This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by Vincent Le Roy (@vincentleroy): LE DOSSIER VALMY (Thriller) : Chapitre 19

^{As my primary language is not English, there are probably some mistakes in my translation.}

Remember that the person who speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (@vcelier), but Vincent Le Roy (@vincentleroy), a French guy.

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Chapter 19: September 2006

On the way back, I can not help but think about the identity of the traitor. I dismiss Patrick from the outset. He has no interest in betraying, quite the opposite. The secretary, the same. If we go bankrupt, she will go directly to the ANPE. So who? Denis? Jeannot? Julie? Shit, I come to suspect the mother of my children ...

Denis is euphoric. Minova is unexpected. My ability to react and find solutions has blown him away. Jeannot is happy. He does not understand everything but as long as I'm happy, he is happy too. Julie is also happy for me but nothing more. It's been a long time since she was fed up with seeing me arguing like hell for Valmy. She listens to me out of politeness. I feel that our couple took a hit. At that moment, I do not measure how much yet.

The Germans will keep their promise. The contracts are signed and the transfer arrives on September 5th. The company is provisionally saved for three months. It's now up to us to play.

On a technical level, this period is euphoric. Patrick, the Polish guy and I, we work hard and with a real complicity of engineers. The atmosphere in the laboratory is good. Very good even. Technology is the ability to combine what each of us knows. And the alchemy works.

Patrick manufactures resins on the reactors in the upper laboratory. From 2 to 5 kilos a day, which I am trying to formulate in agreement with our Pole in the lower laboratory. Patrick taught me all the measuring equipment and so I characterize all the products. What I missed, I'm learning it. And I learn quickly. Very fast even.

The secretary also seems reassured and in a good mood. She writes all the technical sheets under the leadership of Patrick. Every week, I report back to Archibald by email about our progress and how we are spending money seamlessly.

The results are raining and at the end of September 2006, that is to say in just one month, the two products are done. Archibald is eager to see the result but in his own laboratory. The definitive tests will thus take place among the Germans in mid-October. If it's good, they still owe us 100,000 Euros and we will have completed the contract with a month and a half in advance.

Not only, he has just bumped his competitor with a much higher formula, but he has just acquired a totally new technology, without technical competition and three times cheaper than the target. he can only be happy.

In mid-October, we load all the products in the car and with Patrick, we take the road to Germany. This time, we have the right to enter the world of Petra, who is still tense, that is the laboratory that was carefully put in order before our arrival. The benches are empty, completely empty. All products have been sorted so that we cannot see or know any additives they use.

At VALMY, we have two laboratories. A first one that is used to make raw materials, make syntheses. The second one is a formulation laboratory. We mix the products and test the results. Germans only have the formulation part. They are unaware of the synthesis and are therefore prisoners of resin manufacturers who kill them with the price.

In short, their benches are empty. Impossible to know what they are working on. On the other hand, all the measuring and test equipments are under tension. Patrick and I unpack the products and give instructions to the German chemist. In live, he formulates and the foam swells. It conforms to expectations. The kinetics is good. Quality pleases them. The resistance characteristics are slightly above objectives. It's all good so far! Archibald smiles every time Olga returns with the results.

The highlight of the show is the fire test. Extremely violent, it is imperative to pass this test so that the product can be sold. The German laboratory worker starts the test. Everyone holds their breath. We have to wait 15 minutes. And bingo, the product passes the test, fingers in the nose!

The Germans do not say a word. They are waiting for the advice of the boss that is not long in coming. Archibald says to me:

• Congratulations my friend!

And objectively, he has something to be happy with. He decides to test the second product in the afternoon but he wants to show us something first. Orders are raining in German and everyone is running. He shows us their new product which has been a hit for a year. Different technology but identical results. Patrick and I smile: holy Archibald! In concrete terms, he did not need us. His product is top and t is a hit. But it's Archibald and he just took ten years ahead of his French rival without making the slightest noise. We also understand that everything we develop will stay neatly in closets just in case.

His laboratory must cost him two million Euros a year and for only 10%, he has just taken ten years in advance. He has the honesty to say. He is totally confident.

In the afternoon, we test the second product. There, they are totally amazed. And inevitably the Germans want to know how much this jewel costs to manufacture. They had set the goal at 1 Euro per kilo thinking that it was simply impossible since their current product was already 1.80 Euro for polyurethane. So, I let Patrick tell them. After all, it's thanks to him! He has the right to his hour of glory. And he announces: 45 cents. Silence in the assembly. Patrick went from being chemist to messiah in one minute. We exchange a real complicit smile.

Archibald wants to certify the product before the end of the year. This technology will not go in the closets, he intends to take the market alone. We must therefore transfer all the know-how to Olga and Petra who are just starting to relax. The principle is simple: we prepare all the documentation and I come once a week here to help them do everything. The Germans will take care of the industrialization.

Archibald laughs. We even have the right to continue improving the product. And if I stay several days, I will not sleep at the hotel but at home. A great hunter before the eternal, he even invites me to a hunting party for mid-December.

Of all the people I will meet in the VALMY project, it is Archibald who will mark me the most. Intelligence at all levels, human and with a devastating smile, we can only be under the spell of this man of honor who commands respect. A clever one too. A few months earlier, he met his competitor in Switzerland and they found a sharing agreement. For the moment, everyone respects the pact and business is good. But Archibald does not trust the French and that's why he makes us work secretly. To be ten moves ahead.

For the first time in my business, I am confident. And I do not hide anything from Archibald who pays us the second tranche of 100,000 Euros without arguing. I have not lost sight of the fact that we are going to discuss the continuation of our collaboration in December for the year 2007.

We take the road with Patrick with a light heart. As long as I'm in Germany, we test the 230 horsepower V6 of my car and drive at 200km/h. Our conclusion is unanimous: at this speed, it begins to scroll. This return will be memorable. Emboldened by our success, I feel I have wings. When at a French toll, we discover customs. The attendant makes a sign to me. Sports car, big German engine, registered in Luxembourg with two guys, one not shaved, we are an ideal target that comes from Holland. I know we have nothing to reproach ourselves for but we have a joke for our customs friends.

On the side, the customs officer controls our papers. And my French license suits him well. It feels from the outset the good deal. He asks me if we are not transporting anything illegal. Patrick is not very reassured. And I attack my joke of the day without dismounting:

• Illegal? Ah, I do not think so. Which interests you, I do not know.

It was enough for the customs officer to ask us to go down and open the trunk. Patrick smiled yellow and tells me: are you crazy! And I open the trunk. There, it contains our cans and bags of product. First, white silica which has slightly spill. The customs officer takes a step back, puts his hand on his weapon and calls his colleagues. If that's what he thinks, he's just made his career.

We are asked to back off and explain ourselves. I announce the color: pulverulent microsilica. The data sheet is on the side. The customs chief takes it. He wets his finger and picks up some dust from the bag. He sniffles and I tell him that he can even taste the product, which is what is used in the composition of toothpastes. And the man does it and has to admit that he was not going to go up to seventh heaven. Ten minutes later, we take the road with Patrick who regain a little color. Me, I had a good laugh. But it's time to go back because if the Germans are happy and we are too, our opponents have not forgotten us and the fall of 2006 is rich in twists on this side!

Continue to Chapter 20

Introduction
Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6
Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12
Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18