In the company in Machecoul. – French cycle manufacturer.
- The leading French bicycle manufacturer will receive from the state an industrial investment support fund used to finance modernization projects.
- This € 800,000 envelope will make it possible to increase production capacity, notably with the creation of an additional production line.
- 166 new jobs will be created with this aid.
Another big pedal boost from the Manufacture française du cycle (MFC), a historic company based in Machecoul-Saint-Even in Loire-Atlantique. Like two other companies in the department (Armor à la Chevrolière and Cast in Ancenis), the leading French bicycle manufacturer will benefit from the industrial investment support fund used to finance modernization projects. “We were chosen first because the bicycle is a solution for the future, it’s good for health, the environment the wallet, and then, we are part of the local industrial heritage”, estimates David Jamin, general manager of the MFC, which has 550 employees.
Aid of 800,000 euros will be allocated from the State and the region. She will allow the company stamped made in France launch new investments and the recruitment of 166 jobs. “We will be able to increase our production capacity and our move upmarket because we have a real ambition for growth in a sector [le vélo] booming, develops the CEO. There will thus be the creation of a powder coating line and a high-end painting workshop, but also the investment in French machines to produce increasingly sharp wheels. ”
Number 1 (by far) in France
By 2024, MFC hopes to manufacture 700,000 bicycles per year. For comparison, in 2019, the company produced 450,000 bikes, 90,000 of which were electrically assisted. Figures that will not necessarily be at this height this year given the cessation of production during the two months of confinement. “France imports 75% of bicycles,” explains David Jamin. Of the 25% produced in the region, two thirds are produced! “ The company thus supplies Parisian Vélibs and Nantes Bicloos, and has won the Rennes market from next year, says the CEO.
In the meantime, the Machecoul bicycle factory, created in 1925, has not always done so well. The company, which equipped the greatest champions of the 20th century (Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon, Jacques Anquetil, etc.), was placed in receivership after an erosion of sales in 2012. It was finally taken over at the last minute by the Intersport group and renamed MFC.
In barely seven years, it tripled its production capacity and its turnover rose from 20 million to 120 million euros. Today, the majority of bicycles produced in Machecoul-Saint-Even are sold within the Intersport network under the Nakamura brand. The MFC also supplies large-scale distribution (Leclerc, Auchan, Système U, Carrefour etc.) and a few specialized brands (Go Sport, Sport 2000 etc.). It is also selling more and more high-end mountain bikes (Sunn brand) to cycle shops.
From “Gitane” to electric bicycles, the Machecoul factory in a new cycle