The art and expertise of industrial made-to-measure has been passed on from generation to generation at Balsan, a subsidiary of Groupe Marck. This excellence is supported by a department comprising 5 skilled technicians (with additional external labour resources as required) ensuring that the demands of the prestigious customers of all Group subsidiaries are met.
The military Grandes Ecoles, the Garde Républicaine, the National Police, major institutions, private sector companies, luxury goods and airline companies all request this exceptional expertise to convey an equally exceptional image on a daily basis or during ceremonies.
“You can’t improvise as a skilled technician, it is an activity that demands technical expertise and a clear understanding of the customer’s needs, to identify their expectations and in particular the adjustments after the initial fittings. Know-how, organisation, quality standards and attentiveness are essential and inseparable in this profession. Our field of action covers the organisation of taking measurements, their execution, product distribution then, where appropriate, exchanges and alterations.
Vincent Belorgey, Head of Operations in the Groupe Marck made-to-measure department
The manufacture of industrial made-to-measure clothing demands the greatest attention during the taking of body measurements. This involves creating specific clothing for important ceremonies and also for people whose body size does not come within the standard manufacturing tables. Taking the right measurements is an essential stage which affects the satisfaction of customers and the complete success of the project. More particularly this covers defining shoulder width, belt height, neck size, build, back breadth, sleeve length, overall clothing length, etc.
“Depending on the functions and activities for which we make them, these uniforms must sometimes be very close fitting or, at other times, on the contrary, more ample in the shoulders, legs or arms to ensure more flexibility in the movement” adds Vincent Belorgey. “Whether for one-off alterations on existing uniforms or for new creations, the skilled technicians must incorporate all these parameters while also bearing in mind each individual’s morphology.”
Vincent Belorgey, Head of Operations in the Groupe Marck made-to-measure department
And in the case of body measurements for 3,000 employees on 17 geographic sites, as was the case recently for a customer in the urban transport sector, this requires five weeks of work and extremely rigorous organisation.