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Interview with Philippe Dizier, CEO of Le Bélier SA

Making light of the mobile transitionAluminium is widely regarded as the fastest, safest and most cost-effective way to increase performance, improve fuel economy and reduce emissions while maintaining or even improv-ing safety and durability in the automotive industry. Le Belier SA headquartered in Vérac, France specializes in cast aluminium safety-related parts with a worldwide market share of 45% in regard to aluminium braking systems. Through its foundry, machining and tool-mak-ing divisions the Group provides a fully-comprehensive service program ranging from the production of prototypes to machined parts ready for installation.

Just over a century after the pio-

neers of the automotive industry

were first ‘Opening the Highways

to all Mankind’ the same industry

is transitioning fast. Along with the

trend towards evermore fuel eco-

nomical vehicles, electrification is

becoming more common either in

hybrid or pure electric form. Other

engineering trends focus on weight

reduction in vehicle subsystems by

using lightweight structures made

of alternative materials. Light, fully

recyclable and perfect with regard

to environmental and anticorro-

sion standards, aluminium has

become the preferred material for

the automotive industry. In fact, it

has become the second most used

metal following steel and accounts

for nearly 9% of the average vehi-

cle weight – compared to only 3%

30 years ago.

As a global supplier of cast

aluminium automobile parts, Le

Belier SA plays an important role

in the transitioning process of the

sector. The Group has a pres-

ence on three continents with ten

manufacturing sites in France,

Hungary and Serbia in Europe,

Mexico in Latin-America and

China in Asia. “All our sites com-

ply with the worldwide accepted

manufacturing standards,” em-

phasizes Philippe Dizier, Chief

Executive Officer. “In spite of

our international or rather global

orientation, our local operations

allow for close contact to cus-

tomers. Moreover, our efficient

internal organization enables us

to respond to customers’ require-

ments fast and efficiently.”

The origins of Le Belier SA date

back to 1961, when Jacques Gal-

land established an aluminium

and copper alloy gravity die casting

plant in Vérac and started pro-

ducing parts for the railway and

electrical industries. Continuous

innovation and investment have

resulted in dynamic growth both in

terms of business and geographic

expansion. The plant in Vérac has

become the nucleus and head-

quarters of an international busi-

ness with 3,800 employees and a

total turnover of 312 million EUR.

In 1999 Le Bélier SA was listed on

the Second Marché of the French

Stock Exchange. “We pursue a

policy of providing local service to

our key customers and progres-

sively expanding into international

markets,” says Mr. Dizier. “The

geographical focus is gradually

shifting, however, as growth is

taking place above all in Asia. We

have been present in China for

20 years so that we benefit from

the strong growth of the Chinese

automobile market and are able to

meet the local needs of our main

customers.”

Although the Group’s service

program focuses on brake, chas-

sis and turbo parts respectively,

it accounts for a wide range of

customer requirements. Through

its foundry, machining and tool-

making divisions Le Belier Group

serves leading Tier I suppliers as

well as, to a smaller extent, auto-

mobile manufacturers. “Our wide-

ranging service program ranging

from prototypes to machined parts

means added value and com-

petitive advantages for our clients,

especially in the supplier chain,”

points out Mr. Dizier. Reducing

fuel consumption and CO2 emis-

sions remains Le Belier’s priority

Each plant complies with global manufacturing standards: fully automated assembly station

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Le Bélier SAPlantier de la Reine 33240 Vérac France

+33 557 550300 +33 557 550399

belier.groupe@lebelier.com www.lebelier.com

as it continues to make light of the

mobile transition. Aluminum re-

mains its answer also in view of the

growing trend towards hybrid or

electric vehicles. Once again, the

light and corrosion-resistant mate-

rial is fully in line with this trend.

“The aim is to increase the reach

of the new vehicles to improve

their acceptance, and the vehicle

weight is an important factor,” says

Mr. Dizier. “We are on the safe

side anyway, even if the share of

hybrid or electric vehicles reaches

the forecasted 20% by 2025, as

our aluminum turbo parts increase

the fuel economy of conventional

engines.” Le Belier SA is well on

its way towards even expanding its

operations and its global presence,

making its advanced technical

know-how available to the aviation

industry in the process. Needless

to say, digital transformation is an

important topic for this internation-

ally operating group and has long

since become an important part

of its interactive processes in the

field of system communication and

information exchange. ❙

Stringent controls ensure the impeccable quality of each individual part