In 2014, associated with French and European investors under the leadership of the Minister of Productive Recovery Arnaud Montebourg, Frank Supplisson took over the steel group, a former subsidiary of Usinor which had been placed in receivership.
But this former Polytechnique and ENA, former chief of staff to the Minister of Industry from 2010 to 2012, now 48 years old, had not managed to bounce back the French manufacturer of special steels, in particular for the automotive industry, and had to quit the project.
Once again placed in receivership at the end of 2017, the group was taken over by the Swiss Schmolz + Bickenbach and now employs around 1,200 people.
Serial buyer
Today, Frank Supplisson was indicted on April 21 following police custody, in particular for "abuse of corporate assets" in the context of the takeover of the steel group but also for "money laundering in an organized group of fraud aggravated tax "," forgery and use of forgery in private writing "," fraud in the judgment in an organized band ", confirmed the Nanterre prosecutor's office information from Mediapart.
Entrusted to the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial and Tax Offenses (OCLCIFF), a preliminary investigation was opened in November 2015 on the conditions for the takeover of Ascométal, whose headquarters are in Lorraine.
After his departure from Ascoval, Frank Supplisson continued to take over ailing companies, mainly in the metallurgy. Among the sites it has taken over are the Akers France steel plant in Thionville (Ascoforge), the Altifort SMFI plant in Tarbes (Tarbes Industry), the Alpine Aluminum plant in Annecy (Alpine Aluminum) and two former plants in 'ArcelorMittal (Montataire Industry and Gandrange Industry).
