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A new cluster Arôme
et Naturel in the Grasse
area
The
area around Grasse, known for more than two centuries for the production
of aromatic and medicinal plants and extracts, today brings together
more than 80 companies and 3500 jobs in the "Science of Living
Things" industries.
Working with natural materials and synthetic products to create
fragrances and flavours, these companies are developing their know-how
in different sectors: perfumery, domestic products, cosmetics, food-processing,
pharmaceuticals and dermatological products. The sector represents
10% of the world market (1 billion euros) and exports almost 60%
of its production. The Azur-Provence district and the Grasse Entrepreneurs'
Club have launched a project for a "World Observatory of Nature"
to be set up in Grasse. This technological platform will constitute
a shared resource for all the industries in the Provence-Alpes-Côte
d'Azur (PACA) region. (For more information on technological platforms
see LPS
Info n°6). After meeting last July, the participants
in the centre are now defining fields for co-operative work: nurturing
new companies, training programmes, research, a collection of plants
producing natural essences, communication, conferences and conventions.
For more information, contact lionel.rubaudo@poleazurprovence.com
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The Choletais, centre
of excellence for the world of the child
To
confront the economic changes in the textile and leather industries,
the Choletais, once well known for shoe and handkerchief manufacture,
is directing the development of its centre of excellence towards
a new challenge: "the world of the child". The area brings
together many activities directed towards childrens' needs: shoes,
clothing, food
processing, furniture, and nursery equipment. Today, the figures
are : 6300 jobs, 1 billion euros of turnover, a total of 129 million
euros of exports which make the area known world-wide. This strategic
change of direction was necessary to compensate for the continuing
loss of labour competitiveness and to bring higher value added activities
to the area.
For more information, contact samuel.leblond@cholet.cci.fr
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The regions encourage
cluster development: the Nord-Pas-de-Calais case
Supported
by the European Commission as part of the programme Innovative
actions of the ERDF (see the DG REGIO web site), the
Nord-Pas-de-Calais Regional Council has offered to put in place
the necessary conditions for
synergy between various players in the environmental sector: researchers,
technologists, eco-enterprises, associations and academics. This
project, called DREAM1, has as its main objective the creation of
an "environmental technology cluster". 200 companies in
the area could be involved.
For more information, contact: c.buquet@cr-npdc.fr
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Reinforcing European
centres of competition: a mission for Christian Blanc
On
30 September Christian Blanc, Deputy of the Yvelines, was assigned
a six-month mission by the Prime Minister, J-P Raffarin. Its objectives
are "to define concrete measures which could be taken [by the
government] to help set up European centres of competition".
This mission, which depends on comparative analyses, will reveal
the factors and conditions which influence the success of these
centres. It will also consider the supporting role taken by territorially-based
entities, and in particular the Regions, whose influence increases
with decentralisation.
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LPS policies in Brazil
Following
several exchanges between the LPS project team at the DATAR
and Brazilian political representatives, the Federal University
of Rio and the SEBRAE
have invited the DATAR to continue technical discussions on government
policies intended to support LPSs. Under the aegis of the Brazilian
government, the LPSs, known in Brazil as Local Productive Arrangements
(LPAs: see LPS
Info 11), are the subject of exceptional efforts by public
and semi-public bodies. The Brazilian government hopes to organise
600 LPAs before 2007, with the objective of promoting competition,
innovation and social integration. A cartographic study of LPAs
has already been carried out, which will
facilitate the setting-up of this political project. Universities,
research institutes, the SEBRAE (the Brazilian government service
for SMEs), the BNDES
(the National Bank for the Development of Brazil) and the FINEP
(the agency for the commercialization of research) are deeply involved.
The networks supported are of varying significance, from rural LPAs
employing a few hundred people (e.g. the Jaquarama hammock-makers'
network, with 800 jobs and a project to centralise investments and
procurement services) to major economic centres dominated by large
international firms.
For
more information on actions taken in Brazil...
Contact in France : paulette.pommier@datar.gouv.fr
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Upcoming events |
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2nd
Latin-American Clusters Congress
The Economic Commission for Latin America (CEPAL) is organising
a conference from 1 to 3 December 2003 on the theme of "Public-private
co-operation and regional competition: players, processes, experiences".
Objectives of the conference: presentation of Latin-American clusters,
exchanges of experience, process analysis of the development of
regional competition, new directions for cluster development in
Latin America.
More
information on this conference...
