The little French industry bad investment

The major French industrial firms they are partly responsible for the loss of competitiveness of French PMI meet their German competitors? The issue will arise next week at the show in Villepinte Industry.

"The major buyers French do not play the card of their industrial sector, which blocks the investment process, denouncing Vincent Schramm, CEO of Union business of technology and production (Symop). The organization of work in production chain, inducing greater solidarity between large corporations and their suppliers is a major theme of the General Industry. "To minimize production costs, the major buyers struggling to lower their purchase price and to encourage the relocation.They do not take into account the costs, like transportation, non-quality costs of monitoring … "adds Didier Bouvet, Director of Industry area in Bucci, a manufacturer of industrial robots. Instead, the big German companies to ensure their subcontractors markets for several years, re-creating a virtuous circle of local industrial production.

"In France, a supplier may lose its biggest customer overnight, without notice, regardless of financial risk taking. How an employer can invest calmly in such conditions without exposure to medium term? "Asks Didier Bouvet. However, the automation is a key to competitiveness that can withstand competition from Asia. "The owners of PMI are often reluctant to robotize to preserve employment.In the long term it's a miscalculation, "said Vincent Schramm.

Robots: the late French

A study conducted for the Directorate General of competitiveness, industry and services (DGCIS) and Symop highlights the backwardness of French companies in the field of robotics. They are six times less robotic than their German and two to three times less than the Italian.

Park French industrial robots is between 17 and 18 years on average as against 10 in Germany, which further increases the competitiveness gap. However, since 1990 the price of a robot has fallen from 80% to 50 000 in average (130 000 taking into account all installation costs). In addition, 63% of robots are used by the principals of the automobile. Only one third of the 34 500 robots used in France are by companies with fewer than 1 000 employees.

Moreover, "the French PMI can still make many gains in productivity, argues Didier Bouvet. For example, the establishment of a production line and not through workshops can achieve significant gains. "Payroll taxes, nearly two times higher in France than in Germany (42.2% against 23 , 20%) are far from the only explanation for differences in industrial performance between the two countries.