Why use a workshop and a van in Paris when everything is possible on a bike? Philippe Genty sets much more store by his cargo bike and Festool cordless tools. The carpenter loves Paris as much as his job. His concept of 'L'ébéniste à vélo' – 'the cycling carpenter' – is visionary, environmental, economic and practical. He visits his customers on his cargo bike, always with his high-quality tools to hand in a Systainer.
"Non, je ne regrette rien" – No, Philippe Genty has no regrets. No regrets about starting afresh in his old profession, about not having his own workshop – not even about denying himself a traditional trade van. This is because Philippe Genty lives and works in Paris, "a megacity where the rent is unaffordable and the traffic is regularly at a standstill". "Why open a carpentry business there, with a workshop and vans? I have everything I need for my work with me on my cargo bike," explains Gentry, remembering the beginning of his freelance career five years ago: "Lots of people laughed at me back then and thought I was crazy, especially my colleagues. But I didn't let that hold me back."
It's all about the tools
Since then, as 'L'ébéniste à vélo' – 'the cycling carpenter' – Philippe Genty has been visiting his customers on his cargo bike. He always works on site at his customers' premises and sets great store by craftsmanship – and just as important are the tools and materials. His cargo bike can carry 200 kg in weight, and the trailer another 300 kg. He procures his wood from choice suppliers in France and Germany. Heavy components are delivered directly to his customers. But he goes nowhere without his tools: "I’ve always been impressed with Festool tools, but since I’ve started cycling around as a carpenter I've come to appreciate the Festool system concept even more." Since Genty needs to be able to transport his tools as easily as possible, the Systainers are perfect for him. A guide rail ensures a secure grip on the cargo bike's load bed. And cordless tools are ideal because he has to be able to work anywhere at any time. What's more, the carpenter is convinced they can be relied on one hundred per cent. The cordless screwdrivers and compact sanders, mobile cordless TSC 55 plunge-cut saw and the compact Systainer CT SYS extractor are therefore always close by. He always has traditional tools to hand in another Systainer.
A worktop made of Systainers
One of Philippe Genty's customers is the jewellery designer Salome Cousseau. On this job, the carpenter is restoring a wooden pedestal. He has set up in the courtyard behind the shop, stacking the Systainers and setting the MFT-SYS with perforated MDF work surface on top. Genty fixes the required roundwood workpiece to it using fastening clamps. The PDC cordless drill works neatly into the wood. Using the finished components, the base and feet can be mortised entirely without the need for adhesives or binders – for Genty and his customers, that's a key aspect. "I think it's fantastic that Philippe comes to me and does his work here. Other tradespeople come to look at the workpiece first, have to take it away or maybe even come back again – it's a lot more of a hassle," says Salome Cousseau, delighted about service on-site. Philippe Genty adds: "Some customers are really reluctant to hand over their valuable historical furniture for repair off-site. They're happy that the tradesperson will come to them."
Success reinforces his concept
Thanks to his concept, the 'ébéniste à vélo' – the 'cycling carpenter' – has since built up a loyal customer base, and he's gaining new customers all the time. Around 60 per cent of Genty's orders are restoration jobs. He designs and builds fine solid wood furniture as well for private and commercial customers. No one makes fun of the cycling carpenter these days. The mobile concept is a model of success. Philippe Genty is working to make his mobile concept a success model that could be truly visionary in large cities in the future. He is not a lone wolf; instead he shares his experiences with craftsman colleagues in the nationwide association "Les boîtes à vélo" – French for "boxes on bicycles". In Paris alone, there are now have five woodworkers who use bicycles, consequently going about their work in an environmentally friendly way and looking towards the future.
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