Successive storms have hit the French coast hard since the beginning of November, and have not spared the North of France, which is experiencing a catastrophic climatic episode of unprecedented proportions. After the wind, it was the rain that dominated in the region, causing numerous floods since 3 November 2023.
Our SBE industrial site at Saint-Léonard near Boulogne sur Mer is affected by the flooding. Operations were interrupted on 3 November, with the whole of our industrial centre inaccessible to staff. Our group teams have been supporting local teams since Friday 3 November to secure the site, equipment and products. We are currently putting in place the conditions and resources needed to get the various services up and running again, while first and foremost safeguarding the safety of our staff.
To deal with this completely unexpected situation, we have taken the following priority actions with strength and conviction:
- Securing IT equipment in a mobile data centre, developed by our Cordon DS2i Val de Reuil teams. This data centre has just been presented at the FED defence exhibition in Paris.
- Installation in the town’s sports hall to get things up and running again as quickly as possible on a temporary basis (we were able to restart repairs in this structure on Wednesday).
- Our Cordon Group site in Tourcoing, 2 hours’ drive away, is also providing support for a special operation for one of our customers.
- A temporary building meeting the safety and working conditions requirements of our staff, with minor modifications, was secured on Sunday 12 November. Installation of the marquees with flooring, heating and insulation is under way, and a restart is planned for this weekend.
“I’d like to emphasise the total commitment of the teams on site, as well as those at the Group’s head office, who responded quickly both on site and remotely. Our customers are also our first line of support, and their kindness and understanding are remarkable in this unprecedented situation we are facing“, says Serge Cordon.
We’ll get through this! 🙏Thank you to all our teams and to our customers, who are our primary motivation, and to all those who are helping us to get back up and running.
