Fenwick Groupe
Encyclopedia
The Fenwick Groupe is a French engineering company, established in 1862, located in Saint-Ouen
on the northern outskirts of Paris.
In 1927, the French franc
collapesd against the dollar making American goods prohibitively expensive. Consequently Fenwick obtained a licence to build Yale
forklift trucks in France and so diversified into manufacturing.
In 1951 Fenwick obtained a licence to manufacture Lambretta
scooters in France. Approximately 200,000 of these were built by 870 employees at factory at Saint-Julien-les-Villas
in Troyes
. Production stopped in 1960 when demand fell.
At its peak in 1970, the company employed 1,150 staff at the Saint-Julien-les-Villas plant, which was also used to manufacture forklifts. The plant closed in 1984 with the loss of 515 jobs. The factory's forklift production was taken over by Linde
and a new subsidiary called Fenwick-Linde was created.
Saint-Ouen, Seine-Saint-Denis
Saint-Ouen is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. It is located in the northern suburbs of Paris, France 6.6 km from the centre of Paris....
on the northern outskirts of Paris.
History
Fenwick was founded as an export company in 1862. Most of its trade was with the United States. A meeting in 1878 led to the import of American made hair clippers. These sold well and other imports such as bicycles, typewritters and lifting equipment followed.In 1927, the French franc
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
collapesd against the dollar making American goods prohibitively expensive. Consequently Fenwick obtained a licence to build Yale
Yale Materials Handling Corporation
Yale Materials Handling Corporation is a corporation that produces forklift trucks and other material handling equipment. The company was started as a lock manufacturer in 1844. Yale produced its first forklift truck in the 1920's under the name Yale & Towne Manufacturing. The company was purchased...
forklift trucks in France and so diversified into manufacturing.
In 1951 Fenwick obtained a licence to manufacture Lambretta
Lambretta
Lambretta can refer to:* Lambretta, a petrol-powered scooter made by Innocenti* Lambretta , a clothing brand* Lambretta , a Swedish rock band* The Lambrettas, a British mod revival band...
scooters in France. Approximately 200,000 of these were built by 870 employees at factory at Saint-Julien-les-Villas
Saint-Julien-les-Villas
Saint-Julien-les-Villas is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.-Population:-References:*...
in Troyes
Arrondissement of Troyes
The arrondissement of Troyes is an arrondissement of France, located in the Aube département, in the Champagne-Ardenne région. It has 22 cantons and 247 communes.-Cantons:The cantons of the arrondissement of Troyes are:# Aix-en-Othe...
. Production stopped in 1960 when demand fell.
At its peak in 1970, the company employed 1,150 staff at the Saint-Julien-les-Villas plant, which was also used to manufacture forklifts. The plant closed in 1984 with the loss of 515 jobs. The factory's forklift production was taken over by Linde
The Linde Group
The Linde Group, registered as Linde AG is an international industrial gases and engineering company founded in Germany in 1879. Linde shares are traded on all the German stock exchanges and also in Zürich, and the Linde share price is included in the DAX 30 index...
and a new subsidiary called Fenwick-Linde was created.