A new member of the FB Group of materials handling chain companies has opened for business. From now on FB Chaînes will supply conveyor chain, roller chain, leaf chain and associated parts, as well as application advice, installation and servicing, to customers throughout France.

Over its 145-year history the FB Group has grown from a small factory near Stockholm, Sweden to an influential player in the materials handling chain industry with subsidiaries in six countries - Sweden, Norway, Finland, UK, Austria and Germany - and distributors in several more.

In recent years the French market was served by distributor Issner Industrie - France’s leading sawmill machinery specialist, but now Issner has agreed with the FB Group’s parent company Addtech to create and manage a dedicated subsidiary, FB Chaînes, in Sierentz, Alsace. This new company will supply the FB Group’s full range of products - conveyor chains and attachments, sawmill chains, roller chains, leaf chains, sprockets, forklift mast components, and maintenance tools - to the materials handling and process industries in France.

Unlike the rest of the group, FB Chaînes, will not have any manufacturing operations. Rather it will focus all its efforts on providing the best possible sales advice, distribution, installation and servicing. Products will be available from stock or can be ordered according to custom specifications.

“Demand for FB products in France is increasing and we are expanding to keep up,” says FB Chaînes’ managing director, Marc Issner. “By setting up this new company we are better able to meet customers’ needs at the right price, specification and delivery time. FB Chaînes will draw on the group’s combined know-how across our various target sectors, as well as Issner Industrie’s technical expertise, to find the best solution for customers and add value.”