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18/11/2022

David Leromain, Quality & R&D Manager at 1083, was looking for French manufacturing

1083 manufactures jeans less than 1,083 km from your home. That is the distance between Menton and Porspoder, the two furthest cities apart in mainland France. While a traditional pair of jeans travels an average of 65,000 km, 1083 has relocated every stage of production back to France, from garment assembly right through to the button.

Previously manufactured by stamping in companies across Europe, the jean button is now produced by Vallgrip, just a few kilometres from Romans-sur-Isère, thanks to cold heading technology.

Interview with David Leromain

Quality & R&D Manager

How did Ugigrip-Vallgrip manage to address your product challenge?

We were looking to manufacture metal buttons and rivets in France, as these components are no longer produced domestically, with the expertise having moved abroad.

The idea was to leverage cold heading technology based on a fairly open brief, without focusing too heavily on a specific shape or appearance.

What can you tell us about the bespoke development?

As fabrics do not necessarily have the same thickness, we wanted a universal button. We therefore worked on this assembly while taking various constraints into account, such as avoiding deformation of the part and preventing damage to the fabric.

In the end, aesthetics were important, but less so than manufacturing in France, which remains our true leitmotif.

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18/11/2022

Cold-forging is a manufacturing process that uses 100% of the raw material — metal wire — to form the final part.

The part is created through the deformation of this wire: it is struck several times, across multiple stations, without any material loss.

The slug — the cut wire — is formed within successive dies. Depending on the machine, there may be between 3 and 6 or 7 stations, corresponding to the number of times the part is struck.

The final part produced by cold heading is called a “blank.”

Did you know?

Which raw materials can be used?

Steel, copper, aluminum, and brass wire are commonly used.
It is also possible to produce simple stainless steel parts. However, when the part becomes complex, an additional heating station must be added to the machine.

To provide production finishes, several options are available, such as thread rolling.

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18/11/2022

Ugigrip-Vallgrip manufactures the studs for the Alpine Snow Bike

Eric Barone, Downhill Mountain Bike World Champion, wanted a 100% French-built bike to further develop his discipline.

To ride down a snow-covered slope at 100–120 km/h and be crowned World Champion in snow MTB, you need equipment that combines safety, performance and comfort. This technical challenge was successfully taken up by Eric Barone in collaboration with the engineering teams at Ugigrip-Vallgrip after more than two years of development.

The resulting product stands out as the ideal solution for hard-packed snow MTB competitions, thanks to a technology designed around Eric’s main constraint: fitting studs to an MTB tyre without piercing its structure. Ultimately, this innovative system makes it possible to achieve both grip and glide at the same time.

Interview with Eric Barone

Snow MTB World Champion

How did Ugigrip-Vallgrip manage to address your product challenge?

The solution is to screw the studs directly onto a tubeless tyre (without an inner tube).

One wheel can be prepared in just 15 minutes, compared with three hours for two wheels using traditional methods. It represents a genuine saving in time and greater independence, as users can stud their own tyres using the studding kit and a screwdriver.

What can you tell us about the bespoke development?

A full series of tests was carried out during the Covid period and at various competitions, confirming the product’s reliability.

This winter, three studding kits in different sizes are available for all upcoming French and international competitions.

A fitting tutorial is even available on the website of Snow Bike.