This article recounts the short history of the Marseilles lead factory of the Madrague de Montredon, owned by the Société métallurgique de Marseille. Specialising in the treatment of galena and silver lead, this plant has an original trajectory in the industrial history of Marseille in the 18th and 19th centuries. Instead of betting on exploiting commercial opportunities, the factory’s founder, Hilarion Roux, took a long-term gamble on industry by securing supplies of raw materials, investing in technical innovation and a policy of coordination between companies spread across the Mediterranean basin, from Spain to Greece. The closure of the factory in 1884 is in no way linked to the company’s difficulties in the non-ferrous sector but finds its explanation in the personal failure of Hilarion Roux, author of bad investments in Madagascar. This premature end reveals the fragility of establishments inserted in industrial and financial complexes which allow them to function, but at the same time generate risks external to the activities for which they were created.