initially based in Rive-de-Gier. On 9 November 1871 it moved its headquarters to Saint-Chamond and became a limited company. The factories were mainly concentrated in the Loire basin, in Saint-Chamond and Assailly. In 1880 Saint-Chamond was the world capital of the lace industry. This industry was founded by Charles François Richard, assisted by his son Ennemond Richard. Eighteen years later, the Manufactures Réunies company was formed by merging ten of the largest manufacturers of lace. During World War I (1914-1918) the steel company built several different types of weapons, notably the Saint Chamond-Mondragón 75 mm gun, which had been designed mostly by colonel Rimailho, the Saint-Chamond tank, and the Chauchat machine rifle. They also produced naval guns, such as the quadruple-gun turret design for the unfinished s. Industrial restructuring affected the region in the postwar period, as costs rose for mining. In the 1950s the city's last mine at Clos Marquet was closed. The steelworks became part of the Creusot-Loire group, which had 28 factories and 39,000 employees in the region, including 3,100 in Saint-Chamond. Twin towns Saint-Chamond is twinned with: Grevenbroich, Germany Sant Adrià de Besòs, Spain Personalities Andy Dahmani, French-Algerian professional footballer Alain Prost, Formula One world champion Nico Prost, racing driver and son Alain Prost Ravachol, anarchist See also André César Vermare, sculptor who made the statue of Sadi-Carnot in Saint-Chamond. Points of interest Jardin botanique de Saint-Chamond References Citations Sources External links Official website (in French) Saintchamond Lyonnais Loire communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia