top of page

History

  • 1878: M. Louis CARTON, owner of a modest repair workshop in Tournai, invented the first sacking-weighing machine, which allowed to bag cement and lime rapidly and properly. The new product was an excellent introduction to the local and foreign cement and lime industries, providing a decisive impetus to the development of the family-owned company.

  • 1884-1930: Ateliers Louis CARTON got equipped with a foundry and entered the international market (Scotland, Brazil, Russia, Belgian Congo, etc.). They not only supplied the cement and lime sectors, but also any other industries using grinding, crushing or cooking methods: the coal, steel, brewing or chemical industries were often equipped with numerous materials of Ateliers Louis CARTON origin. The company was then a complete engineering offering "turn-key" plants all over the world – from cement works to lime, plaster or fertilizer plants.

  • 1940 – 1960: Thanks to ALC supplies, the existing cement works in the Belgian Congo saw their production increase five-fold. Either locally or globally, the company had to confront powerful foreign groups, which had infinitely greater technical, commercial and financial means.

  • 1961 – 1978: An agreement partnership was signed with the German engineering company POLYSIUS, which was well represented worldwide. In 1971, POLYSIUS drew closer to the Konzern KRUPP and CARTON could benefit from the group global reputation and organization. Mill sections of over 120　tons would regularly leave the workshops, as well as kilns with an external diameter of 6　meters and a length of more or less 100　meters after assembly.

  • 1986: ALC Engineering Department designed and developed patented coke oven doors, which received the Grand Prix Athéna 1986 (Chouette de l’impact économique) from the Walloon Region and the 1990 FEB prize (Federation of Belgian Enterprises) for clean technologies.

  • 1988: The French Boccard gained ownership of Ateliers Louis Carton. At the same time, the ALC were at the helm of a small regional group, which included several local companies of the same sector of activity: Ateliers de Monsville (Quaregnon), Schlumpf Wilms (Tournai) and Meura.

  • 2004: Ateliers Louis Carton revived under the name of Agro X, and then became S.A. ALC Tournai.

bottom of page