Industrial rebound at Eppe Packaging after its fire: when the solidarity of industrial players in Aube makes all the difference

Published the 06/01/23 | Territorial life

Eppe Packaging (Lebhar Group) is a packaging company specialized in carton manufacturing located in Troyes Saint-Thibault, Aube. In June 2021, the Eppe Packaging site was destroyed by a fire. At that time, it had 26 employees and a turnover of over 3 million euros.

Anchoring and Industrial Solidarity in Aube

All the economic actors in the region mobilized to find a solution as quickly as possible. The industrial synergies developed by the Business Sud Champagne development agency with companies in Aube allowed Eppe Packaging to have a detailed knowledge of underutilized material or immaterial assets that could be valorized with third parties. These assets included production or transportation capacities, human skills, measurement tools, co-products, sales forces, and immediately available premises.

“We have been partners of the BSC agency from the very beginning,” says Hugues Dugres, General Manager of Accuride. “When their team came to support us in implementing our press project, we understood that they shared the same values as us. Their action was not limited to our company but aimed at developing sectors and the Sud Champagne region by multiplying synergies and collaborations. So, when BSC mobilized us to use an available space of 2,000 square meters that they had identified on our site to house Eppe Packaging, it seemed obvious to us that we should stand together as industrial players. We were ready to welcome them.”

In less than 10 days, Eppe Packaging moved into the industrial space offered by BSC on Accuride’s site to restart part of its production. The administrative team found refuge in the offices of the former owner of Eppe Packaging, which were adjacent to the burned-down site. Between July and October 2021, three packaging machines and a bag machine were installed at Accuride. The rest was distributed partly to the two other units of the group and to a colleague in Valence to fulfill all orders. Pierre Collin, Site Manager of Eppe Packaging and responsible for the relocation, says, “All this solidarity still gives me chills!” During this transition phase, the company had to ensure that it retained its team’s skills.

“We wanted to avoid technical unemployment to maintain the company’s internal dynamics and the level of quality in our production,” explains Pierre Collin. “Our employees’ commitment was unwavering. For those whose machines were destroyed, they agreed to work on other sites, allowing us to preserve our industrial know-how. Whether internal or external, we received a lot of human assistance, and it warms the heart.”

Eppe Packaging: Toward Industrial Redeployment in a 10,000 m² Facility at the Troyes Saint Thibault Business Park

Once the activity was saved, Pierre Collin had to find a large operational site to redeploy his business. “We identified several potential properties from the industrial property exchange managed by the BSC agency. The offers presented come from their partner real estate agencies or directly from the owners. When I visited the Saint Thibault building, I was impressed,” comments Pierre Collin. However, it was necessary to study its operability more precisely for the company’s activity. The region once again rallied to accelerate the feasibility study. BSC connected Eppe Packaging with the former director and manager of the Saint Thibault site, Vincent Dumange, who is now the manager of the mechanical applications company in Rosières. “When BSC solicited me to provide my experience on this building, it seemed obvious to me that I should help Pierre Collin as much as necessary in his relocation choices. Committing to a new building is always difficult when the tenant doesn’t know it. So, I honestly presented the advantages and disadvantages of this site to him so that he could make the decision with the maximum information at his disposal. Aubois industrial players support each other. When the agency asked us, we didn’t hesitate.” Since resuming its industrial activity in its premises in September 2022, the company has invested in new equipment: an offset printing machine, two cutting machines, two glue folders, and a window sticking machine.

“The aim of these investments is to modernize the machine park, bring back know-how to France, and maintain employment,” explains Pierre Collin.

Eppe Packaging, supported by BSC and the Maison de la Région de Troyes / Chaumont, in its 4.0 modernization, has benefited from the regional program: Grand Est Compétitivité. Today, the team consists of around forty people and is still looking to hire.