With a brand-new site currently under construction in the French town of Hérimoncourt, it is clear that the WELP Group is forging ahead with its plans for internationalisation. The aim here is to allow the WELP Group to serve the French-speaking market in particular, not least given that the WELP France SAS subsidiary was founded in June 2022. Going forward, the new subsidiary’s service portfolio is set to include the manufacture and assembly of special-protection vehicles and special-purpose vehicles, along with the corresponding repair and service options for these models.
Historic location with future prospects
The town of Hérimoncourt is located around 70 kilometres west of Basel, and its history is strongly influenced by car manufacturing. Not only is it widely considered to be the birthplace of the Peugeot family, but the new WELP site is being built in a former Stellantis factory. The new branch will initially cover 14,000 square metres of space, and extensive renovation work is currently underway ahead of the planned launch at the end of 2022. “The plan is to have WELP teams from our German sites taking care of the plant during the start-up phase, but we will certainly be creating new jobs for the region in the medium and long term,” explains Gilles Demaret, Managing Director of WELP France SAS.
Cooperation with Stellantis
The WELP Group has been working closely with Stellantis for quite some time now. At the recent Eurosatory trade fair, for example, the companies showcased various vehicle protection concepts using the example of a Peugeot Traveller and a Peugeot Landtrek, which WELP had fitted with special protection equipment. This year, they delivered a specially protected DS 7 Crossback to the Élysée Palace for the French President himself. The new site in Hérimoncourt now represents the next big step towards breaking into the French-speaking market.
