Nov 4, 2016 | By Tess

France has just announced two new action plans geared towards advancing digital technologies within the country. The announcement, made on November 3 by secretary of state for industry Christophe Sirugue, is specifically focused on the areas of additive manufacturing and the Internet of Things (IoT), two disruptive technological fields.

As Sirugue explained in his statement, the two new plans aim to make France a more prevalent player within the global digital revolution by establishing “Industries of the future” within the country. According to Sirugue, more details about the two government-led action plans will be revealed in coming weeks.

In his speech, Sirugue also emphasized the importance of France’s industries getting behind the push for digital technologies, highlighting that “significant mobilizations” have been made and will continue to be necessary. Specifically, the politician refers to investments in the field, and has pointed out the necessity for extra-governmental funding and investment. He says, “the state is not a bank, nor an industry, it is the cement that must bring together all the players in a particular sector.”

Sirugue took the opportunity to call on business leaders from across France to invest in modernizing businesses and ventures, stating that the gross margins of businesses rose from 29.4% of value added in 2014 to 31.3% by the end of 2015.

In line with the importance to invest in modernizing and digital businesses, the secretary of state for industry also pointed out the necessity to train employees to help them adapt to changes brought about through the digital revolution. As part of the third section of France’s Future Investment Program (“Programme d'investissements d’avenir” (PIA)), the government will reportedly devote 100 million euros to the adaptation and qualification of the current workforce.

The training initiative will be led by the National Council of Industry and the Alliance of Future Industry, which should be submitting proposals for its plans within the coming weeks. Sirugue made the announcements at an industry foundation organized by the journal “Usine Nouvelle”.

As a growing power within the global digital industry, France’s new initiatives are bound to push it forwards in terms of advancing and integrating 3D printing and IoT technologies. While not many details about the plans have been divulged, we will be interested to see what they consist of.

Posted in 3D Printing Technology

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