Event at FPT Industrial plant celebrates anniversaries

Over the weekend, the Iveco Group brand welcomed guests to its Bourbon-Lancy plant to continue celebrations for Iveco’s 50th anniversary, while underscoring FPT Industrial’s longstanding presence within France’s industrial landscape. The Bourbon-Lancy plant has surpassed 150 years of operation, 50 of which were spent within the IVECO family, including 20 years (since 2005) under the FPT Industrial brand.

Iveco Group and FPT Industrial mark milestone anniversaries at an event at the Bourbon-Lancy plant in France. (Photo: FPT Industrial)

The history of the Bourbon-Lancy plant began in 1874, when it became a key production hub for early innovations in the agricultural sector. From the mid-20th century, the site expanded its industrial and business footprint through diversification, including its acquisition by Simca to manufacture Someca tractors. In 1975, the plant was acquired by Iveco, marking the beginning of its specialization in the production of internal combustion engines.

Just 22 years later, in 1998, the plant became the birthplace of FPT Industrial’s reknowned Cursor engine family. The Cursor 8 and Cursor 10 were reported to be the first diesel engines in the heavy-duty transport sector with a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT), optimizing the airflow into the engine. The most recent addition to the family – unveiled in 2022 and further enhanced with the Model Year 2024 version – the XCursor 13 is FPT Industrial’s first multi-fuel single base engine.

The Bourbon-Lancy plant currently employs over 1,200 professionals. The plant hosted a number of these employees and their families for a Family Day, providing the opportunity to explore a historical journey featuring more than 40 vehicles, engines and parts on display.

At the event, Sylvain Blaise, president of Iveco Group´s Powertrain Business Unit, commented: “Today, we gather to recognize a remarkable milestone reached by FPT Industrial and to celebrate it alongside Iveco’s 50th anniversary. From this standpoint, celebrating 150 years of this plant takes on even greater significance, shining new light on how the success of the Iveco brand is rooted in stories of excellence that go even further back in time. The story of the Bourbon-Lancy plant is undoubtedly one of these.”