At the Fabrègue printing works, located in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in the Haute-Vienne (Limousin), some days are very busy and others are not at all busy at all," explains Emmanuel Fabrègue, president of the group.
After a temporary stoppage of production at the beginning of the containment period in order to reorganise the company and implement barrier measures, the printing works resumed its activity and maintained it throughout the period. But to adapt to the drop in orders, the company, which has 280 employees, immediately started short-time working.
This system, together with specific company agreements - the company has worked extensively with its CSE and CSSCT - allows the printing works to be extremely flexible and to adapt the number of employees to production needs on a daily basis.
«? No customer that makes more than 4% of our affaires? sales."
"?Nous are fortunate to have a very diverse customer base, we don't have a customer that makes more than 4% of our affaires?" explains the company director. This diversification has enabled the printer to continue to work with some of its customers.
In some sectors such as banking and insurance, production has not been interrupted by the health crisis. In other sectors, however, and in particular in the field of consumer communication, activity has fallen or even stopped altogether. For example, the major retailers, whose stores were closed, could no longer communicate.
How do you see the activity after the 11th mai??
The printing works is now in a position to restart 100% of its production if necessary," says Emmanuel Fabrègue.
Some activities are gradually resuming, such as brochures on local and national tourism. But other seasonal campaigns in mass distribution have been drastically cut back or even cancelled.
For the business leader, it will take some time before volumes return to pre-crisis levels. However, he is optimistic for the long term.
"?Dans every crisis has a silver lining. The profession will have to pull together and be strong in these difficult times. Maybe there will be new opportunities, maybe we'll have to communicate differently... ?"
For 4 years, the Fabrègue printing works has been developing a packaging activity. Perhaps this activity could be developed further.
In 2019, the group, which includes the printing business as well as an office products distribution business, generated sales of just over EUR 36 million.
