KEY DATES
From its founding in Strasbourg in 1947 to its integration into the Le Goff Group, discover the journey of a brand that has become a global reference in the design of speed reducers.
1947 – 1959: The birth of an Alsatian leader
The adventure begins on 1st September 1947 with the creation of MERGER Factories in Strasbourg. Very quickly, the company specialized in modern applications of mechanics applied to industrial transmissions.
- June 1, 1957: Transformation into a limited liability company (SARL).
- August 1, 1959: The transition to a public limited company (SA) signaled rapid growth supported by the quality of its helical gear and worm gear reducers.
1960 – 1990: Global Expansion and Recognition
Under the leadership of its founder, MERGER It promotes French industry internationally. Since 1954, a very significant portion of production has been destined for export. In 1957, approximately 80% of production were intended for the market international.
- In 1968: Start of a production subsidiary under "know-how" in Mexico.
- 1969 Partnership with Lechner-Pâtissier, specializing in parallel shaft or cylindrical gear reducers.
- In 1970: A historic moment for the company receiving the "Grand Prix of the Export Oscars"The diploma is presented personally to Mr. Roger Merger by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
- In 1974: Transfer of a manufacturing license to the Polish organization INDUKTA, which manufacture engines for a large part of Eastern Europe.
- In 1981: Co-design partnership with German Lurghi for specific and large transmissions in gas processing plants and thermal power plants.
- In 1984: Integration of the SEEM (design office and manufacturer of complex gears)
- February 1, 1985: MERGER obtains the quality label RAQ2 (predecessor to ISO 9001), confirming its status as a strategic supplier for clients such as EDF, SNCF or Renault.
Present in 36 countries…
1992 – 2004: A period of change for the industrial flagship of Strasbourg-Meinau
At its peak, MERGER was present in 36 countries with subsidiaries in the USA, Singapore and Mexico. The Strasbourg Meinau site covers 3 hectares with 24,000 m² of covered area.
The Engineering Department, the company's flagship division, designs special reducers transmitting torques of up to 100,000 mdaN.
The site covered 6 different addresses:
- 11 rue des Frères Eberts,
- 13 rue des Frères Eberts,
- 15 rue des Frères Eberts,
- 17 rue Livio,
- 18 Livio Street
- 20 Livio Street.
Throughout this period, MERGER maintained a main telephone number which can still be found today on the nameplates of our devices: +03 88 40 55 55.
Other phone numbers were used for specific applications such as the 88 40 55 55, the 88 39 17 30, the 34 26 12 and the 34 26 13
For certain markets, particularly in Europe, the assembly of geared motors was carried out at 14 rue Schertz.
Swept away by deindustrialization, the beginning of the 2000s marked a period of transition.
2004 The need for an industrial partner is mentioned in the context of continuing operations.
2005 – 2011: Integration into the AD Industries Group
In the mid-2000s, MERGER joined the group AD Industries/ EpsitechLed by Laurent MattiussiThe initial objective was to be able to manufacture gear systems for the aerospace industry, drawing in particular on the expertise of MERGER's design office.
The company becomes a subsidiary of the group's transmission/gear division, along with AEP in Chassieu (manufacturing high-tech gears), ERAM (precision gears for aeronautics and defense) and their site in Brive La Gaillarde.
2007 To optimize its operations, the head office is making an initial micro-move from number 11 to number 15 of the Eberts Brothers Street à Strasbourg.
2009 - 2011 Operational transition. During this period, Jacques Mommessin (Director of AEP) ensured the continuity of the MERGER entity, preserving technical expertise despite the challenges of restructuring. Production was then divided: small gearboxes in Chassieu and large-capacity assemblies in Brive-la-Gaillarde.
2011 : MERGER officially opens at 17 rue des Frères Lumière in Chassieu (69).
2012 – 2013: The Jacques Mommessin relay (AEP)
The transition to a more specialized model is accelerating. Orientation towards the drop in in partnership with Audrey Lecuyer, manager of the Brive La Gaillarde site.
2012 The Board of Directors acknowledges the departure of the last member of the Merger family. Jacques Mommessin, already a manager ofAEP (one of the subsidiaries of the AD Industries group), is appointed Managing Director. He brings the technical expertise in "precision gears" necessary for the survival of the product range.
2013 : Disengagement of the AD Industries group. Stabilization of the entity around the expertise of the design office. Jacques Mommessin oversees the relocation of cried MERGER on Lyon.
2014 – Present: A change of direction with the Le Goff Group
A new chapter begins when Charles Le Goff (Le Goff Group leader – CMW, Itafran) takes over MERGER's assets.
1er July 2014 : MERGER is joining the Le Goff group. The aim is to re-industrialize MERGER autonomously in the Lyon region.
