It's a fresh start for the Grapho 12 printing house. The company located in Villefranche-de-Rouergue in the Aveyron region of France will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in June under very good auspices: the 21-person printing works has managed to emerge from the safeguard plan a year ahead of schedule.
Taking over at the helm of the Rodez Commercial Court at the end of 2010, a 10-year plan to clean up the debt had been drawn up. Giovanni Michielin and Alain Bessettes, the two managers, finally repaid the 2 million euros in liabilities left by the former management 11 months in advance.
The first years of the plan went well, then the market was tight and the printing works had to scale back its ambitions, including she told us in 2015 .
A "priesthood" completed thanks to rigorous management
"It was a priesthood. It took us a lot of patience to get to that point, confides to us the co-director Alain Bessettes. Being on a backup plan, we couldn't borrow. We worked on margins, not on sales 3 million (around '3 million, editor's note). We used the existing tool and invested only in the indispensable. For example, our four-color Heidelberg offset press plus varnish was modernized and not changed."
A new lease of life and new investments
Today, the end of the debt marks a great turning point for the company by bringing a big bowl of oxygen. "Being on a backup plan is a red iron in France. Now we can reinvest with the support of the banks and win tenders. We are now planning a three-year investment plan, with priority being given to replacing our offset press. This will be followed by the renewal of some of the finishing equipment and the renovation of the premises."
Over the next three years, Graph 12 also foresees five production hirings.
"Given the state of the market, our development will be cautious, maintaining our position as a generalist printer providing quality services."
