Block - André Citroën 1878 - 1935

André Citroën The son of a Dutch father and a Polish mother, André Citroën (1878-1935) became French at the age of 18 so that he could enter the École Polytechnique. He married an Italian: a European family. In 1900, in Poland, he discovered an invention: gears with chevron-shaped teeth (they were to become the logo of his automobile brand). He bought the patent and set up his first company: Engrenages Citroën. The First World War breaks out. In the trenches, he noticed the French army's shortage of ammunition. He took the initiative of proposing to the government the immediate construction of a shell factory. In four months, he built, equipped and organized it, and in June 1915, mass production got under way. 3,500 employees at the start, 13,000 by 1918, who benefited from unprecedented social advantages, particularly for women, who made up the majority of the workforce. Once peace had returned, he transformed his factory to produce automobiles on a large scale, at affordable prices, to provide mobility for the population. After observing the new industrial methods (Taylorism) in the United States, he organized production accordingly, applying an avant-garde social policy. Starting from scratch in 1919, within ten years he had become Europe's leading automaker and the world's second largest. To sell so many cars, he invented marketing and created modern advertising. His name was inscribed on the Eiffel Tower for ten years, and his great expeditions across Africa (Croisière noire) and Asia (Croisière jaune) are examples of his creativity. The goal set for his teams: to be more than five years ahead of the competition. A state of mind that would endure after his death. So many of the legendary cars he designed made Citroën the most collectible brand in the world. Visionary, optimistic, charismatic, humanist and determined, André Citroën left his mark on industry, the economy and society. "Citroën, a genius ahead of his time", as one of his biographers put it.

Bloc de timbre (héliogravure) : Création et mise en page Antoine Doré d'après photo DR