Association Générale

The Association Générale was founded in Paris in 1865 by François Neudin and François Sudre. Established as a dedicated cooperative for laborers within the brass instrument manufacturing industry, its primary social mission was to combat grueling labor conditions and successfully reduce the standard daily working shift from twelve hours down to ten. Beyond its role as a pioneer for workers' rights, the cooperative operated a highly capable production workshop that manufactured quality brass instruments under its own collective brand. The organization maintained its independence for exactly forty years until 1905, when the historic cooperative was officially bought out and absorbed by the manufacturing giant Couesnon.