2024-03-27 16:55:13
The reindustrialization of France is a priority project for Emmanuel Macron. While, until now, the Elysée highlighted indicators from the Trendeo observatory to evaluate the openings and closures of factories in France, the executive has therefore decided to take control again. Taking advantage of the Global Industry Show, he unveiled this Wednesday his own barometer to measure the country’s industrial development, a new tool developed after more than two years of work led by the General Directorate of Enterprises of the Ministry of Economy.
Trendeo’s indicators were “very useful” but “suffered from a methodological bias”, explains the office of the Minister of Industry and Energy. On the one hand, they are not limited to the industrial field alone “since Trendeo integrates logistics warehouses and service activities”. Then, they rely on public announcements. As a result, some movements were “flying under the radar.”
Field data
The executive therefore chose to ask state services to provide data from the field, with any operations – openings, closures but also extensions and reductions of sites – requiring administrative authorizations.
The first assessment shows that the dynamic remained positive last year. In total, 57 new factories (i.e. the balance of openings and closures) opened in France, compared to 49 in 2022. If we take into account site expansions, this figure even rises to 201, compared to 176 a year earlier .
Between soaring energy prices, high interest rates and heightened competition between countries to attract projects, the environment has nevertheless hardened, and in the second half of the year, the movement slowed down significantly with 79 operations , against 122 in the first. “Reindustrialization in France is not just about new sites. It is also an industrial base which continues to expand its capacities”, however welcomes the ministry.
The after-effects of the Covid crisis
Industrial employment is also increasing in absolute value with “130,000 industrial jobs created since 2017,” he notes. In 2023 alone, the total workforce of companies in the manufacturing industry increased by 1.8%, according to a recent bulletin from the Banque de France.
Although factories are emerging, French industrial production has not yet reaped the benefits. In February, it remained slightly below its 2015 level, and was barely higher for the manufacturing industry. It is true that certain sections of the industry remain marked by the after-effects of the Covid crisis. This is particularly the case for aeronautics, whose production remains 25% lower than its pre-pandemic level, or for automobiles.
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, big winner
The state barometer nevertheless shows the influx of investments in a certain number of sectors. The agri-food industry is thus the one which has seen the greatest number of new establishments or extensions, 47 in total. Followed by green industry and the circular economy – a broad title which covers battery gigafactories, hydrogen production, photovoltaics and recycling – with 29 operations, then transport (22) and health (20). ). The metallurgy industry, which was penalized in 2022 by the energy crisis, has also acquired additional production capacity.
On the other hand, other energy-intensive sectors are less well off. The paper and cardboard sector shows a negative balance (-1), while the number of installations in the plastics industry stagnates.
Geographically, the landscape is being recomposed. The Auvergne-Rhône Alpes region is the big winner of the movement, with 73 operations, followed by Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Between them, they account for half of the net openings.
Despite a transformation of their productive apparatus with the arrival of massive investments in batteries in particular, Hauts-de France, on the other hand, displays the highest negative balance (-9), penalized by site closures in traditional industries.
#Reindustrialization #France #gained #factories