Gilbert Degrémont
Encyclopedia
Gilbert DegrémontGilbert Degrémont (born in 1908 in Le Cateau
, Nord, France
, died on November 22, 1974) was a French
water treatment
expert and the founder of Degrémont SA
, a water treatment company.
Gilbert Degrémont learned mechanics while working in his father’s and grandfather’s workshops and factories. He completed agriculture studies at the Institute of Agronomy in Rennes
in 1927. After military service at a hot air balloon base, he joined his father and his brother Étienne in the industrial water purification business in Le Cateau. He successfully installed an iron filtration system for the water supply in Saigon-Cholon (now Ho Chi Minh City
) in Vietnam
in 1933.
. The company focused solely on water treatment.
World War II slowed business in Le Cateau, as Allied bombings destroyed the canal system used to transport goods such as steel, vital to the construction of water filters. When a barge containing 300 tons of steel was abandoned in a silt-filled canal, Degrémont bought the barge and its contents from the steel manufacturer for a tiny sum, then mobilized teams of workers to remove the steel within a week. The steel cache lasted the company six months in a time when competitors had none.
Degrémont formed close working relationships with three men, with whom he would grow the business over the subsequent decades: Pierre Duflot, who ran the financial part of the business, Sarkis Balabanian, who focused on foreign expansion, and Roger Leviel, chief engineer and specialist in chemistry and water.
After World War II
, he successfully installed a water filtering system for the city of St Etienne. The system used self-cleaning filters to treat 2,000 m³/hr (528,344 gallons/hr).
In 1949, he moved the company to its newly built headquarters in the western Paris suburb of Rueil-Malmaison
, where it is still located today.
Degrémont soon entered the international market. In order to be readily recognized overseas, he designed the dove logo that is still the company’s trademark. The logo, which first appeared in 1949, was modeled after Picasso’s dove of peace.
His company won a water treatment contract for Cairo
, Egypt
, in 1948. He was notorious for his inability to speak English (a characteristic which many managers loyally follow today), but he spoke Spanish well enough to win business first in Spain and later in South America, notably in Cali, Colombia, and Lima, Peru, in the 1950s.
Meanwhile, Sarkis Balabanian handled expansion within English-speaking countries.
Large water treatment contracts were signed in Tehran
, Jakarta
, and many major cities worldwide between 1950 and 1970.
Gilbert Degrémont retired from the company he founded in 1972, after it merged with SLEE, later known as Lyonnaise des eaux, which merged with Suez
in 1997.
Today, the company remains a world leader in water treatment.
Le Cateau-Cambrésis
Le Cateau-Cambrésis is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.The term Cambrésis indicates that it lies in the county of that name which fell to the Prince-Bishop of Cambrai.-History:...
, Nord, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, died on November 22, 1974) was a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
water treatment
Water treatment
Water treatment describes those processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end-use. These can include use as drinking water, industrial processes, medical and many other uses. The goal of all water treatment process is to remove existing contaminants in the water, or reduce the...
expert and the founder of Degrémont SA
Degrémont
Degrémont is a company specializing in the production of drinking water, and in the treatment of sewage and sludge. After starting as a family business in France in 1939, it has since become a subsidiary of Suez Environment, employing 4,600 people in 70 countries, and generating annual revenues of...
, a water treatment company.
Early life and career
Gilbert Degrémont was the grandson of Aldebert Degrémont, head of a mechanical construction workshop in Le Cateau, in the north of France from 1870 until the early 20th century. In 1904, Adalbert retired, leaving the business to his son Émile, who had created his own company, Établissements Émile Degrémont, focusing on water treatment.Gilbert Degrémont learned mechanics while working in his father’s and grandfather’s workshops and factories. He completed agriculture studies at the Institute of Agronomy in Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
in 1927. After military service at a hot air balloon base, he joined his father and his brother Étienne in the industrial water purification business in Le Cateau. He successfully installed an iron filtration system for the water supply in Saigon-Cholon (now Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
) in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
in 1933.
Degrémont
His father Émile retired in 1939, and the company was split between Gilbert and Étienne, who ran the mechanical construction workshop in Le Cateau. Gilbert founded Degrémont-Traitement des eaux with offices and workshops in Levallois-PerretLevallois-Perret
Levallois-Perret is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:The name Levallois-Perret comes from two housing developments, Champerret and Village Levallois , and which resulted in the incorporation of the...
. The company focused solely on water treatment.
World War II slowed business in Le Cateau, as Allied bombings destroyed the canal system used to transport goods such as steel, vital to the construction of water filters. When a barge containing 300 tons of steel was abandoned in a silt-filled canal, Degrémont bought the barge and its contents from the steel manufacturer for a tiny sum, then mobilized teams of workers to remove the steel within a week. The steel cache lasted the company six months in a time when competitors had none.
Degrémont formed close working relationships with three men, with whom he would grow the business over the subsequent decades: Pierre Duflot, who ran the financial part of the business, Sarkis Balabanian, who focused on foreign expansion, and Roger Leviel, chief engineer and specialist in chemistry and water.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he successfully installed a water filtering system for the city of St Etienne. The system used self-cleaning filters to treat 2,000 m³/hr (528,344 gallons/hr).
In 1949, he moved the company to its newly built headquarters in the western Paris suburb of Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of France. It is located 12.6 kilometers from the center of Paris.-Name:...
, where it is still located today.
Degrémont soon entered the international market. In order to be readily recognized overseas, he designed the dove logo that is still the company’s trademark. The logo, which first appeared in 1949, was modeled after Picasso’s dove of peace.
His company won a water treatment contract for Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, in 1948. He was notorious for his inability to speak English (a characteristic which many managers loyally follow today), but he spoke Spanish well enough to win business first in Spain and later in South America, notably in Cali, Colombia, and Lima, Peru, in the 1950s.
Meanwhile, Sarkis Balabanian handled expansion within English-speaking countries.
Large water treatment contracts were signed in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, and many major cities worldwide between 1950 and 1970.
Gilbert Degrémont retired from the company he founded in 1972, after it merged with SLEE, later known as Lyonnaise des eaux, which merged with Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
in 1997.
Today, the company remains a world leader in water treatment.