ATM: new development prospects
With support from Ardennes Développement (French Ardennes economic development agency), the Carignan-based company ATM (Automatisme Tôlerie Mécanique) has been run for a year by four experienced entrepreneurs. It is now growing once again and investing in new production tools.
Following a share deal by the former director, three company directors with complementary skills — Pascal Quenardel and Guy Diouy (founders of A2A which provides lift maintenance) and Philippe Blitek (CEO of AEA which makes hoists for people with reduced mobility and of Ermhes which produces low-speed lifts) — joined forces with Olivier Mouillefert (Industrial Director at AEA and Ermhes) to revive the business.
Mr Mouillefert took over as factory manager in July 2018. A year later, ATM's turnover has grown by 8% to reach 4.2 million euros. Olivier Mouillefert has introduced a new dynamic using his industrial experience, his team's skills and synergies with his associates' businesses. Thin-sheet specialist ATM offers industrial clients a turnkey service: design, laser cutting, bending, welding, finishing (wet painting and powder coating) and assembly. This Ardennes' SME with 35 staff makes steel, aluminium and stainless-steel pieces for machine tools, boilers and various products for access control, the railway and industry in general. In 2019, ATM is gradually manufacturing more components for its associates' business activity. To give its products a smoother finish, it will soon have a deburring machine, which will boost its paints' resistance to saline mist. A new press brake will also mean longer sheets can be bent and multiple workstations used to improve productivity and flexibility. These investments have been supported by the “Modernisation des PME” [SME Modernisation] program from the Grand Est region.
After an initial year spent reorganising the business and securing its future, ATM is now undergoing a period of expansion and diversification. With its new equipment and its skilled workforce, the Ardennes' sheet metal company is launching in new markets.
In French Ardennes, manufacturers are showing their ability to bounce back and adapt to new technologies, while maintaining their skills. Ardennes Développement is playing a full facilitator role by supporting businesses' development, assisted by its partner network (the MATERALIA competitiveness cluster initiated the contact with the company).
By Ardennes Développement, the Ardennes economic development agency - ardennes-developpement.com