Inofer Productions
THE ABANDONED FACTORY IN BELGIUM
‘Inofer Productions’ in Mechelen was a press shop for non-ferrous metals. Before it was a rubber factory and a malt house. The company went bankrupt at the end of 2013.
Originally the building belonged to ‘Malterie Vandermolen’ a malt house that was established in 1885. The old malt towers from that year are still part of the current abandoned factory. The malt house was designed by Antwerp architect Georges Matthyssens.
Vandermolen sold the buildings to rubber factory ‘Le Caoutchouc Récupéré’. Eventually, in 1963 the rubber manufacturer sold the buildings to Inofer.
Inofer, located in Mechelen, Belgium, was renowned for its craftsmanship in forging knives and manufacturing gas taps. With operations extending into neighboring countries, the company faced financial turbulence in 2010. Despite employing 119 workers, all were unfortunately laid off by the curator initially. Following a restart initiative, the company managed to rehire 90 employees, significantly reducing the job losses to 29 individuals. Despite efforts to rejuvenate operations, Inofer faced insurmountable challenges, leading to its eventual bankruptcy in 2013.
In March 2015, four teenagers went on a joyride in two forklift trucks inside the abandoned factory. When the roof collapsed after a crash, an 11 and an 18-year-old kid died.
I visited ‘Inofer Productions’, close to Mechelen station, in 2019. Plans to reconvert the site were eventually made in 2020. In detail, the large-scale reconversion project is intended to contribute to the renewal of the Mechelen station area. Click here for more abandoned buildings in Mechelen.
