We were saddened to learn that the foundry in the middle of Abilly will close permanently in a weeks time, with the loss of around 30 jobs. In a small community that is significant. Also significant is the loss of technical knowledge and skill.
The village of Abilly.
Joseph Pinet established the foundry in the town in 1820 to manufacture agricultural machinery parts. In 2020 it was still going strong and employed 27 people, making parts for tractors and trailers for 150 clients. The workers skills in metallurgy are no longer supported by the State Education system, so on the job training is really important now. The management was very conscious of the impact a foundry has on a small village, both in a positive sense as an important employer, but also the potential negatives such as pollution. The factory by this time was recycling all its waste and reusing the sand used to make moulds. They had also installed chimney filters and caps to capture particles, and replaced the old furnaces with induction furnaces using clean energy.
Many foundries closed in the 1980s, victims of Chinese competition. The foundry at Abilly survived by diversifying into home decor, making candelabras for the North African market. They also successfully promoted their park benches and rubbish bins to municipalities. They made parts for locks and hydraulic pumps, but rarely the complete product in these sectors.
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