This factory first opened in 1898 under the name La Fontainoise, at which time it produced nails from wire rod that had been drawn and then “punched” to obtain the end product.
La Fontainoise was absorbed into Forges de la Providence in 1953 but it continued to produce nails.
In 1978, Tréfileries de Fontaine l’Évêque (TFE), still part of the Cockerill Group at that time, was established to manufacture welded mesh, drawn wire coils and a patented product called “Oblifor” (the reinforcement for reinforced concrete in roadway slab). At that time, the company had five mesh-welding machines, with an annual output of around 15,000 tonnes.
TFE joined the French Acor Group in the early 90s and that, in turn, was then acquired by the British company, ASW. It then joined the Riva Group in September 2000 and produced welded steel mesh, coils of cold-rolled wire rod and Oblifor.
The production of Oblifor and the coils of cold-rolled wire rod came to an end in 2004 and 2007, respectively. Today, TFE produces welded steel mesh in accordance with Belgian, French and Dutch standards.
