What will the company become? What will it look like? In this interview, Marc Miribel discusses the history of MPH1865, the building of its industrial identity, the importance of transmission, and the path to follow to continue the adventure.
« PROUD OF OUR FAMILY HISTORY AND THE BUILDING OF OUR INDUSTRIAL IDENTITY. »
Marc Miribel, President of MPH1865
What is the life and the mindset of a business leader who, against all odds, kept his company alive and then, twice in the space of ten years, made two major investments that were unprecedented in his sector for 50 years?
I was born in 1967. I grew up in Saint-Rambert-d’Albon, in a close-knit, entrepreneurial family. I lived with my parents, Bernard and Johanne, on the upper floor of my grandparents’ house, François and Jacqueline. The atmosphere was very business-oriented: conversations often revolved around the family business, located just 500 meters away as the crow flies. Even though I didn’t understand the meaning of these discussions yet, I absorbed them, and their logic gradually became clear to me. I was very close to my grandfather, with whom I shared a passion for tennis, which we played together on weekends. I attended primary school alongside my cousin Stéphane Miribel, my cousin Laurence Miribel, and my sister Caroline. I then went to boarding school from sixth grade to twelfth grade. I wasn’t a model student; I was rather distracted. In fact, I repeated my twelfth grade and barely passed my high school diploma! But as a teenager—according to my cousin Stéphane—I declared that I wanted to become a business leader and make money. I already had an ambitious temperament, I was a bit loud-mouthed and sometimes pretentious. At 17, I even started a small gym business called Vitaform.
Yes, in 1986, on the advice of my uncle Étienne Miribel, director of training for the Lafarge group, I enrolled in the École des Cadres, which awards a state-recognized diploma.I spent three years in Paris, without much enthusiasm for Parisian life or student life. It was during this time in Paris that I met the love of my life, my future wife and the mother of my three children. Without her, I wouldn’t be here today. I then switched to accounting and finance, which enabled me, at the end of my second year, to do an internship at Sommer- Allibert, where I discovered J+10 reporting methods with provisions and reversals for the first time. This internship gave me a taste for dynamic accounting linked to performance.
In 1988, while still studying, I conducted a survey on transport subcontracting for the family business. I met Jacky Perrenot and Bernard Jouvet (Debeaux). Despite my young age, I was given a transport budget of one million francs and negotiated an ad valorem contract. My french civil service interrupted this assignment, but I remained in the transport industry and in 1990 I joined Fairfreight, Debeaux’s UK subsidiary, as my french civil service I was assigned to Atherstone, in the Midlands (England), for a customer recovery and accounting management assignment. In January 1990, I moved to sales, under the supervision of Jacques Vivier, a demanding but instructive professional. I introduced French administrative management methods. My future wife also became a sales representative at Debeaux Fairfreight. In 1989, Bernard Jouvet and Jean-Marc Guillaume died in a car accident in Spain. The group lost its leading figures. An interim manager was appointed, who imposed an ostentatious style, with luxury restaurants, excessive expense accounts, and grand theoretical speeches about the BCG matrix. It was time for me to move on!
Yes. In 1991, I founded Fonlupt UK, a paper towel trading company in the United Kingdom, in partnership with Imbalpaper, one of my father’s suppliers. The company later became Imbalpaper UK Ltd. In a short time, we achieved £2 million in turnover, with 3-4 sales representatives, outsourced logistics, and the trust of Gian Franco Zappelli (CEO of Imbalpaper), Piera Amadei (export manager) and Jacques Vivier (director of Debeaux Fairfreight), who released me before the official end of my french civil service. Still connected to the family business. I facilitated a capital agreement between Imbalpaper and Fonlupt Bourg, enabling my father to buy the Chelle company in Saint-Ramberten- Bugey through a capital increase of 2 million francs made to Imbalpaper.
In the summer of 1991, my father told me that the family business had lost 12 million francs. I decided to return to France, leaving my British business behind. In January 1992, Imbalpaper appointed me managing director to represent them at Fonlup Bourg. I became CEO, with the task of turning the company around alongside my father. The generational differences were obvious, but I held on until 1996, when the company had to open a bankruptcy procedure. We were assisted by Maître Alain Ribeyre and, after 18 months of observation, a continuation plan was approved. It provided for an 80% debt write-off and a recapitalization of 3 million francs, financed by my father-in-law Christian Schmautz, my grandfather, and my personal savings. I became the majority shareholder with 51% of the shares, with the remaining shares divided between my father and my uncle Jean-Pierre, whose shares I bought back in 2000 when they retired.
