SPIE is merging its Saint-Pol-de-Léon (29) and Saint-Martin-des Champs (29) sites to respond more effectively to changes in the agri-food sector

Saint-Herblain,16 November 2020 – The Industrie division of SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire, a French subsidiary of the SPIE group, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the fields of energy and communications, is announcing the merging of two of its installations. The Saint-Pol-de-Léon’s sites and those of the subsidiary PROBIA gather together within a single building in Saint-Martin-des-Champs in Finistère (29). The inauguration is scheduled for April 2021. This geographical coming together will provide the development of synergies to help the agri-food sector.

Meeting expertises to better serve and innovate

The Industrie division is merging its Saint-Pol-de-Léon and Saint-Martin-des-Champs sites, the latter belonging to its subsidiary PROBIA. Both specialised in the design and manufacture of production lines for the industry and the agri-food sector, their means of production will be based on a single site, in Saint-Martin-des-Champs. The complementary of knowledges and expertises from these two entities will enable the Industrie division to increase the number of turnkey solutions for agri-food industry stakeholders concerning industrial processes, to accelerate innovations and to strengthen its position in Finistère.

A “made to measure” building

2500 m² of workshops and 400 m² of office space will, from spring 2021, accommodate about 40 full-time employees. This building complies with an extremely strict regulatory framework in terms of insulation, heating, construction materials, comfort, and occupational health, in accordance with all QSE^[1] standards in force. “The new site is located close to a shopping area and a bus stop, which will encourage ‘soft’ modes of transport. Designed in a sober and modern manner, the building has been designed to fit in perfectly with its architectural surroundings. It will thus fit in seamlessly with the landscape, thank to the inclusion of numerous plants, trees and a shrubby hedge. This infrastructure will also enable our teams to work in safety, with the installation of a crane in the workshop and a dock to facilitate loading and unloading operations”, says Christophe Masson, Director of Property & General Resources Purchasing at SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire - Industrie division.

The areas have been designed using a ‘Lean Management’^[2] approach, to allow better performance and optimisation of the different activities: “This building has been conceived as a laboratory, in accordance with the manufacturing conditions and standards of tomorrow. The aim was to optimise production methods by assigning a specific activity to each area: an area for assembly, storage, loading, etc. For example, the preparation area has been reduced in size to encourage teams to outsource certain tasks, such as welding, and to concentrate on their core area of business”, explains Yann Le Guen, Department Head within the Industrie division of SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire. This organisation will allow teams to work without loss of value in the production chain, which represents a huge reduction of costs: “Thanks to this new shared space, teams will no longer have to make inter-site trips to retrieve equipment and will thus be more efficient”, stresses Yann Le Guen.

A strengthened dynamic

This new building is also intended to improve cohesion within the Group: “The teams are eager to share this new common space. In addition to gains in comfort and quality of life, they should be able to see more mutual enrichment by their complementary skills in automation and industrial processes in the agri-food sector”, concludes Yann Le Guen.

To support the growth of its business, the Industrie division of SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire has planned to hire fitters, developers and electromechanical engineers. About ten vacancies will to be filled by the end of 2021.

_{[1] Quality - Safety - Environment}

_{[2] Lean Management is a method of management and work organisation that aims to improve the performance of a company and more particularly the quality and profitability of its production operations.}