Taking the decision to become independent has proved a great success for young entrepreneur Claude Didierjean. Façonnage Régional in Colmar started up nine years ago with a second-hand saddle stitcher from Muller Martini. Today, three Bravos stand in his new building, where his company now employs 30 people.

Claude Didierjean had worked for 19 years at the same company in the French town of Colmar, and then in 1993 he “got his cards”. Claude Didierjean found himself at a professional crossroads and the 36-year old had to make a decision. Together with two colleagues, he dared to follow the path to independence and they founded Façonnage Régional in the neighboring town of Wintzenheim.

Le patron, Claude Didierjean, Bruno Jaeger who has been Chef d'Atelier since the company was founded, and Alain Detry of Muller Martini France (l. t. r.) stand in front of the Muller Martini “Bravo S” that has been in operation since 2001

One of the people who has been there for Didierjean right from the beginning when his career took this dramatic turn is Alain Detry. Alain is the person at Muller Martini France S.A. who is responsible for Alsace and he made the first contact in Claude Didierjean’s home.

Starting with a second-hand model
Shortly afterwards, Claude Didierjean started his entrepreneurial career with a used saddle stitcher from Muller Martini. The JGV unit saw two year’s service and then in 1995, by which time Façonnage Régional was already employing 10 people, Claude Didierjean bought a new 335 saddle stitcher with four feeders. Even though a large customer went bankrupt in the meantime leaving behind a considerable number of unpaid bills, the commercial situation improved nicely, allowing further investment. In 1999 he acquired his first Bravo with six feeders plus a cover feeder, then in 2000 there followed a second with three feeders and a cover feeder. Come 2002, a Bravo S was added, yet again with three feeders plus cover feeder. For Claude Didierjean there was never any doubt as to where his machines should come from: “I worked for 19 years in a printing works and know the quality of Muller Martini. For me they are the best machines on the market.” Didierjean is just as happy with his saddle stitchers – happy with a maximum production speed of 11,000 copies per hour, with the product quality and with job changeover times. The company boss also has nothing negative to report with regard to reliability. And if he does actually have a problem, the Muller Martini service people from Strasbourg are quickly on the spot.

15% higher sales figures
Working with 29 to 300 gsm paper, Façonnage Régional produces about 400,000 stitched products per day – brochures, magazines, catalogs, fashion inserts and the Strasbourg town guide. The biggest run every month is the customer magazine of the Carrefour store, with 1.2 million copies. But then again, even small runs ranging from 500 to 1,000 items are also processed on the Bravos. “Because we are in the center of Alsace,” comments Didierjean, “we do, of course, benefit from our geographical location.”

One and a half years ago, Claude Didierjean and his 30-strong workforce moved from Wintzenheim into a new building in Colmar. This investment has also paid off. In spite of a difficult economic environment, sales figures rose by 15% in comparison with the previous year. No wonder then, that Claude Didierjean is currently nurturing further expansion plans. In order to give his business a broader base, he next intends to go into perfect binding, to which end he has already ordered an Acoro A5 with a 1571 gathering machine from Alain Detry.