During the war, part of the equipment was confiscated and used by the Germans for the production of military goods. Since loom production had already been reduced, we were also asked to cast and process artillery projectiles – a request that was ignored. Jaimé Picañol made it his aim to minimise any work carried out for the oppressor, a goal that he would largely accomplish. Production remained limited to a few cast iron products for Vlamertinge airport, and a number of axles for engines. Another anecdote: Picanol workers had nicknamed the Omnium ‘Mitrailleuse’ - French for machine gun - because of its high speed. The machine’s flying shuttle was driven by a parallel beater via a ‘sabre’. These slang-like words caused some difficulty when after the liberation, the company was accused of economic collaboration. The then members of management were arrested for the alleged manufacture of machine guns and sabres and briefly locked up.
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