The project to sell the last paper recycling site in France, in Grand-Couronne, near Rouen, is "delayed" by a request for expertise from employees, we learned Friday from its Finnish owner UPM.
"We are in discussions with Samfi and Paprec" who plan to buy the site together, but "the decision is unfortunately delayed" until September, because the employee representatives "have requested an external expertise" on the project, indicated the UPM leadership.
According to the Ministry of Industry, this takeover offer from Samfi and Paprec whose “activities are complementary” is “currently the only industrial offer in existence”.
The Samfi / Paprec project "will very quickly develop on the site a sorting activity for used paper and cardboard" and will concern "210 jobs", the ministry insisted on.
"70 jobs will be created in the short term by the company Paprec" among which "50 will be in sorting, transit, recycling" and "20 for the biomass boiler that would be converted" to which are added "140 additional jobs created by the Samfi group and its subsidiary H2V ”, for the production of hydrogen.
Three months for the expert report
"It turns out that the Darblay Chapel site is well equipped to do this since it is on the Seine and connected to the high voltage power line, which allows the production of hydrogen by electrolysis of water", emphasizes the Ministry of Industry. During a central CSE, employees asked for an expertise to learn more about this industrial project, said Arnaud Dauxerre elected to the central CSE. The expert legally has three months to complete his report, according to Arnaud Dauxerre.
This executive representative is one of the last five employees at the site, after the layoff of 228 people in 2020. An agreement was reached to preserve until June 2021 the industrial tool of this site called the Darblay Chapel. The employees hope that the time of the expertise will allow another project, less advanced but promising more jobs, to materialize. According to the CGT and Arnaud Dauxerre Veolia is also working, with the Canadian Fiber Excellence and the ink and consumables trader Têtu, on a project to buy the site.
According to Arnaud Dauxerre, the Veolia project would be synonymous with "250 jobs immediately, and 350 when an additional machine has been restarted".
According to employees, the Veolia project includes the manufacture of wrapping paper and recycled insulation paper, while the Paprec project would be the collection and resale of paper and plastics.
In addition Arnaud Dauxerre affirms that the hydrogen project of Samfi is not financed.
Samfi invest is a Norman “family” company, shareholder of H2V, a company which has hydrogen production sites projects.
Samfi is also present in real estate and transport in particular.
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