News Release

Through a nearly two-decade partnership between Yanmar CE, Alfagomma, and T2I, a smarter logistics flow at Saint-Dizier, France, has become a model of industrial efficiency with a human purpose.

At the manufacturing plant of Yanmar Compact Equipment (Yanmar) in Saint-Dizier, France, every excavator depends on a hidden network of hydraulic hoses. Like arteries running through the body of the machine, they carry pressurized fluid, turning engine power into the strength and movement operators rely on. A unit can contain around 60 to 70 hoses, each needed in the right condition, at exactly the right time.

For nearly 20 years, the way those hoses reach the production line has also created a unique, local route into structured industrial work for people facing barriers to employment. The partnership brings together Alfagomma, a global specialist in hydraulic hose systems, and TREMPLIN 52, a non-profit based in Villiers-en-Lieu, near Saint-Dizier.

The collaboration began with a production challenge seen up close by Jean-Christophe Sartori, now Planning & Transport Manager at Yanmar. Looking at how hydraulic hoses moved through the plant, he saw not only a process that could be improved, but work that could be given new value if organized differently.

Finding value in the work

The challenge took shape in 2006, when hoses arrived at Saint-Dizier in weekly bulk deliveries from Alfagomma’s assembly centre in Salomé, Hauts-de-France, approximately three hours away by road. Before reaching the line, they passed through receiving, inspection, unpacking, storage, and picking. The process worked but created duplicated handling, unnecessary paperwork, and quality risks if protective caps were dislodged before assembly.

At the same time, Alfagomma’s operation in Salomé was already working with a local social employment partner, using industrial kitting to support people distant from the job market. When Yanmar visited, it saw a different perspective: the work could be moved closer to where it mattered most, while becoming structured activity with a wider social purpose.

“The goal was simply to remove the steps that were not adding value,” explains Sartori. “We wanted to receive hose kits directly where they were needed, matched to the machines planned on the line.”

A local loop with purpose

From that understanding, Yanmar, Alfagomma, and TREMPLIN 52 built a local model around a practical production need in 2007. T2I, the industrial insertion service created by TREMPLIN 52 and located in Villiers-en-Lieu, just five minutes from Yanmar’s Saint-Dizier site, became responsible for preparing machine-specific hose kits. For those supported by T2I, the work offers training, supervision, and the confidence that comes through contributing directly to real industrial production. The result is a closed-loop logistics system linking supplier, integration partner, and manufacturer in continuous flow.

Today, Alfagomma manufactures the hoses and sends them to T2I. Once Yanmar confirms the production schedule two days ahead, T2I prepares the exact kits for the line. Twice a day, full trolleys arrive at Saint-Dizier carrying what production needs, while empties return to Villiers-en-Lieu. Paperwork has been simplified, with digital files replacing weekly delivery packs. What began as a logistical adjustment transformed into a disciplined operational process, where accuracy was built step by step.

“It was not easy at the beginning,” laughs Sartori. “The variety of hoses is enormous, and every machine can have different options. Each kit had to be prepared with precision against the production schedule, where even small variations mattered.”

A legacy in motion

The collaborative operational model was envisioned and championed by the late Benoît Deboos, then Director General of Yanmar’s Saint-Dizier site, who was instrumental in its creation. His commitment reflected values he would later continue through his work with TREMPLIN 52 as Vice-President, where he is remembered for his belief in solidarity, human dignity, and the power of work to help people find their place again.

“Benoît had very strong social values,” reflects Sartori. “He was one of the earliest advocates of the partnership, and he believed deeply in placing the economic and operational case alongside a human dimension.”

A model built on trust

Nearly 20 years on, the system continues because it has never depended on goodwill alone. It supports production at Yanmar, strengthens the link with Alfagomma, and gives T2I stable industrial activity with value beyond the factory floor.

“The partnership has lasted because it was built on relationships first,” adds Sartori. “There were shared values between the people involved, and a belief that a strong industrial model could also be a good human one.”
Together, Yanmar, Alfagomma, and T2I have created a local supply chain shaped by precision and trust – efficient enough to support the line, and meaningful enough to help people move forward. It perfectly encapsulates Yanmar’s ‘New Value through Technology’ ambition, where operational progress and human impact develop side by side, in harmony.