Held recently at Paris Nord Villepinte, Global Industrie, France’s big industrial gathering, lived up its promise.
Bringing together nearly 50,000 people from the industrial world, the event helped give a new voice to this ecosystem by rallying all players: 2,300 exhibitors and their 15,500 employees, nearly 34,000 visitors, four ministers, business leaders, representatives of professional organizations and 6,000 young people.
Global Industrie has become a platform for an innovative, combative and resilient industrial sector that acts every day to promote French know-how, contribute to the economy of France and its regions and help spread the influence of French industry internationally.
‘An event to make industry proud’
A symbol of French industry, the organisers of Global Industrie say it is “an event to make industry proud” and “did its bit” for reindustrialization more than ever this year by hosting representatives of French and international industry.
Like sport, the key theme of this edition held in the year of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, Global Industrie was able to bring people together around an innovative and inspiring industrial sector.
Under the presidency of Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of Bpifrance, the exhibition was opened by Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate for Industry and Energy, and welcomed Amélie Oudea-Castera, Minister of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Franck Riester, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Attractiveness, Francophonie and French Nationals Abroad, and Marina Ferrari, Secretary of State for Digital Affairs.
Nicolas Dufourcq, president of Global Industrie 2024 and CEO of Bpifrance, says: “We cannot hope to see an industrial renaissance in a great industrial country like France if we do not have a major event, and that event is the Global Industrie exhibition.”
Over the four days, Global Industrie hosted 500 speakers in a variety of formats.
The Big Stage, a new feature this year, provided an opportunity to hear unique and committed speeches by French and international leaders such as: Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of Bpifrance and President of Global Industrie; Lise Alter, Executive Director of the Agence de l’Innovation en Santé (Health Innovation Agency); Laurent Bataille, President of Schneider Electric France; Doris Birkhofer, President of Siemens France; Pierre Brossollet, Founder and President & CEO of Arverne Group; Elisabeth Ducottet, President and CEO of Thuasne; Bernard Fontana, CEO of Framatome; Anne-Charlotte Fredenucci, President and CEO of Ametra; Louis Gallois, Co-President of the Fabrique de l’Industrie; Marjolaine Grange, Group Executive Vice President, Industry, Purchasing and Performance at Safran; Frédérique Le Greves, President of STMicroelectronics France; Louis de Lillers, CEO of CorWave; Boris Lombard, President of KSB France; Marie-Christine Lombard, Chairman of the Executive Board of Geodis; Philippe d’Ornano, President of Sisley; Christophe Perillat, Chief Executive Officer of Valeo; Luc Remont, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EDF; and many others.
Each of these speakers shared their daily experiences and their vision of industry and the challenges facing the sector: reindustrialization, carbon reduction, job attractiveness, parity, and so on.
All participants were able to expand their international business opportunities thanks to the presence of visitors from 86 countries and 25 percent foreign exhibitors from 34 countries, but also to the arrival of several delegations (from Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Moravia-Silesia, Slovakia and Tunisia) and ambassadors accompanied by their economic advisors (Japan, Portugal, Slovakia and Tunisia).
Collective strength for an industrial sector focused on innovation
No less than 3,000 machines were in operation at this edition. Visitors thus had a chance to grasp the future through genuine sourcing to start their ecological, energy and digital transitions.
Topics trending in 2024 included:
> The role of artificial intelligence as a lever for innovation in equipment (see the winners of the GI Awards in the inset)
> Use of 5G. In a notable development, for the first in time in France, the exhibition obtained Arcep approval for exhibitors to carry out demonstrations
> Sustainable energy
> But also CSR and maintenance.
Global Industrie’s commitment to the future
Giving the industrial sector new impetus and increased visibility, by highlighting people working to improve everyday life and by presenting a positive image of industry as a world of innovation and employment, is the role of an event such as Global Industrie.
The 6,000 young people in attendance over the four days were able to take part in the various activities offered by the exhibition, such as:
> Gi Avenir, which provided an understanding of professions, training and employment opportunities in industry by offering pitches, fun activities, experience areas and tours led by partner federations, associations and companies. All these means were deployed to make industry visible and tangible and thus raise awareness among this generation who will be the future players in reindustrialization;
> Golden Tech, the competition for industrial excellence, which was participated in by 120 men and women who are experts in their field (16 skills represented) and who thus exemplified today’s industry.
Sébastien Gillet, director of Global Industrie, says: “A veritable symbol of industry, the event now brings together all the men and women who are making and inventing the industrial world of tomorrow.”
