Initially, the master locksmith specialised in manufacturing flanges (“bride” in French) for cooling fans for Mercedes lorries. Soon, in addition to the automotive industry, the paper industry in nearby Malmedy become aware of this medium-sized company.
Thanks to regular orders for Intermills (later renamed Gruppo Cordenons) in Malmedy and decades of co-operation, Mecabride manages to build up unique expertise in the paper industry and become a valued and respected expert within the industry.
1997 – Eric Schorkops, himself a qualified electro-mechanical technician, joins his father’s business. Three years later, with a new focus on planning and developing special-purpose machinery, the company moves to a two-storey hall in Weywertz (Belgium), where complete machinery can be manufactured. Mecabride recruits its first engineer. The workshop now employs 3 qualified expert staff.
Also, more and more companies from the wood, plastics and metal industries are commissioning Mecabride to turn their designs into real special-purpose machinery. This means that only four years after the company moved out of the cellar and yard and into a new hall, father and son now have to plan building a new spacious manufacturing facility and adjoining office complex.
October 2005 – Mecabride moves to its current location in the Zur Domäne industrial estate in Bütgenbach (Belgium). Equipped with a planning office, large assembly facility and office space, there are no longer any limits to designing and constructing customised machines and prototypes.
Just a few weeks after moving in, the company, with a heavy heart, had to say goodbye to its founder Victor Schorkops. However, his legacy is in safe and secure hands and is being successfully continued.