Vynex: an Ardennes staple!
Vynex, a hardware supplier with 100 years of experience, is bringing part of its foreign manufacturing back to French Ardennes. Between 25 and 30 direct and indirect jobs are expected to be created.
Vynex is the main company in the VT FASTWARE group, specialising in small hardware (screws, nails, bolts, washers, etc.) and furniture hardware (hinges, lift-off hinges, brackets, etc.) for DIY distributors and professionals. This international group, located in French Ardennes, generated 81 million revenue in 2020. In France, it employs about 230 people directly and the equivalent of 70 people by way of subcontractors (vocational rehabilitation, prisons) to carry out packaging activities. A leader in the world of anti-split and anti-breakage wood screws, Vynex is the creator of the "Rocket" screw: an exemplary product for wooden frames and structures. In total, French Ardennes company manages a catalogue of around 25,000 items, primarily consisting of small products with low unit values but high logistical costs. These costs can mainly be attributed to the origin of the pieces, as many come from Asia. The VT Fastware group also includes the FTV Asia subsidiary, which oversees sourcing and purchasing and manages the packaging plants in China and Vietnam.
In French Ardennes, Vynex employs 180 people between three sites: Thelonne (7,800 m²), Blagny (7,500 m²) and Donchery (13,500 m²). A large part of its activity is dedicated to logistics, and it has an integrated printing unit specialising in labelling, which was modernised in 2020. Vynex has invested in a digital printer and a label cutter to increase productivity and adapt to different styles of packaging (boxes, vibac, promotional packaging, etc.), allowing it to better meet its customers' demands. As part of its constant quest for improvement, which spans its activities, products and working conditions (e.g. reorganisation of workstations to reduce musculoskeletal disorders), Vynex has decided to repatriate the production of its flagship product, the "Rocket", to French Ardennes. Representing an investment of approximately €3 million, this project has received support from economic development partners, including Ardennes Développement. Additionally, it has benefitted from an €800,000 grant, co-financed by the state and the Grand-Est Regional Council, within the framework of the "Plan de Relance".
In fact, supporting France's industrial independence is one of the main objectives of the government's "Plan de Relance". Expertise, available space, accessibility, tax incentives (the BER scheme has just been extended until 2023): French Ardennes has all the tools at its disposal to encourage the return or launch of industrial activities.
By Ardennes Développement, the Ardennes economic development agency - ardennes-developpement.com