2014 : Moving of 17 rue des Frères Lumières à Chassieu (69) at 23 industry avenue à Corbas (69). Synergy between FMA (MERGER workshops Massardier Remy Barrere Gears, AEP, TEM, Sotame and Metale gears), Itafran et mergers on a single site allowing for optimized storage and logistics of transmissions.
2014 - 2022 Reorganization around 5 activities: Nine, Special Nine, Drop-Repair of all makes and models, On-site maintenance/service
2022 Construction of the new building in line with the National Low Carbon Strategy, increased production capacity and ergonomic assembly stations: relocation to 15 Avenue de Montmartin à Corbas
2025 : Inauguration of a second overhead crane with a capacity of 10 tonnes.
HISTORICAL PLAQUES
Immerse yourself in the heart of the company's historical facilities and achievements over the period 1947-2004.
MERGER Historical Plaque – View of the former factories
International Merger Book – Achievements by Application Type
story
The MERGER story: Over 75 years of excellence in mechanical transmission
The story of an industrial saga:
In the aftermath of the Second World War, in a France undergoing reconstruction, was born Strasbourg a company destined to become a long-term player in the industrial landscape : MERGER. Founded in 1947It is gradually establishing itself as a recognized player in the manufacturing of gears and speed reducersThese discreet but essential mechanisms transmit power to the heart of the machines. Fueled by the momentum of the post-war economic boom, the company developed solid expertise, serving the most demanding sectors — steel industry, positive, heavy machineryIn its workshops, generations of workers and engineers craft parts designed to last for decades.
For nearly half a century, MERGER It remains an independent company, rooted in its territory and faithful to the idea of a strong and innovative French industry. The factory is then located at 11 rue des frères Eberts 67100 StrasbourgFrom this solid base, it exports all over the world. It establishes subsidiaries in United States and SingaporeShe also received the award in 1970. grand prize of the Export OscarsAt that time, it exported 85% of its production with the help of its 400 technicians dedicated to manufacturing the gears et reducersFrom the 1990s onwards, the landscape changed. Globalization imposed its rules, groups consolidated, and family businesses struggled to compete. Like many others, MERGER It then enters a phase of transformation. The company refocuses on more specialized markets — nuclear, maritime, high-value technical equipment — while gradually changing its shareholding.
The 2000s marked a period of transition. Gradually, MERGER leaves the family fold of its founders and integrates into industrial complexes larger. It is in this context that, at a pivotal moment, it joined the orbit of groups structured around AD Industries, where it was integrated into a division dedicated to gears and mechanical transmissions. Several sites in France then gravitated around it — in Saint-Leu-la-Forêt, Brive-la-Gaillarde, and elsewhere. Chassieu — forming an industrial complex subject to the logic of rationalization and performance. The unique identity of MERGER It gradually dissolves there. It brings all its expertise technical but it needs to change its manufacturing processes dating back to the 50s.
Its activities are being redistributed, its sites reorganized. Behind these restructurings, the know-how threatened with extinction is being preserved by a team welded behind increasingly technical projects.
Its cried, Its archives, manufacturerhis accumulated experience since 1947 allow the company to maintain operations despite a turbulent industrial environment in France. In the early 2010s, as the company sought to expand, a transition phase took place. Industrial players, including Jacques Mommessin, head of AEP in Chassieu (a subsidiary of AD Industries), helped to preserve the essentials: the memory technical and the ability to reconstruct reducers.
The real turning point finally came in 2014. The company was taken over by the Le Goff group, a family-owned industrial player structured around several complementary entities, including FMA et ITAFRANCMW is the largest French manufacturer of gears. ITAFRAN is the leading French platform for industrial mechanical transmission partsThis takeover is part of a refocusing strategy. It's no longer simply about preserving the company, but about repositioning it. MERGER as a market leader in reducers et multipliers de speed.
Starting this year, 2014, MERGER establishes itself in Corbas Rhone and is reborn, no longer as a large generalist manufacturer, but as a niche specialist, focused on the reducers complex, the maintenance of old equipment and the remanufacturing on QUOTEAll departments MERGER are now located in the industrial zone east of Lyon. There are no longer any offices at 11 rue des frères Eberts in Strasbourg. The company is thus regaining a sense of continuity with its past: that of a industrial capable of extending the life of machines, sometimes far exceeding what their designers had imagined.
History MERGER tells, in its own way, the story of many French industrial companies facing changes of the 20th century. By gradually adapting its strategy, MERGER was able to rely on its team of expert technicians and its historical know-how to provide points of differentiation compared to standard manufacturers.
Across the world, millions of factories continue to rely on reducers MERGER robust, designed to last for many years. Each new device produced at Corbas today or every refurbishment seeks to humbly extend this history started at Strasbourgnearly seventy years earlier.
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