Gilbert Degrémont

Gilbert Degrémont was the grandson of Aldebert Degrémont, head of a mechanical construction workshop in Le Cateau, in the north of France from 1870 until the early 20th century. In 1904, Aldebert retired, leaving the business to his son Émile, who had created his own company, Établissements Émile Degrémont, focusing on water treatment for the industry.

Gilbert Degrémont learned mechanics while working in his father’s and grandfather’s workshops and factories. He completed agriculture studies at the Institute of Agronomy in Rennes in 1927. After military service at a hot air balloon base, he joined his father and his brother Étienne in the industrial water purification business in Le Cateau. He successfully installed an iron filtration system for the water supply in Saigon-Cholon (now Ho Chi Minh City) in Vietnam in 1933.