Groupe Le Goff: From creation to today

From a company of 4 people, to the French leader in mechanical transmission components.

Birth of Itafran :

In the 1970s, after 30 years of industrial reconstruction, the trend was towards deindustrialization and globalization. Production difficulties were shifted to countries with low-cost labor. ITAFRAN was created in 1976 to follow this vast movement of French deindustrialization. It was formed as a joint venture between an Italian and a French partner, hence the name "ITA" for Italy and "FRAN" for France. This creation came at a time when the first industrial relocations were taking place in the field of mechanical transmission components (chains and sprockets, belts and pulleys, gears, gearboxes, etc.), which were flourishing in Italy due to more competitive labor costs.

Initially, ITAFRAN was a small company with four employees whose main job was to maintain commercial flows with French clients by sourcing products from Italy that were no longer manufactured in France. It acted as a freight forwarder, clearing the products through customs, purchasing them in Italian Lira, and selling them in French Francs to a small number of French manufacturers.

Acquisition of Itafran :

In 1991, ITAFRAN was acquired by Charles Le Goff, who immediately shifted the purchasing focus from Italy to China. This move aligned with the trend of all industrialized countries relocating their production to China in the 1990s. During this decade, ITAFRAN expanded its product lines to include all mechanical transmission components, such as chains and sprockets, pulleys and belts, bearings, couplings, gears, etc.

The Organization:

-------> Merger

MERGER is a factory owned and managed by Baptiste Le Goff, the last French manufacturer of high-power reducers complying with all nuclear industry standards. Since 1947, MERGER has produced and distributed several hundred thousand reducers in 36 countries through its subsidiaries and agencies. Built based on complex specifications, MERGER reducers have become one of the global references in power transmission over the course of 65 years.

Presently located in the Lyon region, the company MERGER relies on a production facility of 4,000m² and a spare parts inventory covering 6,000m².

We currently offer three types of services:

Manufacturing new reducers according to our catalog or as replacements for existing systems.

Maintenance and repair of reducers from all brands.

Supply of certified original MERGER spare parts.

-------> CMW

Established in 2016 and based in Corbas, CMW is owned and directed by Arthur Le Goff.

By bringing together Remy Barrere Gears, AEP, TEM, Sotame, and Metale in the same facilities in Corbas through successive acquisitions, CMW has created a unique production facility of 5,000m² in France. Equipped with an "arsenal" of over 240 machines, experienced craftsmen, and real-time productivity measurement tools, CMW is capable of meeting the most demanding industry requirements (aerospace, maritime, railway, nuclear, etc.) for the manufacturing and gear cutting processes.

Driven by the pursuit of excellence and adherence to delivery deadlines (with an On-Time Delivery rate of around 90%), the company serves more than a hundred customers, including global manufacturers such as MAN, FAIRBANKS (USA), SAFRAN, HHM (China), and exports over 40% of its production outside of Europe.