Everyone in the offices, the workshops and those getting coffee from the coffee machine all know Dominique Pelletier. Nicknamed “La Crevette” (the prawn) Dominique is part of the Galland legend : after 37 years of experience and versatility, he knows how to assemble tensioning devices as well as insulators practically blindfolded.
“I really like to say I have spent my life at Galland ! I was 18 years old when I started in the Parisian workshops at Choisy-Le-Roi. I am 55 years old now. At the time, with a Certificate d’Aptitude Professionnel as a fitter I began with seaming, then I moved to the assembly of insulators and tensioning devices. When I close my eyes, I can see all the different models I worked on. I know them by heart ! “
The era of riveting
“I learnt my profession on all kinds of machines, from the most rudimentary hand-crafted ones to the present digital devices. At the beginning we didn’t have a crimping machine, we drilled the tubes and riveted them. It was a difficult job manually which demanded strength and precision. I still remember the first steady arm I worked on : the 204895 ! (aluminum tube with crosshead and joining piece).
I was also working at the time with key presses before the arrival of the automatic hydraulic presses, much more reassuring and precise. . Now errors are impossible, everything is ultra-secure.”
Pride in a job well done
“As I am versatile, I like to share my knowledge with the youngest collaborators. Galland’s know-how is irreplaceable : assembling an insulator requires extreme precision down to 5 centimeters. You have to be skillful and patient. What I like to pass on to my young associates is the pride of a job well done.
Sense of family
When Galland relocated to the vast site of La Lande-de-Fronsac in the Gironde region in 2003, Dominique Pelletier was dubious : “All my family was in Paris and I lived a few minutes away from the workshops. I thought that I would miss this life. Then Dominique Bec suggested he take me to see the future site so that I could get an idea. I liked the natural setting, the grapevines, the proximity to the Bassin d’Arcachon. So I stayed ! What’s more, let’s be honest : I would have had trouble finding the sense of family at Galland anywhere else. We all know each other and the manager’s door is always open. The hierarchy does not hold up decisions, which are taken quickly. I like that simplicity. “
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Where does the nickname “La Crevette” come from?
“I am a big fan of Formula 1. When the French grand prix used to take place at the Magny-Cours circuit, I would be in the bleachers and the July sun was strong. I used to come back from my vacation as red as a prawn pulled out of the court-bouillon (stock) ! “
