, it would take banks, but as the companies we have taken up has lost money in the past, and that in addition it is the textile sector, we have two huge prejudices that play in ourDisapanese ", regrets the boss who is thinking about soliciting foreign donors.

© 2021 AFP