Paul Léderlin

"The factories have reopened; now it remains to organize the supply of raw materials and energy. It is on this second front that the ingenious “intermediary” of twenty-five years old reveals his dynamism. In association with Paul Léderlin and a group of industrialists from the Vosges, he founded the Company for Import and Export of the North and the East, responsible for chartering Norwegian cargo ships, acquiring barges, and procuring the necessary raw materials. Boussac makes his first trip to England. There he buys cotton and coal. From Cardiff, his fleet transports the fuel and cotton to Rouen, which his barges then convey to the Vosges. This operation, once initiated, will be repeated throughout the war."

"he newcomer has a chance to obtain, thanks to his protector, agreements on prices, assurances on quantities to deliver, guarantees on quality. When Marcel Boussac wants to create a cotton waste treatment business, Paul Léderlin will make a premises available at B.T.T. When he wants to hire a collaborator from the Dye Works, the generous mentor will respond to the subordinate who asks for permission to go work for “Monsieur Marcel”"

"Boussac acquires the friendship of two influential figures: René Laederich, who is at the head of a large spinning and weaving business, and Paul Léderlin, who has just succeeded his father as the director of the most important bleaching and dyeing company in the Vosges. About twenty years his seniors, they will become allies and one of them a partner. Under their protective wing, the novice penetrates the intricacies of the trade, becomes familiar with the different phases of production—he undergoes internships with each of them—and learns to mingle with important people. It is at their school that he perfects his training. From these models, he will draw inspiration when he himself becomes a Vosgian boss."