CHEREAU - The company's history

1953 - 2020 : 67 years of history

Whether we are talking about flowers, fish, fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy products, frozen foods, medicines and other speciality products, preservation is key to human health and comfort. Maintaining the cold chain is a relatively recent concept, but today, an entire sector takes it very seriously. The industrial bodybuilder and its customers, the carriers, lie at the heart of the system. They have significant responsibility and are partners in this key mission to transport foodstuffs and consumables.

CHEREAU's chronology from 1950 to the present day

Key events for CHEREAU between 1950 and 2017

1950: Establishment

Etablissements CHEREAU is founded in 1950 by Jean and Simone CHEREAU. At the time, the company's business consists of producing motorhomes and advertising vehicles. The Avranches factory covers an area of 650 m².

Premières carrosseries frigorifique CHEREAU

1952 - 1955: Transition

In 1952, the Ministry of Agriculture implements official measures to regulate the transport of foodstuffs and the first rules governing refrigerated transport are introduced. Jean CHEREAU decides to take this path. The following year, the first trucks with insulated bodies leave the Avranches factory, giving way, in 1955, to the first refrigerated bodies.

The 1960s: Development

The company had 12 employees in 1952, ten years later it has 60 and by 1966 it has 175 employees, enabling it to produce 200 pieces of equipment that same year. In 1966, CHEREAU applies for a patent for its Polyclé body and, at the end of the 1960s, it launches its first semi-trailer chassis.

1970 - 1980: Expansion

With the creation of the limited company Etablissements Jean CHEREAU S.A. in 1976, the company begins to distribute its products throughout Europe. With 251 employees in 1977, CHEREAU's premises need to expand: the industrial site at Ducey (C2) opens its doors in 1981 and 680 pieces of equipment leave its workshops. In the 1980s, CHEREAU signs its first foreign distribution agreements and, by the end of 1989, 2,050 pieces of equipment have left the factory.

The 1990s: The Boom Years

The company grows and its sites need to adapt to this: in 1992, the CHEREAU Services production site at Ducey (C3) opens its doors and, in 1996, the CHEREAU Ducey site (C2) is expanded with the launch of the Technogam range. In 1998, CHEREAU produces 3,164 vehicles within the year with the aid of 622 employees. The following year, CHEREAU becomes established in England with the creation of the subsidiary CHEREAU UK. CHEREAU begins the new millennium with more than 60,000 m² of industrial buildings.

The beginning of the 2000s

In 2001, CHEREAU launches its range of INOGAM bodies with more environmentally friendly insulation and, in 2002, 3,529 pieces of equipment are produced. Despite increasing success, the company Jean CHEREAU S.A. goes into liquidation in 2003. Trailer Holding, which also owns Kögel, buys the company and appoints Alain Guermeur as Chairman. In the year after the global financial crisis of 2008, the shareholders sell CHEREAU to its senior executives: Alain Guermeur, Philippe Legendre and Pierre-Yves Le Bot.

From 2010 to the 2017

The subsidiaries CHEREAU Germany, CHEREAU Italy and CHEREAU Spain are established in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. In 2013, the company celebrates its 60th anniversary in the service of the cold chain with 719 employees on its payroll. It launches a brand new patented system, the MultiDeck-C. In 2015, CHEREAU launches its latest innovation, SmartOpen-C, a new concept in electrical rear closing systems. The company has 850 employees and is continuing to recruit, in order to cope with high demand for its products. In 2016, CHEREAU joined The Reefer group with the Spanish company SOR Iberica, whose majority shareholder is the private equity fund Miura. The TRG group aims to become the European leader in the polyester technology bodywork sector. In 2017, the year will be marked by the arrival of Damien Destremau, the new CEO of CHEREAU who will also become President of TRG (The Reefer Group). Now, the company has almost 1,000 employees and continues to recruit to meet the high demand.

Nowadays : Innovation continues

Innovation is part of the ADN CHEREAU and aims to meet the expectations of its transport customers. In 2017, CHEREAU launches the first multiplexed and connected refrigerated semi-trailer at Solutrans. CHEREAU Next receives the silver medal of the innovation prize.

This new generation semi-trailer brings ergonomics, safety and performance to users. The trailer components communicate with each other thanks to a multiplexed architecture and Can Bus technology.

Discover all the advantages of CHEREAU NEXT below :
https://www.chereau-next.com/