Andre Citroen (Andre Gustave Citroen) (February 5th 1878 - July 3rd 1935) is a engineer polytechnician French, pioneer of the Industrie Automobile, founder of the automobile industrial empire Citroen in 1919.

Biography

André Citroen is born with Paris the February 5th 1878. Wire of Lévie Citroen, Diamond-like Jewish Dutch, emigrated with Paris in 1873, and of Chewed Kleinan, Jewish Polish originating in Warsaw (after having emigrated, Lévie Citroen modifies the orthography of its name in Citroen).

In 1883 his/her father commits suicide whereas it is only five years old. It is then raised by his mother who takes again the business of trade of Diamant S and Perle S fines of her husband.

10 years old, he discovers work visionary avant-gardist of Jules Verne which will inspire it all its life. The construction of the Eiffel Tower for the World Fair of 1889 encourages it to become Engineer and Industrie L and to take part in the future industrial big challenges of the Twentieth century.

It follows studies to the Lycée Condorcet, then becomes Engineer of the Polytechnic school in 1900.

Gears with double rafters out of V

In 1900, at the time of a voyage in family in Poland, André meets a relative who developed a process of size of “rafter gears double with the cut teeth out of V” out of wood with lower costs used for Minoterie S. This figure geometrical will become the Symbole and the Logo of future marks Citroen. Of return in France, it transposes the idea with rafters in Acier and deposits a Brevet.

Managing director of the Cars Bit

From 1906 to 1914, it is named managing director administrator in the car manufacturer Mors by the Emile brothers and Louis Mors in difficulties. It reorganizes the study of the needs customers, management, modernizes, creates new models and double the production of the mark in 10 years.

André Citroen is a discoverer of talents and an organizing of genius. He is neither Inventeur, nor technician. He impassions himself for “manufacture and the distribution with large scales”.

In 1912 he visits the factory Ford of Henry Ford with Détroit which applies the Taylorisme (Démocratisation of Bien of production Industrie L manufactured in great series to lower costs of cost: Fordisme)

Foundation of company “Citroen, Hinstin and Co”

In 1912, 35 years old, it joins Jacques and Paul Hinstin with whom it invests most of the heritage of his parents to found company “Citroen, Hinstin and Co”, company of manufacture of Engrenage S, in particular those with rafters out of V, with ten workmen in the suburb Saint-Denis of the 10th district of Paris. He quickly moves 31 Quai of Grenelle in the 15th district of Paris beside the factory of the Frères Bit, close to the Quai of Javel and renames “Public limit company of the Gears Citroen”. He becomes also President of the Employers' federation of the car.

May 27th, 1914, two months before the declaration of the First World War, it marries Georgina Bingen, girl of a banking génois, with which it founds a many family.

First World War

In 1914, André is mobilized in August in time that lieutenant then Capitaine with the 2nd regiment of artillery of Metz.

In 1915 he proposes in January with the Général Louis Baquet, director of the Artillerie of the Ministère of the War, which misses ammunition cruelly, to apply the Fordisme in a factory built in 3 months, able to produce 5.000 to 10.000 Obus standard Shrapnel of 75 per days. He makes set up on the 15 hectares of waste grounds and vegetable gardens of the Quai of Javel (current Quai Andre-Citroen and Parc Andre-Citroen) an immense modern and produced ultra factory with 13.000 workers, 23 million shell at a rate of 10.000 per day, rates new for the time. In 1917 and 1918, the government also gives the responsability it to reorganize the supply of the Industrie of the armament, the postal services military, and the distribution of the tickets of ration of bread in the Paris region.

Foundation of Citroen in 1919

In 1919, the shortly after the war, after being themselves a long time prepared in advance, Andre Citroen reconverted his arms factory in Automobile Industry in four months by absorbing the car manufacturer Bit. It founds Citroen with for historical emblem sound doubles rafter out of V.

Assisted of its faithful right-hand man Georges-Marie Haardt for marketing, it manufactures this same year the first model of the mark: the Citroen Type has for which it recruited engineer Jules Solomon dice 1916 for his design. “The first Européenne car manufactured in series” at a rate of 30 per days and 20.000 per annum since 1920 (of advantage that all the production Peugeot and Renault joined together). The introductory price of 7.950 francs, is exceptionally low for the time (with the detriment of its Bénéfice S to refund its important loans of Investissement S). It innovates as regards Publicité and of Marketing of great width with:

Follow: the Citroen B2 (1921 to 1926), Standard C (1921 to 1926), B10 (1924 to 1925) and B12 (1926 to 1927).

In 1926, it conceives thanks to the assistance of the American engineer Edward Gowan Budd the Citroen B14 (1926 to 1928) first conveys “all Acier” which makes it possible to conceive the first entirely closed solid body Europe.

From 1928 to 1932 the Citroen C4 and Citroen C6 follow. In 1929 Citroen becomes the second world manufacturer of car with 400 vehicles per day (one the third of the French production) with the detriment of very serious problems of financings accentuated by the Grande Depression of 1929.

From 1932 to 1938: Citroen Rosalie 8,10,15

Chronic problem of over-indebtedness

In 1933 Andre Citroen is invited by his competitor Louis Renault to visit a new factory Renault. He then accentuates heavily his over-indebtedness and multiplies acrobatics of Gestion (what is worth many criticisms to him) to make build the largest modern ultra factory of Europe of then in 6 months with Brussels in Belgium, equipped with a “cathedral with glass and steel” (file) able to produce 1000 cars per day. The banks lose confidences, stop following it in its chronic Surendettement and entrust to Pierre Michelin group Michelin (second wire of Edouard Michelin, cofounder of the group Michelin, one of principal the Créancier S of Citroen) the Gestion of Citroen with the mission very difficult to avoid the Faillite to him.

In 1934 Andre Citroen industrializes the first car of series of the world with traction before: the Traction before 7,11 and 15 (1934 to 1957), but the success and the difficult technical beginnings of this revolutionary model does not save the group of the bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation

December 21st, 1934, Citroen is put in Compulsory liquidation. The government proposes to the principal creditor Michelin to take again the mark and to save 250.000 employment, to calm 1.500 creditors and of the thousands of small carriers.

Disappearance

In 1935, 57 years old, André Citroen yields his Action S to Michelin and withdraws in January, replaced in July by Pierre Michelin. He dies on July 3rd of the same year of a Cancer of the Estomac after 15 years of industrial activity at the top. He rests with the Cimetière of Montparnasse.

In 1976, Peugeot acquires 90% of the capital Citroen with Michelin and becomes so far the group PSA Peugeot Citroen, company with directory and Board of trustees, property of the Famille Peugeot.

The Quai of Javel will be renamed Quai Andre-Citroen and its historical factory transform in a Parc Andre-Citroen with its memory.

Family ties

By his sister Fernande Citroen, André Citroen is:
  • Uncle of Raymond Lindon, celebrates lawyer and prosecutor of the Réquisition S of the lawsuit having followed the Libération of France.
  • Great-uncle of Jerome Lindon (1925-2001), director of the Editions of Midnight of 1948 to 2001.
  • Great-great-uncle of Vincent Lindon (born in 1959), actor, realizer and scenario writer.

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