Trusted partner: SMB Bord-Côte
What is the difference between the oil filter of a TGV, the flight suit for the Rafale and the sheath that makes the door of your oven airtight? These three textile creations may well have been knitted in the SMB BORD-CÔTE workshop, run by Alexandre Saunier. Located in Vindry-sur-Turdine, this company is one of the beautiful survivors of the historic textile basin of the Loire and the Rhône. It is now even an exception in the French and European industrial landscape. A success that owes nothing (or almost nothing) to chance.
© SMB Bord-Côte - 2023
Tube and straight ribs
Ribbing is the stretchy knitted tube that forms the cuffs of a sweatshirt, for example, but can also be used as a sheath for electrical cables, the hose of a car or the elastic of surgical masks. When you look at it closely, you can clearly see that it forms what are called "ribs" in knitting: a series of vertical lines, created by alternating knit and purl stitches. The machines that make it are therefore not looms. No weft or warp. But stitches knitted in different ways, depending on the desired result.
"SMB BORD-CÔTE has historically specialized in tubular ribbing. The oldest machines, dating from the end of the 19th century, are still capable of knitting tubes of different diameters. More recent machines operate on the same principle, but with a much higher output. The most efficient is capable of knitting up to 3,000 meters per day! We now also manufacture straight ribbing: instead of making turns, the machine goes back and forth like a classic loom. But it is needles that knit stitches! Here too, we can adjust the width according to the project (collars, bands, braids, etc.)."
The workshop run by Alexandre Saunier manages to stand out from the competition by relying of course on the quality of its products, but also on the originality of its proposals.
"Thanks to the team's mechanical skills, we are able to manufacture our machines ourselves and adjust them to produce ribbing and stitches in diameters that are unusual on the market. This allows us to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. When the standard is 18 or 28, we make 16 or 32. We are not looking to produce in volume, but rather in specific areas to meet particular needs, including for small productions."
© SMB Bord-Côte - 2023
A real fleece that keeps you warm
The SMB BORD-CÔTE workshop also has the largest fleet of machines in Europe capable of producing quality fleece. While the Chinese market is largely the majority in this field, Alexandre Saunier's company has been offering innovative solutions since 2010 that are increasingly appealing.
"Fleece is emblematic of how the textile market works on a global scale. Produced in China, it is often of poor quality, both in terms of manufacturing and thermal performance. For example, we know that a fleece blanket like those used in hospitals will shrink enormously in the first wash. If it was 2m x 1.80m when you bought it, it will come out of the washing machine as 1.80m x 1.60m! Of course, our blanket costs 5 times more, but the purchase is quickly profitable in the medium term thanks to the durability of the product. The hospitals around Montpellier have understood this, and others will soon follow."
© SMB Bord-Côte - 2023
A high-tech mesh
Finally, the company SMB BORD-CÔTE is particularly renowned for its technical fiber knitwear: fireproof for firefighters' or fighter pilots' outfits, cut-resistant for slaughterhouse professionals or extremely resistant to industrial washing for the medical field. The applications are numerous! The workshop does not work for clothing per se, but rather supplies knitwear intended for technical equipment and "multi-risk" outfits. Holder of 4 patents, the workshop often has a good technological head start.
"Another advantage allows us to differentiate ourselves and win many public contracts: our work with technical fibres (cotton, polyester, carbon Kevlar, etc.) is carried out according to precise standards, in compliance with European specifications. With the Oeko-Tex label, we are able to provide a real guarantee on our products thanks to strict quality control. This is not the case with Chinese products...".
© SMB Bord-Côte - 2023
A story of passion above all
Alexandre Saunier speaks passionately about his company. A family story, made of ups and downs, successes and setbacks, but above all bold choices.
"It was my father, Bernard Saunier, who created SMB BORD-CÔTE in 1994. As a true "geo-trouve-tout", he managed to turn it into a textile innovation tool, with real technical proposals. Originally, I wasn't necessarily destined to take over the workshop: I wanted to do something different. So I trained as a turner-miller and obtained a technical-commercial BTS. And then I came to lend my father a hand to revamp the customer file and find new markets. It worked well, the turnover increased and I'm still here. There are now a dozen of us working on the site. Of course, you need a captain, that's my role, but we operate collaboratively. A simple example: everyone has their turn at cleaning, no one comes to do it for us!"
The collaboration with the Philéone boutique is above all motivated by the friendship that Alexandre Saunier maintains with Philibert and Virginie Varenne. Between enthusiasts, they understand each other well…
"I think the Philéone boutique is a superb project, which allows the general public to have access to our products, and also to become aware of everything we are capable of achieving for the textile sector in the region. Now, if you need coastal goods, you know where to go!"
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Author of the article: Marie Formarier for Phileone France.