Six years ago, LVMH’s billionaire CEO Bernard Arnault and President Donald Trump, one of the most famous luxury brands in the world, cut the blue ribbon in a factory in designer bags for Louis Vuitton.
However, since the opening of a high-profile, the factory faced a number of problems to limit production, 11 former Louis Vuitton workers Reuters said. The site includes worldwise for Louis Vuitton, according to other employees of “significant” other facilities and other facilities, according to other enterprises referring to the employees.
Problems of the plant are not previously reported – highlights the problems of LVMH
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On a Texas website in a 250-hectare Texas, he struggled due to the lack of qualified leather workers who can produce the brand quality standards. “It never began to make simple pockets of the handbag,” a source of the plant, which is familiar with the operations at the plant, referring to the Classic Louis Vuitton Shoulder Bag.
Errors during the cut, preparation and installation process, 40% of skin hideurs were carried out until 40% of leather hides, and the performance of the first is a former employee, he said. The wide range of industry for leather goods is typical waste ratios, usually 20%, a large industrial source.
Speaking with Reuters, several former employees explained a highly pressurized environment. To increase production numbers, the controllers have turned into a blind eye to the methods to hide defects regularly and in some cases inspired them.
Pauchard admitted that there are such cases in the past, but said the issue was resolved. “This applies to a special manager, which is not part of the company until 2018 and no longer.”
Weakly designed bags are dismantled in the ground and are eliminated in trucks for burning, two of the sources with knowledge of the supply chain.
Louis Vuitton, a former production controller Louis Vuitton, who often went, used a Texas plant for less complex bag models that produces more expensive products elsewhere.
Pauchard, Louis Vuitton’s Industry Director, said the company is “patient” with the “young factory”.
“Any bags that come out should be Louis Vuitton bag, we are sure to face exactly the same quality,” he said. “I don’t know any issue that the quality from Texas suggests that there is any difference from Europe.”
Made in the United States
The two production facilities of the bag manufacturer standing behind a hill, were established near grazing cattle and gas wells. Louis Vuitton called a French general in a revolutionary war called Rochambeau.
The employees on the site are “US-made” tags inside Louis Vuitton bags like Louis Pochettes and Metis Bags. Items are sold for about 1500 and $ 3,000 in high levels of boutiques.
Lvmh refused to comment when asked in Texas when he asked what bag models were made in full or in part, but in interviewed by Reuters, Carryall, Gutall, Metis, Felice and Neverull handbag.
In the marketing material, Louis Vuitton is usually used in handbags developed by artists known as Petites Mains, using a process that is perfectly improved since the middle of the 19th century. After cutting canvas and leather using hand tools and laser-cutting machines, use industrial sewing machines and glue pieces together.
Special floors for cutting and montage in the Texas rig, as well as the Texas facility, which includes a warehouse, first paid $ 13 per hour. Since 2024, the main payment for a leather worker’s position in the plant was $ 17 per hour, according to two people who recently applied to positions. The minimum wage in Texas is $ 7.25 per hour.
A former leather worker coming as a migrant a few years ago, he said he was proud to hire by influential French brand, but some workers struggled to meet the brand quality standards and production goals.
“We were a lot of pressure to make daily goals,” said the former employee who left the factory at the end of 2019.
Until 2023, another person working in the facility, said that he cut the corners, “melting” canvas and skin “melt and skin defects, to hide the defects called Vendome Opera Bag.
Another former leather worker melts the material to hide the holes or other imperfections in the stitch.
Damien Verrigghe, Louis Vuitton’s International Production Director, in the Texas plant chose to change or leave jobs according to some quality requirements.
“There are artists who are employed, who will work as a few weeks or months, in the light of expectations, in the required level, other areas,” he said. “Some people chose to leave us because this is a job that requires a very Savoir Faire.”
Three former employees in the plant said they train two years to five weeks. The current Louis Vuitton employee in France was not unusual in the production line controlled by most experienced crafts.
“Knowledge of sewing on the skin / canvas is a plus, but not required. We offer comprehensive training,” the company said in the workplace for the artisan positions broadcast on the website in January.
Verbrigghe, the training in Texas is the same program that “all our workshops”, that is, not to study the main operations and skills before our new artists, our new artists do nothing. He said: “Accompanied by coaches and are constantly accompanied.”
Tax break
Lvmh, Johnson County received many tax discounts and incentives from Johnson County, including 75% of the property tax cuts of 10 years. “We are waiting for the service of this exclusive company,” the district’s best executive, Roger Harmon, correspondence made by Reuters in 2017.
In 2017, the application letter for tax abolition by Reuters, the application letter was aimed at employing 500 in the first five years of the plan. Arnault said in a ribbon cutting ceremony in 2019: “We will create about 1,000 highly qualified jobs here in Rochambeau for the next five years.”
The third staff, in February 2025, he said in 300 employees in 300.
The White House did not meet a Reuter request for comment.
Pauchard said that due to primary recruitment challenges mainly due to the Coven-19 pandemic and watching lock, the decline in local demand also played a role.
Despite the problems, LVMH plans to take more work for Texas. Lvmh said the first Texas production facility would cost about $ 30 million. Since 2022, the second certificate to the local authorities put the price of the second seminar completed last year and the 23.5 million dollars.
In a city hall in the last fall, one of the two California production areas, employees will be closed for 2028 and a worker who existed to a Texas, it was reported to move to Texas.
Pauchard confirmed the settlement room and said Louis Vuitton, California operations and handed over more qualified artists to Texas, and to the present to the present. His managers evaluated “Texas is far from California”. “
-Tassilo Hummel and Waylon Cunningham, Reuters