Punctual air gap or sign that the wind is changing? In need of money, the start-up Ynsect, the French standard bearer of reindustrialization, announced on September 26 that it was being placed in safeguard procedure. The blow is severe for this flagship of the production of proteins and fertilizers based on insects, swollen with fundraising – more than 600 million euros raised since its creation – and established as a model within French Tech .
A few days earlier, Trendeo showed, in its latest study, that reindustrialization had experienced a slump in the first six months of the year. From January to June, the research firm counted 61 announcements of closures of factories or workshops with more than ten employees, a figure up 9% over one year. On the opening side, the counter shows 79, a drop of 4%. The net balance therefore remains positive, but the dynamic is slowing down. “I have seen the latest figures from Trendeo and the interpretation made of them, but I find that it is too early to say that reindustrialization is slipping. This shows a kind of impatience on the subject, while we is on a long-term movement, it is difficult to manage such a complex development based on short-term figures,” says Nicolas Dufourcq, general manager of Bpifrance, who is organizing a large gathering of entrepreneurs, Big, on October 10. next in Paris. According to him, the trend is more towards stability than withdrawal.
A turning point
Reindustrialization nonetheless remains at a pivotal moment. The dissolution of the National Assembly, then the uncertainty that followed, put a stop to certain projects. “We are in a long cycle, there may be times when difficulties slow down the reindustrialization process. We have seen this in the economic surveys: there is a very strong sensitivity to the political context,” recalls Elise Tissier, director of the Bpifrance Lab. “This is an alarm signal. The hesitation of recent months may have led a certain number of investors to raise their hands. The dynamic is less positive. We will have to find answers,” notes the former Minister Delegate to Roland Lescure industry.
His successor, Marc Ferracci, is eagerly awaited by the sector. For his first official visit, the former MP went to Tours on September 25, to the inauguration of the new factory of the medical battery manufacturer Vlad. The new minister has everything to prove. “Roland Lescure was quite visible and committed. Marc Ferracci is not someone who has distinguished himself on these subjects. This raises questions about the priority that could be given to the industry,” judges economist Vincent Vicard. It will need to send a strong signal to all stakeholders, especially since during a budgetary period state support could be reconsidered. “When you’re looking for money, cutting investments is the easiest and quickest thing to do, but also the most expensive, because you’re sacrificing the jobs and growth of tomorrow. It’s exactly the opposite what needs to be done,” says Roland Lescure.
SMEs and ETIs on the front line
Since 2017, political discourse has largely focused on industrial start-ups and gigafactories, with major announcements. “Let’s not forget that the bulk of the troops are SMEs and mid-sized companies, mid-sized companies. They represent the majority of our reindustrialization potential. A strong change in our current policies is essential”, points out Olivier Lluansi, author of Reindustrializing, the challenge of a generation (ed. Les Deviations), inspired by a report for the government. “We are benefiting from a new generation of family entrepreneurs, dynamic and modern. France is full of innovations, but the subject is to land them in the economy. There are many SMEs which can completely reinvent themselves, with more innovative and more complex products,” assures Nicolas Dufourcq. Multinationals will also have their role to play. “We must re-anchor our large groups in the territories, in order to develop the surrounding ecosystems,” adds Vincent Vicard.
However, several obstacles remain to be removed to unlock this potential. Starting with the attractiveness of the professions. “We have enough places in training for industrial professions. The problem is that half of the graduates do not join the industry,” notes Olivier Lluansi, who is campaigning for a “major communication move at the national level to reconnect the image of these professions to their reality”. And shatter for good the collective imagination around factory work.
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