British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe's industrial group Ineos said Wednesday it was "confident" about a possible agreement with the German group Daimler to acquire its Smart factory in Hambach in Moselle and manufacture its 4x4 project there.
"Ineos is in advanced discussions with Mercedes-Benz", a subsidiary of Daimler, "on a takeover of its manufacturing site in Hambach, on the border with Germany in Moselle," Ineos explains in a press release.
“Even if an agreement has not yet been finalized, we are confident” that the negotiations will be successful and that “the future Grenadier site will be in France”, adds this declaration.
Bercy confirms that discussions are intensifying
While the 4x4 project dubbed Grenadier was initially to be carried out in Wales, the announcement of the discussions between the group of the billionaire pro-Brexit and Daimler had created emotion in the United Kingdom, the union Unite having castigated a "betrayal ".
Ineos describes the Hambach site as “a great solution” for building its future 4x4, with “a very experienced team and a very good quality history”.
A source from Bercy also confirmed Wednesday that discussions were intensifying around a possible takeover by Ineos, with almost daily exchanges on the file.
The Ineos project does not guarantee employment for the 1,600 employees
“Since Agnès Pannier-Runacher's visit to Hambach on July 30, the minister had the CEO of Daimler on the phone on August 5 to take stock and remind the government requirements on the preservation of 1,600 jobs”, explains this source.
The problem is that the Ineos project does not guarantee employment for the 1,600 employees, according to Bercy, which is therefore studying the possibilities of supplementing it, for example by manufacturing parts for Daimler.
"There are always questions about an actor who decides to embark on the automotive sector", particularly upset by the containment put in place to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, but Jim Ratcliffe "has launched a lot of industrial projects and has succeeded, it is a credible partner ”.
See you on August 24
The ministry has an appointment on August 24 with the number two of Daimler and has yet to meet with the unions, with the aim of finalizing a recovery plan by the end of the fall.
Daimler, owner of the Mercedes and Smart brands, announced in early July to sell the manufacturing plant of the small electric city car, due to financial difficulties linked to the epidemic.
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