C.A.R.M.E. In 1981 LLR left Total and created C.A.R.M.E. (Centre d’Applications et de Recherches en Microscopie Electronique) at La Teste, near Bordeaux. It was the first private laboratory in the world to specialise in microanalysis, a technique that resolves the most complex problems in such varied domains as biology, chemistry, metallurgy, electronics, works of art, aeronautics, armaments, medical research and many more besides.
When it started C.A.R.M.E. had only 2 employees, Le Ribault and a woman cleaner. By the end of its first year in business it had a staff of 6. The reputation of the laboratory grew and I.B.M. became a client, followed by the C.E.A. (Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique). Obviously having these two companies as clients was a powerful recommendation that helped boost the reputation of the laboratory.
During the following years it continued to grow and to hit the headlines. When it closed in 1991, having become a menace to the State and the police, LLR had 33 engineers and technicians working for him.
