Manufacturing and industrial development has always played a major role for French Ardennes. Constant investment has led to production being modernised in this innovative region. It helped to create an environment perfectly suited to development and industrial competitiveness, with worldwide renowned companies.
French Ardennes industry key figures
- 21% of regional jobs (around 19,000 people)
- 157% mostly positive trade balance over the last 10 years
- N°1 French production hub for forging, stamping and smelting
- 15 major sites employing more than 200 people
The industrial tradition
Metallurgy: leading region
- Forging/stamping: French N°1 (nearly 30% of national production)
- Smelting: N°1 French department (20% of national production of castings)
- Automotive: hub of excellence
Alongside world-class manufacturers and equipment suppliers located in the area, a wide range of SMEs/SMIs act as subcontractors for automotive industry. They highlight French Ardennes industry exporting and spreading over…
Plasturgy: successful diversification
These new and varied high-technology products are a diversification catalyst for a range of metallurgy whorkshops. Some companies have also specialised in this sector, reaching exceptional levels of quality and productivity…
Industrial equipment: a wealth of skills
- Industrial machine manufacturing: this diverse sector includes international companies and SMEs/SMIs. Digital punching machines, metal presses, sorting lines, agricultural machinery and many others are built here…
- Industrial parts: long established regional specialities including a wide range of products (simple and complex hardware, fixings, locks, …
- Connectors: resulting of a local cable production evolution, these products are achieving now high-technology production (optical fibre, connectors for aeronautics, power grid connections, …
Household equipment
"Made in French Ardennes" is spreading: employing approximately 1,500 people, this sector represents a wealth of household products "made in French Ardennes" (heating appliances, wood and cast-iron furniture, textile, solar power systems, floor and wall coatings…
INDUSTRY OF THE FUTURE is now built in French Ardennes
Major know-how turned to excellence
French Ardennes are traditionally and industrial land where metalwork has been present for a long time. This expertise helped to develop companies on worldwide markets through diversification. This excellence is boosted by a local network of qualified subcontractors, technology platforms and research laboratories, with specially skilled workers, as well as economic agencies and competitiveness clusters (Materalia, Industrie Agro-Ressources, Véhicule du Futur, …).
Training: multi skilled students actually prepared for careers in the industry
- Campus Sup Ardenne: recently built, the "Campus Sud Ardenne" includes many higher training on a site, with new students spaces (place of work, exchange, meeting, ...)
- EiSINE: engineering school dedicated to industrial and digital research, integrated into Reims Champagne-Ardenne University
• Material and Process ingenineering (related to additive manufacturing plateform, Platinium 3D)• Electrical ingenineering and robotics
- CFAI + AFPI: Training Centre for Technology Industries in Charleville-Mézières is an apprenticeship training centre for industry roles
Innovation hubs: supporting competitiveness
Most of these competitiveness clusters ore supported by Grond Est region which has launched a major Industry of the Future progrom to stimulate the sector.