MBDA, the European leader in complex weapon systems, and its subsidiary Matra Électronique (MEL), specialized in the production of high-precision electronic equipment, jointly inaugurated the new site in Venette on Monday 18 November.
The creation of this new site, a new workplace for MEL's 440 employees, marks an important step in the company's growth strategy; since its creation, MEL has always been located in the heart of the industrial region of Hauts-de-France. For MBDA, this investment contributes to a rapid increase in defense capabilities in France and throughout Europe, while meeting the needs of the Group's future programs.
At the inauguration ceremony, Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, declared: "The women and men of Matra Électronique play an essential role in the mission of the MBDA Group. Together, we are creating a sustainable, innovative and high added value industrial model to meet the challenges of sovereignty in France, in Europe and among our allies. Through this new plant, we are pursuing our commitment to the war economy: immediate acceleration of production capacity, development and aggregation of industrial capabilities in France and the ability to accelerate even more in the months and years to come."
Frédéric Wilmot, President of Matra Électronique and Industrial Director of MBDA France, added: “By bringing together the technologies and expertise we depend on to secure our sovereignty in the electronics sector, our new site is at the heart of a local, dynamic, forward-looking ecosystem that contributes to the resilience of our supply chain and the development of our activities. It also allows us to maintain advanced skills and essential labor capacity in the territory.”
This new 4.0 plant, connected and modular, strengthens MEL's flexibility and competitiveness. It represents an increase in size of one third of the area, opens the possibility of future extensions, allows MEL to quickly adapt to the ever-increasing needs of customers, constituting a lever for growth in the years to come.
Employees will benefit from modern spaces, making the company a more attractive place to work, with a site also designed to minimize its impact on the environment. Finally, it is part of a dynamic ecosystem, of industrial and local players, which will help strengthen the entire industrial value chain.
Established in 2016 with the support of the “France relance” program, this project demonstrates the joint ambition of MBDA and MEL to contribute to the development of top-level technological and sovereign solutions for their customers, anticipating the challenges of tomorrow.
