Today, we embark on a journey to discover a new figure indispensable in the landscape FB Procédés: Robert Lobréau. Arrived in 1993, he managed to modernize and optimize the internal operations, which had previously been considered somewhat artisanal. His development of our range and its reliability owe much to him. He was unrivaled in conveying his know-how with calm, humor, and pedagogy. Retired since 2016, we return with him to his « bar screens automatic» years.
Hello Robert, first of all, how are you?
Listen, it’s now been five years since I retired and everything is going well. To be honest, I had a lot of trouble when I stopped working. No matter how much you prepare, when that happens… it’s not the same thing. I used to imagine that I could still contribute something to the company…
Let’s talk a little about your beginnings if you don’t mind. What was your path before you joined FB Procédés?
Basically, I had a BTS in «mechanical fabrication». After the army, I was hired as a «man for all purposes» in a high school – I did painting, maintenance, or I repaired the broken things – and then I went back to the Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne as a draftsman. I worked for the CEA and the nuclear experiments at Mururoa. They manufactured waterproof modules – big steel cigarillos – that were lowered to a depth of 1200mm, and they put the bombs inside them. I went there several times to do the assembly on site.
Then, again at the ACB, I found myself working with composite materials. I programmed and developed calculation software, eventually landing in a service dedicated to calculations on composite materials. With a colleague, we had developed a specific calculation software there.
Finally, I was fired because business had decreased and the «calculations» service closed. So I ended up unemployed.
And the opportunity presented FB Procédés itself?
Exactly. One day, while attending a funeral, I met Jean-Paul Planchot – a friend from high school – and knowing my situation, he told me that he had a friend who was looking for someone. That’s how I was put in touch with Patrick. It should be noted that before taking over the business, Patrick FB Procédés worked with Jean-Paul in a Nantes-based company. Moreover, Jean-Paul joined us FB Procédés in 1998.
So I was hired to do the plans, the quotes and the design.
What convinced you to start up this small business that existed at the time FB Procédés?
At first, honestly, it was primarily the satisfaction of finding a job. Then it was the adventure. I was given carte blanche in terms of technique. And then a bit of unconsciousness as well. I fought hard to accept the challenge because I don’t really like venturing into the unknown. But their energy appealed to me, as well as the fact that I was starting from scratch. The idea of being able to evolve the range and find new solutions appealed to me.
Then, when you work in a large structure like the ACB, it’s not easy to realize the skills you acquire. I only realized that after.
How did your early days and your first «missions» go?
I worked with Fernand for six months before he retired. He was making a new machine for every new order. So I started to standardize the bar screens. It was very interesting because I had to go through the entire process again to see what the optimal dimensions were. That’s how we started to develop the NG11 or NG21 models in a standardized way.
They have become standardized, but have they also evolved?
Yes, for example, when I arrived, they bar screens were made with commercial profiles – U-shaped or corniere-shaped – which were clad with sheets that served as a kind of bodywork. Then one day, we decided that it was completely wrong. By the end of the 90s, bar screens they had become what we know today. Namely, the chassis forms the bodywork. This avoids the tedious bolted connections that took a lot of time.
In your opinion, what was one of the most important moments for society?
It’s complicated because there were some, of course… I would say the case of Cran-Gévrier, near Annecy, where we supplied and installed 3 bar screens and 3 sprinklers in the 95-96 period, I think. It was the first big project we did. As it happened later, without mentioning the bluff, we took on the challenge, then managed it and delivered satisfaction. Although it represented a great challenge for the company at the time, we managed it because we didn’t do things without thinking.
In the same vein, if you had to highlight any business or technical challenges, which would they be?
I immediately think of the 4 NI13 placed on an existing structure in Pontet; that was a bit daring. When I think back to those bar screens and that maintenance bridge placed on concrete poles… But that’s exactly what we did. Fortunately, I had some skills in the dimensioning of metallic structures. When you master something, it becomes a bit of instinct. Having the idea to propose what we did in terms of the existing installation… And then, once we arrived on site to install it, we realized that they bar screens were too long and we had to take them back to site. That was a good start… But nothing stopped us.
Near Foix too. The goal was to get in and install bar screen a compactor and a platform in a spot overlooking a road, with the only access being a 750x750mm trapdoor.
And then the latest addition bar screen, the new PROSTEP (bar screen a stairlift). Beyond the pleasure of working with smart guys on this product, it’s also the fact of having designed a machine with the spirit of the project FB Procédés. Which wasn’t a given in advance.
Alongside this, there were also some tough times. I remember spending a night cutting bars in a slaughterhouse near Angers with Patrick. At La Belle Angèle too, an MS15, one bar screen with a rakes. It was an idea of Fernand; we never repeated it.
Today, when you look back at your FB years, what do you remember?
It’s more the relationship I had with the people. I’m proud of the people who made up our team and the atmosphere that could be there.
The great thing about this adventure is that we never set any limits. We always found solutions to the problems we were facing.
Another thing we can be proud of is being available – that’s a strength – and we’re quite inventive. The ability to do simple things is a quality.
Afterwards, I wasn’t necessarily surprised by the evolution of our society, even when it came to exports. Although things weren’t always easy, we always knew how to respond. I was drawn to the business!
One last word to conclude…
I would end by saying that I spent a rather extraordinary period of my life at FB. When I played basketball, it was a different experience, both as a player and as a coach. Moreover, the friends from that time are still by my side. At FB, I did a little bit of whatever I wanted, as I wanted it, without any constraints. We worked very hard. We would go to work bar screen in Marseille at night and be present in the office the next morning. Good memories.