Hospital for machines-tools

When Stephan Mangin arrived in Saint-Martin 21 years ago, "it was paradise." But year after year, the Bourguignon has seen the island "turn into a waste disposal site." At issue: the lack of civility from the locals who "discard everything anywhere when they believe it is no longer repairable," he states while recognizing that the Galisbay waste disposal site "makes enormous efforts."

Plumber-craftsman by trade, he had a hard time making a name for himself in his industry at the beginning of his stay on the island. As he had trained on power tools at Bosch in Paris, he quickly directed his activity towards repairing tools. He founded SXM Matériaux, a repair and machinery and equipment rental shop and a store for building materials and supplies. Since July 2015, his company is located chemin des Griselles, between Cul-de-Sac and Grand Case.

Waste is unbearable to him. In November 2015, he decided to work at recycling machines-tools: "I was tired of seeing people leave all this material lying around." So he picks up what he finds and asks his customers to bring him their broken-down items. "We start by taking them apart. If we see that we can repair them, we do so. Otherwise, spare parts are salvaged. Steel is sorted from copper, plastics as well as oils and grease." Sometimes, these parts are used to repair other machines. He salvages everything that can help his customers. "We must always keep in mind that one’s broken machine can bring happiness to someone else. We are like a hospital for machines-tools."

In his shop, he currently has about ten of those refurbished machine-tools, for sale at unbeatable prices. He is not a manufacturer, therefore, he cannot provide warranties, but he states: "If a customer comes back, of course we take care of them!" His clientele consists of both professionals and individuals whose common point seems clear: the passion for tinkering.

Recycling is currently not profitable from an economic point of view. "I am not doing it for the money just yet, but as a way to fight against waste." Sometimes his employee, or he, spends one or two hours dismantling a machine to find it unsalvageable in the end. "But at least, materials are sorted." Sorting is precisely a task which, according to him, people should work on "if they want Saint Martin’s image to change."