Tilliette, BMI, Carnaud Metalbox and finally Crown Emballages. During his career, Joseph Wimille has seen his company change its name on numerous occasions. However, he remained faithful to him for nearly forty years, before retiring, a little forced, in June 1996. The Boulonnais has not yet finished with his past as a supervisor: ” From the window of my apartment, I have a beautiful view of what was my first place of work ».
Namely the BMI factory (Illustrated Metal Box), formerly the Tilliette company (Editor’s note: named after its founder Maurice Tilliette, who was also a footballer at US Boulogne and French international goalkeeper with two selections in 1908), located on rue Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, in the heart of Capécure, today being demolished (see box). Only the old offices intended to accommodate a new project resisted.
It was on June 18, 1957, at the age of 17, that Joseph entered the world of work in the metal cans factory: “ We were more than 500 employees at the time in this factory, 550 with the temporary workers, tells the octogenarian Boulogne. A line could take out 3,000 boxes in one hour. There were six people to feed the line and the boxes were hand welded. The welders used graphite, they were nicknamed the charcoal burners
».
Medalist as a rescuer
He also remembers an old unused building that became an activity room where staff could play cards or indulge in leisure activities and the youngest take their BAFA to then supervise the children of employees after school.
In 1959, Joseph Wimille had to temporarily leave the company to do his military service. On his return, in September of the same year, his factory caught fire. For the anecdote, these same premises were talked about one last time before being destroyed, at the end of August 2020, affected by a fire (scrap fire) whose volutes of black smoke were visible from the heights of Boulogne and Saint-Martin : ” The BMI had a second establishment in Outreau (Editor’s note: the Metal Packaging Company (SEM), currently Crown Emballages) and we had moved all the equipment there. Until the 1980s, I spent my time working in the two factories, that of Outreau and Boulogne, before ending my career in Outreau, when it was decided to split the metallurgical and steel activities in two. ‘business “, Says the one who was also a trade unionist within the company, but also a first aid worker:” My greatest pride was this medal given to me by the Regional Health Insurance Fund. ».
Today, it is with a touch of nostalgia that he observes the ruins of his old factory from home: “ It hurts my heart, I think back to all these memories, all these people, these friends with whom I worked and many of whom are no longer of this world ». Joseph Wimille a « lived so much »In his professional life that he thinks of recounting them in an autobiography. A work that will undoubtedly be a real gold mine and a historical reference work for former employees of the BMI as well as current employees of Crown Emballages.
Note that Elie Coffin has created a private facebook group, formerly of the BMI, recounting the history of this company.
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