AddUp and Turgis & Gaillard Receive Investment Award at Le Bourget Show

success story

17 June 2019 / Aeronautics , Grow your business, invest in provence

Invest in Provence Award Ceremony and Testimonials

Provence’s excellence in the aircraft industry is attracting new investors searching for growth opportunities. At the 53rd International Paris Air Show, being held from June 17 thru 23 at Le Bourget, two French companies who recently invested in the region will be awarded the Invest in Provence label. A joint interview with CEOs Patrick Gaillard of Turgis et Gaillard and Vincent Ferreiro of AddUp.

What are your companies’ lines of business?

Patrick Gaillard: Turgis et Gaillard Industrie is an industrial group founded in 2011, with 250 employees and an income of €35M. We started out as a consultancy firm, AA’ROK, in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Over the years, our external growth strategy has seen us become a specialist in aircraft and in industrial maintenance. Our AA’ROK subsidiary, which handles the group’s R&D activities, has now relocated to Istres, where we develop prototypes and new systems.

Vincent Ferreiro: AddUp, a 50-50 joint venture between Five and Michelin, manufactures and markets 3D metal printing machines for use in the aircraft, automobile, defense and medical sectors. We provide turnkey workshop solutions and offer training and advice for identifying those suitable for 3D printing. Further to our majority acquisition, at the end of 2018, of Poly-Shape, based in Salon de Provence, we are now able to make competition parts for motorsports and aircraft parts in-house. AddUp has only been in business three years and we already have 400 employees!

What does Provence’s aircraft sector represent for you? Why did you choose to invest in Provence?

Patrick Gaillard: Provence is recognized worldwide for in-flight testing, civilian helicopters and aerospace, with Airbus Helicopters and Thales Alenia Space. We set up our consultancy firm AA’ROK at Istres with a view to becoming a fully-fledged production unit but also to be closer to Dassault Aviation and Safran. We are aiming to increase our aircraft sector business. Our Istres site is set to increase its earnings from €1M to €5M over the next five years and triple its number of employees to 30 through hiring experienced engineers and technicians. At the ten-year horizon, we expect earning to reach €15M and have 100 employees at the consultancy arm alone.

Vincent Ferreiro: Three major aircraft sector buyers, among Poly-Shape’s most important clients, are based in the region: Airbus Helicopters, Thales Services and Alenia Space. We are hoping local SMEs will benefit from the technology and want to democratize 3D metal printing. We are especially interested in the Team Henri-Fabre collaborative R&D environment and the local academic environment, notably local training centers and Aix-Marseille University. This favorable ecosystem should allow us to be able to train our employees locally. We would like to succeed in doing in Provence what we have achieved at Clermont-Ferrand. We are aiming for growth figures of 20 à 30% per year over the next five years. We are at the very beginning of this technology, which is already worth €8bn.

What does receiving the Invest in Provence label mean?

Patrick Gaillard: Receiving this award is a source of great pride for us. Receiving this support provides us with encouragement and bolsters our investment. Thanks to the agency, we have moved into a building at the heart of the Istres aircraft hub that is perfectly suited to our needs and growth objectives.

Vincent Ferreiro: This label is an honor. It is proof of the region’s recognition of our strategy of growth and development and of our contribution to structuring an industry. Of course, we are an SME backed by two major international groups, but we remain modest. There’s still a very long way to go! After taking over Poly-Shape, which employs 120 persons, our Salon de Provence offices have become too small for our needs. Provence Promotion is supporting us in our ambitions to grow and move into larger premises. The agency is providing us with advices regarding tax incentives and is helping us network with local stakeholders. This strategy will contribute to creating value at both local and national levels.