Company created in 1899, by Mr. Alfred Pépin, trader in Tarare (Rhône), with the help of some capitalists from the Lyon region.

The initial capital was 500,000 francs, divided into 1,000 shares of 500 francs.

The object of the company was the creation of buildings in Algeria and Tunisia, and particularly near the new arsenal of Sidi-Abdallah, in the Gulf of Bizerte, where a city was created to which the Tunisian administration gave the name of Ferryville (Menzel Bourguiba today).