The energy crisis is catching up with an emblematic French brand. Duralex, known among other things for its model of Picardie glasses which equips a majority of school canteens, has just announced that it will cease production at its only site in Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin (Loiret) from the month of November and put his oven on standby for a minimum of four months. The only solution to save 50% of the energy usually consumed. For the 250 employees, this shutdown will lead to partial unemployment, the terms of which will be discussed on September 14 with staff representatives.
Why such a radical decision when, after a difficult period and successive takeovers, Duralex finally saw a more serene future? Soaring energy prices made the company’s position untenable, as it was a very large consumer of gas and electricity for its business.
“Expenditure on gas and electricity amounted to 3 million euros last year, confides José-Luis Llacuna, its president. For 2022, they will represent 40% of 2021 turnover (23.4 million euros). “Unable under these conditions to continue manufacturing glasses and other bowls without jeopardizing the company. “Economically we cannot continue the activity”, admits the entrepreneur. Beyond the industrial aspect and the consequences on employment, the president of Duralex recognizes that the cessation of activity also makes it possible to respond “directly to the expectations of the public authorities with regard to our responsibility as industrial consumers, by reducing our needs during a particularly tense period.
“We will be able to continue to fulfill our orders”
At the heart of Duralex’s concerns, the baking oven. A central facility that resembles a large indoor swimming pool and brews sand with various elements heated to 1500 degrees. “We first had to ensure the technical viability of putting it on standby. We do not simply press a button, underlines José-Luis Llacuna. It cannot stop working otherwise the glass will freeze then solidify and render it unusable. Standby means that the equipment will continue to run and heat up but in a closed circuit without producing anything, with energy consumption halved as a result.
The industrial break will last at least four months, all employees will be placed on partial unemployment. A decision “hard to make” but essential according to the management. “Teams will be more impacted than others,” admits the boss, who specifies that commercial activities will continue during the interruption. “We have stocks available and it is essential to make it clear to our customers that we will be able to continue to serve them and fulfill orders”.
In two months, Duralex will therefore enter what José-Luis Llacuna describes as a “long tunnel” caused by “a completely brutal and crazy dynamic which has seen the price of electricity multiplied by 22 and that of gas by 18”. Next spring, the group founded in 1945 by Saint-Gobain should see the light again, thanks to a new energy contract which “assures it of being able to produce at lower costs”.