Our commitments to you : be a fast, flexible, reliable, innovative and competitive company.
For that, we lead 4.0 ambitious projects. Symbiose is the perfect example.
Discover the Symbiose project
Symbiose, the electronic factory of the future in France
LACROIX Group has embarked on an ambitious project to build a plant at the cutting edge of technology that respects the environment and is designed to ensure the fulfilment of its employees.
The SYMBIOSE project, led by the LACROIX Electronics section of the Group, relies in particular on the power of an ecosystem of recognised industrial experts who support the project. The future plant also draws its strength from its location in the Pays de la Loire as it will be based in Beaupréau, just a few kilometres from the current plant. The aim is to build a new French flagship of electronics, a symbol of industrial renewal in France with a European or even a global reach.
LACROIX Electronics has begun the process of transforming its production model to align with its Smart Industry strategy. We will therefore be able to increase our competitiveness in the traditional markets for industrial electronic systems and meet the specific challenges of promising new markets such as mobility and industrial IoT.
The plant grand opening will occur by the end of 2021.
Discover the architect’s view of the future factory on video
The 3 pillars of the project
Our ambition is to create the factory of the future: human, digitised, smart, automated and environmentally friendly.
The project is based on 3 main pillars:
- Industrial innovation: Creation of France’s first future-facing electronics factory
- Sustainable and responsible innovation: Smart, ecological construction with high energy performance
- Social innovation: People at the heart of the project, in a networked building open to its ecosystem
I am very pleased to see that the teams are involved and committed to carrying out the Symbiose project. Our employees are enthusiastic about the many projects we have launched in anticipation of the move.
This transformation affects the entire company. We are implementing lean management throughout the workshop, but also deploying a lean office in support functions and in the workplace. This allows us to make faster progress in putting the automation and digitisation solutions we are working on into action.
Our key figures
Symbiose, step by step
Follow the key stages of this strategic 4.0 project for the company, the region and the electronics industry in France.
The project to build a new 4.0 electronics factory is a very exciting challenge for the LACROIX Electronics teams, but also for all the stakeholders in the project, namely our industrial partners and the institutional partners that support us.
Launch of employee working groups
[February 2020]
In July 2019, an internal survey collected proposals from employees on the services expected in the new factory, the inclusion of environmental factors and the 4.0 solutions envisaged to improve quality of life at work.
Following the positive results regarding the social innovation axis of the Symbiose project (more than 1,800 opinions given), 3 working groups were set up:
- Food service
- Outdoor spaces
- Break and meeting rooms
By integrating cross-cutting themes of waste management and employee services, these different working groups are tasked with devising the outline of the future plant. This collaborative approach highlights the involvement and commitment of the teams in this project.
Bpifrance joins LACROIX Group’s Symbiose project
[February 2020]
The SPI fund (managed by Bpifrance) and LACROIX Group are jointly investing €25 million to create a 4.0 industrial joint venture. Through this new unit, the various players aim to accelerate the transition from the current industrial site of LACROIX Electronics to the industry of the future.
We are very pleased to support the deployment of a 4.0 production site in Maine-et-Loire, with LACROIX Group.
Choice of architectural firm PVA and Essor Engineering
[January 2020]
After several months of studies, LACROIX Group has finally chosen the architecture firm PVA to build its new 4.0 factory planned for 2021. This is an exciting challenge for the architectural firm PVA and for the prime contractor supporting them, Essor Engineering.
Working on the Symbiose project represents a wonderful opportunity. First of all, we are delighted to contribute to the expansion of a regional business which is now a highly regarded mid-cap company. Furthermore, innovation is not just one criteria among many: it underpins the entire project, pushing us to reassess our thinking and go a step further in terms of our solutions and our way of working.
Official launch of Symbiose
[October 2019]
With €25 million in projected investments and 19,000 m², the Symbiose project embodies strong convictions:
- by working with and opening up to cutting-edge and ambitious partners, we demonstrate that the French electronics industry still has a promising future
- by choosing Beaupréau as our base and partnering with Mauges Communauté, we show that our Pays de la Loire region is a source of wealth and innovation for businesses
- by putting teams back at the heart of change and integrating current environmental challenges, we ensure that the industry of tomorrow will be ecological and human-oriented.
I am delighted to confirm the official launch of our new factory 4.0 in France, in Beaupréau (49). This new stage rewards the commitment and effort of LACROIX Electronics teams and those of our partners, and is the continuation of the “Future Industry Showcase” recognition we won for our factory in Saint-Pierre-Montlimart, in 2017.
Choice of the municipality of Beaupréau for the installation of Symbiose
[June 2019]
On 26 June 2019, LACROIX Group and the representatives of Mauges Communauté announced to the teams of the current Saint-Pierre-Montlimart plant which location had been chosen for the future 4.0 electronics factory. The choice of Beaupréau is guided by the wealth of the Mauges region: attractiveness, competitiveness and skilled labour, while keeping the human dimension and proximity to the current teams at the heart of the project.
This stage is crucial for finalising the design and site conditions with the architects.
LACROIX Group is part of a strategic co-innovation partnership with Orange to experiment with 5G
[April 2019]
At the Orange Business Summit 2019, we announced the strategic co-innovation partnership with Orange to explore, as of today, the uses of 5G that could be deployed within Symbiose.
Two main cases of 5G usage will be tested:
- the secure universal data network
- the technical management of buildings
LACROIX Group is joined by Microsoft, Inventy and PTC to deploy AI in its future electronics factory Symbiose
[January 2019]
Cutting-edge partners are joining the Symbiose project. Microsoft, Inventy and PTC will bring their know-how in artificial intelligence (AI) to real-time production monitoring, predictive and error correction analysis, and production line efficiency benchmarking.
Their solutions will allow the analysis of a huge amount of variable data during the production of electronic boards, such as temperature or humidity. We will therefore be able to anticipate any errors before they occur.
Launch of a feasibility study
[November 2018]
To build an electronics factory of the future that integrates both the requirements of industry 4.0, environmental issues and our teams’ fulfilment, the company launched a feasibility study.
Address
Rue Léonard de Vinci
Beaupréau en Mauges 49023
France
More info
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