Much of the 15ha former Plysorol plywood plant at Magenta in the heart of the Champagne region is still a sorry sight. The company once had 34% European plywood market share, but collapsed in 2010 faced with falling prices and rising import competition. Since then the factory has fallen into serious dereliction.
The good news, however, is that there’s now a hum of activity in one of the giant buildings.
It’s the noise of an Italian Colombo Cremona veneer production line and its output of prime grade rotary cut poplar veneer is rising. Last year local entrepreneur Christophe Fevrier, head of a diverse group of 10 businesses, bought the facility, invested €2.1m, launched Leroy Industries, named after the founder of the original Leroy timber company that eventually became Plysorol, and shipped in the first poplar logs. Starting with five people, the workforce is now up to 30, and output is 80m³ a day.
"Demand is increasing and, while we’re selling 50% in France, we are also exporting to high grade plywood makers in the US and Italy, and since the Carrefour International du Bois exhibition in June, also to Morocco," said marketing project manager Ombline Delepoulle. The company is marketing its product strongly on quality, with its poplar sourced from Champagne-Ardenne and nearby Picardie famed for its length, straightness and uniform, fine grain.
Leroy is also emphasising its green credentials. All its raw material is PEFC-certified, plantation grown, a tree is planted for everyone cut and, says the company, its carbon footprint is minimised by sourcing so locally.
Soon the rest of the site will start to revive too. Leroy itself is planning a €4m expansion programme and other parts of the plant are likely to be redeveloped for different uses. For more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifPg-SIkNNE
