Atos launches new ‘factory of the future’ project in Angers

Paris France, February 16, 2022

Atos today announced the official launch of its ‘Factory of the Future’ project in Angers, France. With this new state-of-the-art factory, Atos is committed to both improving the quality of life at work for its employees, and meeting the highest technological requirements demanded by its customers around the world, through enhanced productivity, space optimization and a reduced carbon footprint.

Atos has been based in Angers for 60 years, thanks to the acquisition of Bull in 2014, and produces and tests its supercomputers, quantum simulator, high-end servers, cryptology and cybersecurity products and technologies here.

The ‘Factory of the Future’ project will ultimately create around 100 skilled jobs and turn the plant into a true European innovation center, the Group’s flagship, on an international scale. It will thus support the development of a promising sector for French industrial excellence and contribute to the development of the Anjou area and the Pays de la Loire region. Lasting for a period of 5 years from when the building permit is received, the project will cost 60 million and will represent the largest industrial investment in the region since at least the early 1990s.

A ‘Factory of the Future’

The technologies developed in this factory are used by clients from all over the world – the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Météo France, the French national supercomputing agency GENCI and European research universities – to carry out weather forecasts, model automobile crash tests and even exploit genomics for personalized medicine.

To better meet regional, national and international demand, the new factory will be based on Industry 4.0 principles to enhance the site’s quality and performance, while meeting the most demanding environmental standards. The project to build an Industry 4.0 plant is based on the following levers: digitalization, cybersecurity and safety, connectivity (IoT), robotics, cobotics (human-robot collaboration) and collaborative engineering. The project will double the current production capacity while improving productivity by 30%. With state-of-the-art safety, high quality levels, as well as operating costs reduced by 30%, the carbon impact will be optimized to meet the highest standards in the industry.

Spread over 8 hectares, the new plant will improve the work experience and living environment for employees with new, functional and modern workspaces that will be accessible to all and promote collaboration and creativity.

In addition, in order to anticipate future growth, the new factory design offers the possibility for further expansion in the future.

Sustainable and responsible innovation

As a key player in the decarbonized digital sector and committed to reducing its carbon emissions, Atos plans to decrease the site’s carbon footprint right from the design phase. By rebuilding on its own industrial site, this project is part of the zero net artificialization (ZAN) process. In addition to the eightfold increase in green spaces and the solar panel roof, the plant will be supplied with electricity from renewable energy sources. The design of the site will also allow for the reinjection of so-called waste heat from the construction of its servers and supercomputers into the urban heating network. This heat production will also save the city the expense of building a new biomass heating plant. The project will be BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) certified, the most widely used certification standard in the world for construction, which guarantees maximum respect for the environment from the design stage to the end of the building’s life.

“By investing significant human and financial resources, Atos will build a modern and innovative facility that will meet the challenges of digital development on a regional, national and international scale. This large-scale project will enable us to meet the growing needs of our customers in high-tech areas such as supercomputing, servers and cybersecurity products, and tomorrow’s quantum computing. In this way, the Atos Group is reaffirming its contribution to the reindustrialization of the region and its commitment to the creation of skilled jobs, in line with its 60-year presence at the Angers site,” said Vincent Sarracanie, SVP Supply Chain & Manufacturing at Atos.

“With a complete ecosystem specializing in electronics and digital technology, the Angers region and its players have been able to adapt to changes in the sector, making Angers Loire Métropole a land of innovation that looks to the future by taking part in projects that reconcile economic development with the challenges of ecological transition,” said Christophe Béchu, Mayor of Angers and President of Angers Loire Métropole. “With its new plant, Atos is strengthening its position as a leader in the supercomputing market, placing the city of Angers, the Pays de la Loire region, France and Europe at the forefront of these future technologies.”

“We are delighted with Atos’ renewed commitment and the establishment of such a high-tech factory in Angers, in the Pays de la Loire region. This is a powerful project that illustrates our commitment and expertise in the industry of the future and reinforces the attractiveness of our region. It is a project with a strong impact for our region, a project that creates jobs and reflects our ambition to promote green growth,” said Christelle Morançais, President of the Pays de la Loire Regional Council.

Today, the Angevine agglomeration is ensuring, via its ALTER CITÉ satellite, the overall restructuring of the site in order to accommodate the new Atos 4.0 plant. This initiative will be financed by the Pays de la Loire Region (€1.5m) to accelerate industrial projects.

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Figures and milestones:

• • Job creation: approximately 100 skilled jobs
  • The new plant will double the production capacity and increase productivity by 30%.
  • Current plant: production area of 7,800 m².
  • Factory of the future: production area of 12,165 m²
  • Total investment:: €60 million

Key stages of the new project:

• February 2022: Official launch of the construction project
• January 2023: Laying of the foundation stone and start of construction
• End of 2026: End of project and inauguration

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 107,000 employees and annual revenue of over € 11 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 71 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), listed on Euronext Paris and included in the CAC 40 ESG and Next 20 Paris Stock indexes.

The purpose of Atosis to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

Press contact:

Laura Fau | laura.fau@atos.net | +33 6 73 64 04 18 | @laurajanefau