The difficult breakthrough of SMEs in a sector under close surveillance

You can be the French leader in wire wire of mouse swatters, as Eric remains with his business, and dream of hanging even bigger pieces on his hunting board. The mouse he currently chases is however tough: it is called the French army. This director of Conflandey Industries, a company producing 60,000 tonnes of steel wire per year in Amoncourt (Haute-Saône), is burning a military order since Emmanuel Macron promised, last March, to invest in the sector to compensate for American disengagement.

But Eric Demess does not know which defense company might want his wire. “It’s a very discreet sector,” he says. No way to abdicate it. Having lost customers in the United States because of the threat of customs duties, it needs new markets. “I have to make 300 people work,” he worries.

An opportunity to seize

In tune with Eric remains, many are looking for outlets in the field. Particularly in Belfort and in Franche-Comté. These Alstom or Peugeot bastions remain strongly industrialized. The share of jobs in industry represents double that of the national average, around 23 %, compared to 16 % respectively according to URSSAF. But they are threatened, among other things, by the thermal automobile crisis. Rearmament appears for these subcontractors as an opportunity not to be missed.

This is the reason why Cédric Perrin, senator of Belfort and president of the Senate Defense Commission, organized an unusual meeting on June 5. He invited 330 local businesses, including Conflandey Industries, and the nine major French defense groups, at the military base of the first artillery regiment in Bourogne (Territoire de Belfort). Almost the whole war economy is based on the orders of these giants with subcontractors. It is therefore imperative for the latter to make themselves known to these principals, who sometimes do not even know that these companies can meet their needs. Clémence Bouvier, representative of Arquus, discovered there that local SMEs could build the gearboxes for their shields Jaguar. “It’s a very good surprise,” she says. For the moment, we have German suppliers. But if they were French, it would be better. Especially since they are cheaper. »»

Espionage and sabotage

Several factors explain this mutual ignorance. First, small businesses, sometimes made up of three or four people, cannot afford the expensive stands of the major armaments salons to make themselves known. Then, there are several levels of subcontracting, and the list of companies working for defense groups is not really exposed in public places.

Because you must protect yourself from espionage or sabotage. Éric Demess would however need such a list. He knows that his wire would interest subcontractors from large groups. The Directorate General of Armament (DGA), linked to the Ministry of Armies, adds complexity to the defense market by evaluating and controlling the ecosystem. “We can choose our subcontractors, but they often have to be validated by the DGA,” says Clémence Bouvier.

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Confidence also continues to play a major role in this suspicious environment of nature. The story of Olivier Lacreuse testifies to this. Manager of Plubeau et Cie, a small factory detained by his family since 1911 in Aules-Bas (Territoire de Belfort), he saw his activity in the rail. “We were just my assistant and me,” he says. Passionate about sporting shooting, Olivier Lacreuse occasionally manufactures his own ammunition. One of his friends, sketched out in front of their quality, asked him if he would be ready to make them for the special forces, which despair of finding a tricolor company capable of providing them.

The friend in question works at the DGA. Helped by the latter then supported by the sub-prefect and by Senator Perrin, Olivier Lacreuse built a brand new factory, with pyrotechnic standards. “I did everything on equity. I had no salary in 2024. ”His risk taking paid. He won orders ensuring three years of work, recruited five people and will hire seven others. “I have always been terrified by the idea of ​​being the last of my line in the industry. These contracts have saved us, ”he savor. The contracts, but especially the interpersonal skills of his friend of the DGA. “We do not enter the defense without recommendation, concludes Olivier Lacreuse. If you are alone, don’t go. »»