Supported by Cetim, the Carnot-accredited technological institute for mechanics, and the Hauts-de-France Region, with the backing of the Beauvaisis Conurbation, GIMA and AGCO Massey-Ferguson, the international center for expertise and innovation in agromachining was inaugurated yesterday in Beauvais on rue Albert de Lapparent. Built in line with the development strategy of the Beauvais Rev'Agro territorial cluster - launched in 2018 by the Communauté d'agglomération du Beauvaisis with AGCO, Isagri, Gima, Cetim, UniLaSalle, with the ambition is to reconcile ecology and economic development on the territory, it is also an integral part of the region's project, aiming to mobilize all players in the innovation value chain.
"It's an economic, political and social project, both in terms of its industrial ambitions and the way it combines ecology and environmental economics with a real public dimension. Everything we develop here will have consequences for the economy and therefore for employment", says Xavier Bertrand, President of the Hauts de France region.
Aymeric Bourleau, Vice-President of the Communauté d'agglomération du Beauvaisis also explains: "This center is part of our industrial territory strategy, which aims to accelerate reindustrialization and build a resilient shared territory. The challenges are vast, and we need to work together to find the best ways of coping with economic, ecological and societal change".
2,500 m2, 20.5 million euros of investment... considerable resources for a center that is unique in France and a benchmark in Europe.
Located in the immediate vicinity of the UniLaSalle Campus, and as close as possible to the engineering centers of manufacturers in the sector, the new 2,500 m2 center integrates unprecedented performance resources, tailor-made to meet the needs of the entire agricultural machinery sector, as well as manufacturers of heavy mobile equipment for public works, handling and lifting, and defense. Examples include the tractor power test bench, the mechanical transmission dynamic tuning test bench, the structural and chassis stress test bench, and multi-purpose multi-physical stress test facilities...
Major projects to meet the technological challenges of the ecological transition
With funding of €20.5m equally divided between public (Hauts de France Region and Feder) and private (Cetim) financing, this investment is a precursor to the strategic technological projects with which Cetim intends to strengthen the position of the mechanical engineering industries in the value chains that will contribute to meeting the major socio-economic challenges. The aim is to target the main challenges of socio-economic transition: development of low-carbon hydrogen, decarbonization of industry, sustainable agricultural systems and equipment contributing to ecological transition, digitalization and decarbonization of mobility...
To meet energy performance targets and new regulations on CO2 emissions, a first major project is aimed at electrifying mobile off-road machines, with an electrohydraulic demonstrator currently under construction. In addition to this project, Cetim's collective work on agricultural machinery focuses on reducing machine noise and vibrations, monitoring and applying regulations, standards and recommendations currently in force (or in the planning stage) in conjunction with the AXEMA trade association, improving manufacturing processes and ensuring equipment fatigue resistance. Other projects include digital hydraulics and mulching simulation.
"The innovation projects we are embarking on this platform aim to produce more sustainable, more reliable offroad means that embrace in particular the challenges of the energy transition and responsible agriculture.", summarizes Daniel Richet, Cetim General Manager:
Thierry Lhotte, President of AGCO SAS and Vice President and General Manager of Massey Ferguson EAME explains: "In this context of crisis and fierce international competition, this center gives us a highly competitive tool, accessible to all, on our doorstep, so that we can expand our engineering resources to win new development projects... It is fully in line with the growth ambitions of AGCO Massey Fergusson and GIMA as an economic player at the service of innovation and industrial production".