The Usine Extraordinaire, held from November 22 to 25 at the Grand Palais, attracted 40,500 visitors of all ages and backgrounds: the general public, professionals and schoolchildren from all over France, who came to discover the reality of today's factory: innovative, collaborative, inspiring and inclusive. A look back at the first edition.
Bruno Grandjean, President of the Usine Extraordinaire Foundation :
"The best reward is the amazement in the eyes of the children and teenagers at the wonderful world of the factory that they have discovered over the past few days. I believe that we have created a lot of vocations. We have succeeded in our challenge: to reclaim the imagination and re-enchant the factory. I am also very happy that we have managed to unite a hundred or so ETIs, SMEs and large groups around this great project - not to mention some forty educational, associative and institutional partners. What was born today thanks to the cooperation between all these players must be continued tomorrow in all regions.
40,500 visitors dazzled by a truly "extraordinary" factory
The Usine Extraordinaire has closed its doors. The French, and in particular young people, responded strongly to the call. Despite an unexpected closure on Saturday due to the demonstrations in Paris, the event was packed with visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Exchanging ideas, asking questions, touching, seeing, testing, experimenting...: many visitors were able to discover the factory as it is, and raise their a priori on the sector.
In total, during the 3 days of operation, 40,500 visitors, including more than 10,000 high school students from all over France, were able to " experience the factory from the inside, as in real life ".
For Hugues, an engineering student at EPF: "It's wonderful to see the industry gathered under one roof. It's a far cry from the Monet paintings in the textbooks. It's an open, creative, diverse environment. There is something for every passion and talent. We are delighted to have been able to contribute to this beautiful event and to have accompanied the schoolchildren on the guided tours to pass on some of our knowledge and enthusiasm."
Alain Garnier, father of three, testifies: "What really impressed me was the look in the eyes of the children, the teenagers, who discovered the factory. Normally it's a hidden place, where you don't go in. You can see in their eyes that they are discovering something wonderful, that's why the word "extraordinary" is well chosen. For a young person, this type of event allows them to reveal themselves, to have a more precise idea of their future, when they see the machines that create in front of their eyes, it makes them want to work in the sector.
A showcase and springboard for France's industrial renewal
The Usine Extraordinaire, in the symbolic setting of the Grand Palais, contributed for 4 days to the recognition - and even the renaissance - of an essential sector: industry. By hosting the CNI (Conseil national de l'industrie), chaired by Édouard Philippe, on its opening day, the event became the echo chamber for major political and economic issues. It was under the Dome of the "share" universe that the 124 "industry territories" benefiting from strategic investments were unveiled.
Many ministers and secretaries of state (including Bruno Le Maire, Muriel Pénicaud, Jean-Michel Blanquer and Agnès Pannier-Runacher), as well as some twenty ambassadors and embassy representatives, and members of parliament, came to visit the Usine Extraordinaire and exchange views with the public. After a first day dedicated to "industrial reconquest", day 2 was marked by announcements on employment, career guidance and territorial cohesion: Pôle Emploi launched an interactive map listing 76,000 job offers in industry; as for the industrialists gathered within the Usine Extraordinaire foundation, they announced their commitment to offer 4,100 quality "discovery internships" to students of 3e across all territories. This is a powerful gesture that illustrates the ambition of the Usine Extraordinaire Foundation, under the aegis of "face" (the foundation for action against exclusion): to rebuild the links between the factory and society - in particular the new generations.
The Usine Extraordinaire event creates strong links and is the result of a collective dynamic supported by five co-founding sponsors: EDF, FIM (Fédération des Industries Mécaniques), the Michelin corporate foundation, Sanofi and its partners, and UIMM.
Learn more: www.usineextraordinaire.com