Contact : rbuitelaar@eclac.cl
or ftorres@tabascoenaccion.org
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The
economic attraction of the city: facing the challenge posed by new
enterprises
The Lyon Urban Region (RUL) is organising its 6th forum on this
subject on 20th November 2003. Starting from the reality of the
market for relocation and the context of vigorous competition between
large cities, the Forum will open discussions on urban LPSs: How
far to go in positioning and specialisation? What relationships
between LPSs will
enhance the combination of their individual skills as well as promoting
rivalry between them? How should these centres of competence be
made more visible?
For more information, contact jvisoz@regionurbainedelyon.fr
or see www.regionurbainedelyon.fr
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International
meeting of motor manufacturers
The motor
manufacturing centre of Alsace Franche-Comté (400
companies, 90.000 jobs) is hosting the Mobilis Meeting from 30 March
to 1 April 2004. This is an international conference and business
convention for the motor industry. More information on mobilis@adhes.com.
Special offers are available for companies registered in the French
Industrial Districts Club's database of LPSs (see the
Club's web site).
For more information, contact dtirel@adhes.com,
Tel (+33) 1 41 86 41 20
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Game
Connection 2003
The Lyon
Game Cluster is organising "Game Connection 2003"
in Lyon from 18 to 20 November 2003. This European conference is
dedicated to the financing of video game development projects. It
will host 75 of the
best European developers and 60 principal publishers.
For
more information on the Game Connection . . .
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Publications |
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What
the papers say . . .
>> Le Monde de l'initiative, July-August
2003. The article "Micro-development sets out to conquer the
world" highlights the role of LPSs as "a good way to create
or relaunch a business" and as a "developed form of the
attractiveness of an area". Using the example of the "Leisure
Machinery of the Morbihan" LPS in Brittany, they are
also presented as encouraging "the movement of individuals
from cities to the countryside, with the object of developing their
own projects".
>> L'activité économique (Lyon
Chamber of Commerce & Industry), September 2003. The article
"Clusters: bunches that create value" describes clusters
as "reference organisations supporting the development of certain
sectors". The article cites three emerging sectors in Lyon:
biotechnology, digital
leisure (see LPS
Info 12) and industrial vehicles.
>>
La Croix, 22 September 2003. The section "The
districts are shaping Made in Italy" compares the Italian district
and the French LPS models, using two pioneering examples: Prato
in Tuscany (a textile district centred on the use of
novel fabrics) and the Arve
Valley in Rhône-Alpes (an LPS for industrial repetition
turning). LPS
members of the CDIF are also cited as examples.
>> Le Courrier économique de l'Ain,
25 September 2003. The article "With Meca Bourg, a collective
promotion of know-how" assesses a year and a half of activity
by the Meca Bourg LPS (the LPS for mechanical engineering,
metalworking, and industrial coachwork of Bourg en Bresse, Rhône-Alpes).
Several initiatives covering jobs and training, as well as the know-how
of particular SMEs, have been launched.
>> Les Echos of 30 September 2003. The article
"Marseille creates the first urban LPS" highlights the
new Textile-Clothing LPS, supported by the DATAR.
The first projects will be to set up a multimedia portal and a logistics
platform, in order "to boost the sector and to bring together
local players".
>> Rue des Entrepreneurs, France Inter, 11
October 2003. The radio programme "Unity
makes strength" shows that there is an alternative
to globalisation. Supported by the expertise of the DATAR,
the CNAM
and Christian Blanc (see
above), the experience of the Chartres Cosmetic
Valley, the Dieppe Glass
Valley, the pharmaceutical centre of
the Eure at Dreux and the packaging technical centre
of the Aube demonstrate that some areas become real centres of excellence,
known internationally and more resistant to the ups and downs of
the economic situation.
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Inter-enterprise
co-operation and regional development
ETD
has produced a CD-ROM on inter-enterprise co-operation and regional
development in partnership with the CDIF,
the ACFCI
and the Alizé
network. Designed as an educational tool, with examples,
case studies, regulatory texts and documentary resources, the CD-ROM
aims to show that inter-enterprise co-operation can respond effectively
to the ambitions for economic development of a region and its principal
enterprises. The ETD sells the CD-ROM for 25 euros. Contact c.larmagnac@etd.asso.fr
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>>
To read the previous numbers of LPS Info : N°1,
N°2,
N°3,
N°4,
N°5,
N°6,
N°7,
N°8,
N°8bis,
N°9,
N°10,
N°11,
N°12
>> Pour recevoir SPL INFO en français
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