“Industry is not an end in itself. It is a pillar of society.

Anaïs Voy-Gillis is one of the new voices of industry in France.
With a doctorate in geography from the Institut français de géopolitique, a research associate at IAE Poitiers and Associate Director of June Partners, her research focuses on industry and the challenges of reindustrializing France.
She is the author of the book “Vers la renaissance industrielle”, co-written with Olivier Lluansi.

ForHum: What’s the current state of the industry in France?

For a long time, industry was excluded from our vision of society. Between 1980 and 2000, we thought we could be a country without factories by concentrating on upstream and downstream production tasks. These choices led to a loss of value, with numerous plant closures, and had serious consequences for certain industrial areas. This has led to a loss of economic control and independence, with an increase in international sourcing.

The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have reminded us of France’s dependence, with the many supply disruptions we have experienced.

Today, at a time when there is a strong desire to reindustrialize, we need to ask ourselves the central question for me: which industries do we want in France to serve which social project?

ForHum: What are the major challenges facing the industry today?

The first is the modernization of production sites, many of which have suffered from deindustrialization and are therefore aging. This hinders our ability to respond to changing demand.

The second is the environment, with priority given to the decarbonization of production sites, but other challenges also arise, such as preserving biodiversity and drastically reducing water consumption.

This is directly linked to a third challenge, that of integrating industry into the life of the wider community. In landscapes and in everyday life.

The industry needs to be more open. Finally, the last challenge is that of digital technology and Data. A challenge already taken up by a large number of companies, particularly since the start of the pandemic. These challenges, particularly decarbonization, will require access to low-carbon energy at controlled prices.

ForHum: How can the industry meet these challenges?

It needs to reinvent itself. Industry is by nature diffuse and often invisible. Many industrial sites are far removed from the representations we have of industry. We need to make industry better known by opening up the sites, proposing new narratives and new figures. The discourse of the major players is often centered on specific issues such as lower costs. We need to move towards a more positive discourse that makes people want to get involved, without denying the arduous nature of certain professions. It’s a paradox that a lot of things come from industry, but there’s little acceptance of industrial sites. I note, however, that this question of acceptability has not yet been addressed in discussions on reindustrialization.

ForHum: Where will the answer come from?

France needs a national project. A real industrial vision of where we want to go. Industry is not an end in itself. It must be seen as a pillar of a social project.

The question of which industries we want to develop and which we want to repatriate is fundamental, provided we first define the ambitions we wish to serve. We need a vision for our company, and then targeted policies.

Today, we have “France 2030”. It sets out broad objectives, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty, it’s hard to see how they’re being achieved and measured. A lot of this is done through calls for expressions of interest, which SMEs are struggling to take up.

There’s a risk that the big players will capture a large part of the funding, to the detriment of innovative SMEs & ETIs. We also need to ensure that these funds benefit the whole of France, and are not concentrated in a few major cities.

ForHum: How are new industrial companies like Hoffmann Green contributing to this industrial revival?

It’s precisely this new generation that is thinking up projects to meet societal challenges. Such is the case with Hoffmann’s decarbonated cements. As are Ynsect, Lhyfe and Néolithe. These young companies use the industrial approach to address environmental issues. They respond to the challenge of repositioning industry within a social project, a vision.

ForHum: How can this transformation towards a desirable industry be achieved?

Manufacturers need to maintain a dialogue with society. Education is needed to reinforce the culture of materials. We need to open up factories to show what industry is all about. We need to show how industry plays a part in the life of the city, so that everyone – individuals, companies and institutions – asks themselves what they buy.

Buying French means supporting employment and regional development. And it means participating in a shared social project. This brings us back to a fundamental aspect. To have a desirable industry, it has to be part of a social project.

This interview is taken from pages 42 and 43 of our ForHummagazine , currently available for free consultation on our website.