A former Caterpillar executive who became a refiner and re-grinder by passion

This has undoubtedly already happened to you: a pair of scissors which no longer cuts, a pruning shears which no longer cuts… Their blades should be refined but you cannot find anyone to do this precision work. So, you buy a new tool, long live the consumer society. In the Charleroi region, however, you can now have your instruments cut again by a grinder refiner. Philippe Noël, that’s his name, roams the markets with his work van.

He’s a former Caterpillar executive, who changed his life after he was laid off, and he likes his new job immensely! We find it on the market in Courcelles, refining the teeth of a dog clipper. He works in his van, transformed into a mobile workshop. Around him, different machines, and the characteristic noise of the blade that is sharpened.

Philippe Noël launched his activity in November 2019. Barely time to make himself known, and confinement blocked him at home. But here he is back, ready to cut … a bib. “I worked 27 years at Caterpillar, mainly in the design office. When I was laid off, at 52, I was not asked what I was going to do with my life. I wanted to continue working, but in What field? My brother-in-law told me about a refiner in Liège, and I was surprised: it still existed, this profession? I inquired on the left and on the right, I discussed a lot, and I said to myself: here, that’s what I want to do! “. A job that combines the richness of human contact with a certain technicality that appeals to the former engineer. “For certain blades, certain knives, I work down to the micron, yep! That’s what I like, these technical challenges: finding the best way to get there in the shortest possible time, because profitability also intervenes: I’m not going to spend the whole day making a comb! “.

180 degree conversion

To train, he had to go to France, in Gers more precisely: “There is no training center for the refining profession in Belgium. So I took courses in a specialized school there, with students coming from everywhere. It was very interesting, and I keep in touch with everyone via Facebook. We exchange tips and tricks, and when I stall on something, I ask others for advice! “.

On the markets, individuals come to see it with their scissors, secateurs, knives. “Often I hear the same reflection: what, a grinder, it still exists? I knew some when I was little, I thought it was a vanished profession!”. Professionals also call on him: butchers, hairdressers, dressmakers, carpenters, veterinarians, restaurateurs, all parade with their sharpening instruments.

The construction sector also calls upon him, for circular saws for example, textile companies, or even park and garden maintenance companies. “I do useful work, my approach has a lasting connotation: instead of buying a new pair of scissors, we sharpen the old pair and we left for a year or two, we avoid waste!” smiles mischievously Philippe Noël. The 55-year-old says he is happy in his new life, although of course there was a transition period: “Ha indeed, it’s very different from the small comfort of his desk, his PC and … the coffee machine! (Laughter). Here, it’s a manual job, and at the beginning, I made myself some tendonitis, because there are very specific gestures, body positions that I did not have in front of my keyboard. My hands are also damaged, nicks everywhere. And then, I started in November, so I braved the rain, the cold… but I’m organized eh, I have a little heating in the van! I also had to find the right arrangement of my equipment in such a small space, but I do not complain No. I really like what I do, it’s very rich in terms of learning and contacts. “

Last question: have you ever had a visit from Cater alumni? “No, not yet. The factory was large, I didn’t have contact with everyone, did I!”. The old executive ends his sentence and, as if by magic, two former Cater men point at the tip of their noses in front of his van! They discovered its passage in Courcelles thanks to the city’s website. Hi, laughs, the 3 men are happy to see each other again. We will leave them there, evoking their common memories. Caterpillar is dead, not its workers.

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