The Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques (the Alsatian Corporation of Mechanical Engineering), or SACM, is an engineering company with its headquarters in

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

, which produced railway

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

s, textile and printing machinery,

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...

s, lifting equipment,

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

s and mining equipment. SACM also produced the first atomic reactor at Marcoule.

History

Foundation

The company was founded by André Koechlin in 1826 to produce textile machinery. In 1839, he opened a factory to build railway locomotives at

. The business grew rapidly but in 1871, the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by Germany, brought about the transfer of some production to

Belfort Belfort (; archaic , ) is a city in northeastern France, situated approximately from the Swiss border. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Territoire de Belfort. Belfort is from Paris and from Basel. The residents of the city ...

in France. In 1872 the company merged with the Graffenstaden company of Illkirch-Graffenstaden (a suburb of

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

) to form SACM.

Alsthom

The new company diversified into the production of boilers, steel equipment, printing equipment, compressors, firearms and other engineering products growing to 4500 employees by 1910. A new foundry was built in 1922 for textile machinery. In 1928 the Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston merged with the Electrical Engineering division of SACM to form a new company named Alsthom, (Alsace-Thomson), later changed to

Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...

Alcatel

In 1940, Alsace and Lorraine were again annexed/occupied to the German Reich, the production of locomotives for Germany began. After the war, the remaining divisions of SACM continued operating independently until 1966 when the company became a subsidiary of the Company's Hispano-Alsatian machine-building (SHACM) and Alsatian Society of Industrial Investments (ALSPI). In 1970 a new company Alcatel was created by merging The Industrial Telephone Company (a subsidiary of the General Electricity Company), with the Nuclear energy telecommunications and electronic Department of SACM.

Wärtsilä SACM Diesel

In 1982, the remaining parts of SACM separated the textile machinery division which closed in August 1986, and became SACM DIESEL in 1989. In 1993, the company changed its name to Wärtsilä SACM Diesel with the Finnish group Wärtsilä Diesel taking full control of the company Mulhouse.

Site changes

The historical Alsatian diesel engine plant closed in late 1999 and has been rehabilitated as an extension of the University of Haute Alsace. The conservation of the SACM foundry received a

Europa Nostra Europa Nostra (Latin for "Our Europe") is a pan-European Federation for cultural heritage, Cultural Heritage, representing citizens' organisations that work on safeguarding Europe's cultural and natural heritage. It is the voice of this movement ...

award for outstanding heritage achievements on industrial and engineering structures and sites in 2010. A new plant devoted to diesel and gas engines has opened in Lyon SACM Power and does the manufacturing and refurbishing of diesel and gas engines and mini-power plants.

Steam locomotives

Production of steam locomotives was originally carried out at Mulhouse and Graffenstaden (for German production), and Belfort for the French production. Both plants also exported models. However, after the First World War, Mulhouse and Graffenstaden built French steam locomotives, and Belfort specialized in the construction of electric locomotives. During the 1890s the company was particularly noted for its fast and efficient

compound locomotive A compound locomotive is a steam locomotive which is powered by a compound steam engine, compound engine, a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages. The locomotive was only one application of compounding. Two and three ...

s designed by Alfred de Glehn.

Diesel engines

Diesel engines built at Mulhouse have been sold worldwide primarily for ship propulsion, locomotives and railcars, and as power generators. The range of diesel engines produced by SACM included: * MGO (MAREP Grosshans Ollier) 175 mm bore, 6 to 16 cylinders * AGO (Alsacienne Grosshans Ollier) 195 mm bore, 12 to 16 cylinders * AGO (Alsacienne Grosshans Ollier) 240 mm bore, 12 to 20 cylinders MAREP Moteur MGO was the Société de Matériel et de Recherche Pétrolière. Grosshans Ollier refers to Georges Frédéric Grosshans and Jacques Gaspard Ollier who held a patent for liquid-cooled pistons, US patent 3,323,503 of 6 June 1967. Examples of

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...

locomotives using these engines were BB 63400 (MGO engine) and CC 72000 (AGO engine).

References

http://www.SACMFrance.com

Bibliography

*Michèle Merger, ''Les entreprises et leurs réseaux,'' Presses Paris Sorbonne, 1998 () *Marie-Claire Vitoux, ''SACM, Quelle belle histoire! : De la Fonderie à l'Université,'' Mulhouse, 1826–2007, La Nuée bleue, 2007 ()

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Societe Alsacienne De Constructions Mecaniques Locomotive manufacturers of France Wärtsilä