SAM presentation

MANAGERS
1906 – 1927
François BLANC
1927 – 1961 Félicien BLANC
1961 – 1972 Pierre BLANC
1972 – 2003 Michel BLANC
From 2003 to 2011
Noël GUICHARD
From 2011 to nowadays
Frédéric CHAMPAVERE
1906 :

In 1906, François BLANC, Engineer, launches into advanced technology of forging, that will allow automotive industry takeoff, with setting up of “LES FORGES STEPHANOISES”.

1918 :
During the First World War, United States of America bring decisive help to France and make discover all their material, top quality industrial forged hand tools. This one is mainly made of tightening tools : pliers, wrenches, screwdrivers… and cutting tools : shears-cutters, bolt-cutters…

Bolt-cutter
Vanatub vanasam
SAM Bolt-cutter
Vanatub Vanasam

Once peace comes back, François BLANC moves some of forging workshops into manufacturing of these same industrial tools and names them SAM… as Uncle SAM of America.

1939 :
Company extension by purchasing a new factory (Cie Française d’appareils de Laiterie, St-Etienne)

SAM Tools picture from 1933’ catalogue
SAM Tools picture from 1933’ catalogue
1955 :
Incorporation of another factory (Sté MELEY Père et Fils, St-Martin La Plaine).

SAM shop display from 1933’ catalogue
SAM shop display from 1933’ catalogue
1960 :
In the 1960’s, forging workshops expansion for automotive and hand-tools requires new means. Forging for automotive is transferred to L’Horme, St-Etienne site is dedicated to SAM.

Design department – power hammers Forging Machining – Quality control
Design department – power hammers Forging Machining – Quality control
MANOUTIL : Launched in 1960, MANOUTIL meets new logic, due to Roma treaty, signed in 1957 (frontiers opening). French industry becomes aware of exporting products necessity. By this way, Robert MARCEL, hardware wholesale owner takes the excellent idea to gather 8 of his main providers, of which SAM, to attack foreign markets and names this organization MANOUTIL.

MANOUTIL will work during more than 30 years. SAM, main actor of this gathering of common interest, gets from 5 export customers (1 in Switzerland, 3 in Belgium, 1 in Italy) to more than 700 customers all over more than 70 countries. SAM - Manoutil
1962 :
Incorporation of a new company (Etablissements MOREL Frères et Cie, L’Horme).

Launching of M62 catalogue.

Forged hand-tools leader, SAM got many patents, of which 4 make us famous :

DYNASTOP wrench
SAM dynastop wrench patent bases on flexible rod use, with variable length and of which arrow remains constant.

This system ensures an absolute precision and allows a solution of remarkable simplicity.

Therefore SAM dynastop wrench can be easily used by everybody without any attention or particular precaution.

It eliminates :

Any difficult to read dial or mains.
Any free dangerous setting up.
Any sensitive bending of too big amplitude.

SAM dynastop wrench is therefore simple, precise, foolproof. Dynastop wrench
Clickless wrench
Otobloc plier
Vanatub angled socket wrench
1965 :
AGS Catalogue : launching of ISOPLASTIC coating.

SAM ISOPLASTIC : a foolproof covering

ISOPLASTIC covering is an unbreakable thermoplastic material that adheres so much to metal that it remains strictly inseparable, however hard effort may be to pull out it.

Contrary to what happen to covered tools with injected material that breaks at impact, their lifetime only squares to active metallic part wear.

1967 :
Launching of first demonstration trucks.
SAM Tools demonstration truck
SAM Tools demonstration truck
1971 :
SAM Tools acquires LAURAVIA company, founded by Mr. Marcel LAURAVIA, expert in special tools for automotive and aviation. LAURAVIA gathers a great range of products dedicated to automotive repairing : trains control equipment (before and behind), wheels stabilizers, balancing masses, jacks, drum grindings, torque wrenches, joint keys…

1971’ Catalogue : This original work, made up as a folder, contains all ranges of tools “SAM” and « LAURAVIA » automotive. SAM - Lauravia
1972 :
A new forging is built in 1972, in the same time of Noirétable factory.

1978 :
M78 Catalogue

This 165 pages catalogue indexes 4.000 tools, that represents more than 45.000 tons of forged steel per year, is distributed to 700 SAM approved distributors. This catalogue contains following products : selections and containers, sockets and accessories, torque wrenches and screwdrivers, tightening keys, screwdrivers, bolt-cutters, hammers, extractors, tools for automotive.
SAM shop display
1986 :
Creation of SAM TOOLS BELGIUM subsidiary.

1996 :
Launching of SERVISAM and MODULOSAM.

1998 :
New catalogue and new logistic center, Spanish subsidiary.

1998 year will leave a deep impression on SAM due to the scale of commercial and logistic investments.

First of all, new 2000 SAM catalogue renews, completes and enriches SAM professionnal hand-tools range, that is famous worldwide. Then, building of a 6.000 m3 logistic center in a 5,5 hectares restructured site, all in one block, perfectly accessible, gives us again means of efficient service to our customers.

And then, so as to put down roots in the Iberian peninsula and Spanish spoken countries, we created in Madrid our subsidiary of marketing and distribution SAM HERRAMIENTAS IBERICA.

2001 :
June, 27th 2001, the President, Michel BLANC grandson of SAM founder, asks to his shareholders to split Forges Stéphanoises on behalf of their subsidiaries SAM and SETFORGE

2003 :
SF3 catalogue launching.

Technical and educational, this work of more than 500 pages contains more than 10.000 references divided into 21 products families. 1st SAM hardback catalogue, it comes confirming prestigious corporate image of trademark that is in professional end-user service for more than 80 years. It will be the first lever of a hard credit in industry, automotive, building trade, public works… sectors. Printed into 6 different languages, more than 300.000 copies of this catalogues have been distributed to 60 different countries.
SF3 general catalogue
2007 :
Opening of the new head-office, which works began 18 months ago with for principle : “organize the company unit by unit”, 3 floors for 3 units :

Products development
Customers
Support departments