End of an era as last dedicated Meccano factory to close in France

theguardian.com:

It is the children’s toy, invented in Britain, that inspired a passion for engineering, science and technology in generations of youngsters – and their parents.

Meccano building sets filled with reusable perforated metal – and later plastic – strips, plates, nuts, bolts, winches, wires, wheels and even motors have been used to construct models and mechanical devices for more than 120 years.

Now the last dedicated Meccano factory in the world is being shut down and dismantled. The Canadian company that owns Meccano has said the plant at Calais will close at the beginning of 2024, putting 51 people out of work. It blamed the soaring cost of raw materials and “a lack of competitiveness” for the closure.

Spin Master, which bought the brand in 2013, said Meccano toys would continue to be produced by its “network of partners in Europe, Asia and Latin America”.

“We have no other choice than to envisage the end of industrial activity at the Calais factory,” Spin Master said in a statement, adding that the factory had “never managed to break even” in spite of benefiting from €7m (£6.1m) in investment since 2014.

Jean-François Sandrass, who has worked at the Calais factory for almost 40 years, said the staff had not expected the shutdown. “We were stunned … some were even crying. We were expecting reduced working hours, but not the closure of the factory,” he said.

He said the company did not appear to be in financial trouble. “They’ve told us for the last two or three years that we were gradually getting back on track, and in 2021 we had a positive year. And suddenly the board says it’s been 10 years that money has been injected, and it hasn’t worked. We are part of a major group that has made enormous profits.”

Natacha Bouchart, Calais