The Babinay slate quarry began production around 1884 and is now the headquarters of the company Ardoisières d’Herbeumont.
At the start of the 20th century, the Babinay slate quarry was leased to a German by the name of Scherke.
In 1909, Léontine Pierlot took over once more as Director; followed by
Auguste Pierlot from 1920 to 1938.
Production stopped between 1938 and 1940 and began again from 1940 to 1941 with Mr Alphonse Waucquez of Brussels as Director. Hubert Pierlot then followed his brother in this role until closure in 1956.
At that time there was a shaft dug 100m deep into the face of the fault following the course of the gradient. The operation consisted of a dozen chambers spread over three levels. The chambers were on average 30 metres long and 18 to 20 metres high. Each level was separated by veins, hence the gradient with respect to the vein. The gradient of the veins was more acute, forming an angle of 60° with the horizontal. This arrangement had implications for the method of extraction used in the chambers, in that the part next to the wall of a chamber on one level was accessed by a gallery at the same level, while the part next to the roof was worked from an extended gallery on the level above. The usable vein was 40 to 50 metres thick and about 200m long. The rock bed ran N 83° E and at an angle of S 43°, which possibly corresponded to a stratification joint. If this were the case, the direction of the fault would coincide with the foliation.
The Herbeumont slate quarry reopened in 1999 and, after six years of investment in opening it to the surface, staff training and machine development, 2005 was the firstly year devoted solely to production.
When in 1999 Benoît Pierlot and Michel Bouvy embarked on the reopening of the Herbeumont Slate Quarries, between Bertrix and Florenville, in the province of Luxembourg, we must admit that no one thought they could succeed. Just the opposite. The Slate Quarries had been closed for 25 years and had always been worked under ground. Only roof slates were produced. The very idea of producing ornamental stone in an open quarry? Heresy to the quarrymen who used to go down into the slate mine. Although the houses in the region are built with slate walls, the link is not readily made between slate and the material used for the walls and coping stones. The two colleagues used the gallery to assess the quality of the seams inside, something quite exceptional indeed! Following their hearts rather than their heads, they overturned mind sets and beliefs by opening the first open-cast slate quarry in Belgium.
Out of the 60 workmen employed over the 6-year period, 10 were selected when the open quarry reopened and form the current Ardoisières d’Herbeumont team. Here as elsewhere, training is a problem, which is why workers at the Ardoisières d’Herbeumont are trained on site in the specific methods used. They work at a specific job on their machines and have their own responsibilities. The jobs are as follows: one man on the crane for extraction of the slate; in the handling section, one man on the bulldozer feeding the screen and clearing the stock, 2 other men on bulldozers who feed the saws and store the finished products; in the processing section, 3 workers on cutters with size 50 blades for cladding, and 3 others on cutters with size 90 and 70 blades for large blocks to be cut; one frame saw works alone in parallel… The ideal would be an extra 5 men but, in the meantime, the team gets on with the job. The workers work at height always under shelter. Maximum use of machinery increases productivity and prevents unnecessary handling and tiredness. Three golden rules: sort everything that is extracted systematically, divide operations into zones and do not mix anything, in order to be able to respond to market requirements instantly… By way of conclusion, Herbeumont has reached cruising speed: a range of products, satisfied, loyal customers and a productive, motivated team.
Out of the 60 workmen employed over the 6-year period, 10 were selected when the open quarry reopened and form the current Ardoisières d’Herbeumont team. Here as elsewhere, training is a problem, which is why workers at the Ardoisières d’Herbeumont are trained on site in the specific methods used. They work at a specific job on their machines and have their own responsibilities. The jobs are as follows: one man on the crane for extraction of the slate; in the handling section, one man on the bulldozer feeding the screen and clearing the stock, 2 other men on bulldozers who feed the saws and store the finished products; in the processing section, 3 workers on cutters with size 50 blades for cladding, and 3 others on cutters with size 90 and 70 blades for large blocks to be cut; one frame saw works alone in parallel… The ideal would be an extra 5 men but, in the meantime, the team gets on with the job. The workers work at height always under shelter. Maximum use of machinery increases productivity and prevents unnecessary handling and tiredness. Three golden rules: sort everything that is extracted systematically, divide operations into zones and do not mix anything, in order to be able to respond to market requirements instantly… By way of conclusion, Herbeumont has reached cruising speed: a range of products, satisfied, loyal customers and a productive, motivated team.