The Enhancement of Private Companies’ Heritage
More and more private companies are looking to enhance their historical heritage. Through the care they take with their ancient documents, they communicate their values and their history.
It was with this in mind that SOFPO-Groupe Rossmann reached out to La Reliure in 2023, with the intention of restoring its ancient documents in order to preserve the witnesses of its history and pass them on.
Société Française de Fabrication de Carton Ondulé (French Company for the Manufacture of Corrugated Cardboard)
In 1888, the first corrugated cardboard manufacturing plant in France was established in Exideuil-sur-Vienne, in Charente. From the 1920s onwards, the Rossmann family developed packaging activities across France, and acquired the production site in Exideuil-sur-Vienne in 1979. At the end of the 1990s, the group expanded into Africa and Europe. In 2022, the group celebrates its 100th anniversary and embark on a reflection about its history.
A General Ledger Weighing over 20 kilograms!
This type of document was widely used in French businesses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This “general ledger” was made compulsory by the French Commercial Code, a requirement that is still in effect today, and includes all a company’s accounting entries.
The evaluation and restoration process of the binding
The first intervention involved careful cleaning, followed by restoration steps mainly concerning the binding: filling in the lacunas, meticulous cleaning of the metallic elements, and consolidating the headband and endpapers. The original ribbons and stitching have been preserved, and their condition only required an intervention on the first signature, involving the consolidation of the gutter.
