Former forge

The 19,000 m² factory, located near the railway line, comprises a number of parallel buildings. The oldest press shops, dating from before the First World War, have long-sloped roofs, solid brick walls and iron panelling. In addition, there are three shed-roofed workshops, heat treatment and tooling areas, as well as a series of workshops with metal frames and sheet metal walls. A courtyard, partly dedicated to the steel stockyard, separates these buildings from the maintenance and storage areas. The offices, facing the street, have a square floor, slate walls and a pitched roof.

Founded in 1863 by Jean-Baptiste Thomé, Ateliers Thomé-Génot was established on land purchased in 1855. Specialising in railway and marine fittings, the company, managed by Pol Dury from 1920, became a benchmark in the railway and automotive sectors. Before 1914, it produced 3,500 tonnes of forged fittings using 29 rammers and shears, as well as a 600-tonne press. A workers' housing estate was built in 1924 on rue Ambroise Croizat. When it closed in 2007, the plant employed 280 people and produced 15 million parts for the automotive industry, including alternator poles.