in Aveyron, the slight hope of taking over the automobile foundry

Hurry up. There are only a handful of days left for a buyer to express his interest in the Aveyron company of metallurgy (SAM) foundry, located in Viviez, in the former coal basin of Decazeville (Aveyron). On September 16, the Toulouse Commercial Court declared compulsory liquidation with continuation of activity for a period of three months of this manufacturer of automotive parts (oil pan, engine support, wiper motor driver), placed in receivership in December 2019.

He set a deadline for reviewing applications. “If, on November 19, there is no letter of intent or plan to take over, it is direct liquidation”, alert Sébastien Lallier, CGT union delegate and secretary of the social and economic committee. The cessation of activity would lead to the elimination of 340 jobs.

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Employees still have reasons to believe in it. Patrick Bellity, who was the boss until June 2016, a few months before the takeover by the Chinese aluminum giant Jinjiang, is in the ranks. “I cannot bring myself to let SAM go away without preventing it, justifies this potential candidate in a press release. So I expressed to the State, to the region and to Renault, to the obligated partners, that I was again available in order to quickly study, with their help, the most suitable solution for the rescue of SAM. “ In June, the industrialist proposed, with the approval of the employees, a first takeover offer, deemed financially fragile by the audit firm Grant Thornton, mandated by the State and the judicial administrators.

Renault, keystone of negotiations

According to our information, the second version would include barely 135 jobs and would require around ten million euros in financial assistance. The State, shareholder of Renault, almost the sole customer of the plant, shows reservations with regard to it. “We are waiting for a written project from him, which takes into account the weaknesses pointed out”, warns Bercy. Carole Delga, the president (PS) of the Occitanie region, is not thrilled by this proposal. “My services worked on Monday [8 novembre], with M. Bellity. It turns out that his offer needs to be reworked ”, explains the president, who promises to come “In aid of an industrial player, with subsidies and equity investments”.

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Faced with the social emergency, the leader of the region calls for additional time to be granted by the commercial court to potential buyers to finalize their proposals and urges Renault, keystone of the negotiations, “To keep its commitments in terms of the volume of orders, thanks to the necessary solidarity it has benefited from over the past twenty years”. Because, at SAM, it is the automotive supplier who leads. “He’s making our end of the month, admits Sébastien Lallier, who joined the factory in 2005. He injected 10 million to 12 million euros in all to provide him with the parts he needs. “

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