Slitting & Rewinding Unwinding in the South of France
In late November, French manufacturer Mondoninvited Converter’s editor to visit their HQ, to view the brand new warehouse expansion, which almost doubles their operations, and to discuss the investment in new machines, which boast cutting-edge technology and sustainable innovation. Here is the story of man, machines and mountains
D
espite its increasing size and turnover, design and maufacturing company Mondon
remains a family business, set in the heart of rural France. Formed in 1983 by Roland Mondon, operations are now overseen by President Francois Gaubert, who has spent the last few years working towards the warehouse extension and increased profitability of the company, drastically improving the annual turnover. The company now boasts 40 employees, including 11 designers. Mondon designs and manufactures machines for winding, unwinding, and processing systems for flexible web, including plastic films and sheets, textiles, paper and foam. They can also cater to complex materials like Agricole film, medical bands, gum and tyre preparation. In the early 1980s, the company focused on the plastics market, creating machines designed specifically for this purpose. From 2000, the company began to broaden its skillset to include machines for nonwoven and rubber materials, too. This means the company now manufactures for several tyre companies.
EXQUISITE EXTENSION The warehouse expansion has effectively doubled the capacity of operations. Prior to the change, the surface area of the
factory was a 600m2 offices with a 3,000m2 workshop. The new space adds 2,100m2 to the workshop. The work began in June 2017 and was completed in early May 2018. The reason for all this development is the growing customer demand for customisable winding equipment. The company has found that they need more loading and mounting space for each machine, and more machines are required for the workload.
EUROPEAN CLIENT BASE Mondon’s customer base is 50 per cent French clients and 50 per cent international clients, with sporadic customers across Asian countries and the US. The company is proudly French, and proud of their international reach.
The HQ is based in the hub of plastic
production, an area of France that has always been to go-to place for this sector, Saint-Pal- de-Mons. It’s home for Mondon, who have no intention of moving to more prominent locations, such as London, preferring to stick to their roots and distribute internationally. The President notes that the quality, not the location, is reflective of his company and would rather lose a customer to a local converter, than to relocate his business. Talking current affairs, the company are unconcerned about the UK’s exit from the
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December/ January 2019
convertermag.com
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