For the simple reason that I didn’t know it myself. I embarked on this adventure at a very young age and felt like I was running a marathon at sprinting pace, which left me little time to delve into our history. Of course, I was partially familiar with our journey and its key figures, starting with my grandfather, with whom I had a strong relationship. But when it came time to pass on the business, I thought it was important not only to look back on our history, but also to reconnect with our family by taking a step back and gaining some perspective through our history.
The first thing I notice is the entrepreneurial spirit that runs through every generation, with several constants: a succession of difficulties and intergenerational solidarity, which, in the Miribel family, is passed down from father to son, if I may say so. At every stage, we have bounced back, we have persevered through every difficulty, and there have been few periods of comfort. We have often had to start all over again! I would like this resilience to continue, and I want our ups and downs to remain in our minds so that we can preserve and cultivate the vital energy necessary for the survival of all companies, regardless of their size or field.
I’ve learned that it took us 20 years to become a true industrial player and, on a personal level, perhaps another 20 years to discover that this was what I wanted to do. I have a lot of admiration for the qualities of a salesperson; knowing how to buy and sell at the right time requires knowledge, skills, and constant attention. But these qualities—which have been very important to our family— can be perfectly reconciled with those of an industrialist. In 2012, three years after the financial crisis, by setting up a paper mill in France, making this huge investment and taking the risk of vertical integration, we laid the foundations for a definitive industrial identity.
An industrialist is an entrepreneur who wants to tackle material issues, who wants to overcome material difficulties, who has a taste for it and who wants to achieve independence through this means. It’s about controlling your manufacturing as much as possible. That’s what we did in 2012, and what we’ve expanded on more recently, whereas before we were dependent on the goodwill of our suppliers, who sometimes found themselves in a virtual monopoly position and were therefore able to impose their terms on prices and deadlines, without always controlling quality. Getting out of this situation was not easy, but staying in it could have been fatal for the company.
It came with time, and it’s a source of intense satisfaction and pride. Industry is tough. The risks are high; developing machines is difficult; you have to find qualified personnel and motivate those who work three shifts. But it’s so rewarding when it works! Especially when you’re making a useful product. To sum up, I love the beauty of machines, and I’ve seen the leading role that industry plays in economic prosperity and social cohesion across our region.
Yes, I quickly wanted to earn money and be independent, so I wanted to be a business leader. I spoke English, I knew how to count, I was confident, and I probably had the necessary dose of youthful recklessness to take the plunge. At the time, I didn’t realize how crucial it was to master the manufacturing process.
Being an industrialist in France is no more complicated than anywhere else. An industrialist has to work within a regulatory framework. Of course, this framework is often too rigid, but it does not prevent entrepreneurship. We adapt. The economic situation has an impact on us, but that’s never an excuse, especially since the hygiene sector is generally strong. We have just taken a new step forward with the Pupil site, where our second paper machine is installed. It should be added that Made in France, under the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), is now better perceived. This machine has the distinction of having a low carbon footprint and being part of the circular economy, as we manufacture recycled pulp from pre-consumer waste, as well as used paper towels collected from large professional users.
I would say that I prepared for it without really thinking about it, by creating a solid and appropriate governance structure. The health issues I encountered in 2017 forced me to think responsibly. The members of our executive committee have gradually developed their skills and are now true experts, all of whom are shareholders in the company. This combination of team spirit, expertise, and commitment creates a healthy environment that allows us to build for the long term. I would also say that MPH1865 should be distinguished from the Miribel family’s entrepreneurial saga. The research work carried out for this book was an opportunity to discover how each generation has managed to “tack” to weather the storms, and this story is far from being linear. I am happy that my brother François is by my side; he has played a major role in the circular vision of our business. I am proud that my son Pierre has joined the company and that my daughter Laure has shared part of the journey with us. This sixth generation is writing its own story, and there is inevitably a degree of uncertainty, but this also opens up a wonderful range of possibilities for them.
It is a new story.
