|
In the Plastics Vallée, comb manufacturing represents 1500 years of history . According to the legend, St Léger gave away the monopoly of comb making to the city Oyonnax in 630. In the middle-ages, the inhabitants of the area get meagre ressources from the barren ground. But box wood, a shrub abundant in our forests, permits comb making in the winter.. At the beginning of the 19th century, this manufacturing moved from being a secondary handcraft to a real industry. It became the first ressource in the region. In 1869, two americans invented celluloid. This semi-synthetic material was the first plastic material and its invention bought about dramatic changes in the comb industry. Celluloid combs make Oyonnax famous. This prosperity was strongly dependent on fads, and the 1920-1930's urchin cuts did harm to the comb industry. The unemployed craftmen reacted and applied their know-how to new products : toys, glasses, jewets, eyewear, toiletries etc. In 1936, injection moulding sharply increased the quality and the quantity of plastics products. After the second world war, the plastics industry took off again better than ever and established itself on the local, national and international markets. This expansion and this competence are such that the Oyonnax area is now known as "Plastics Vallée". |
|
|