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36 Hours in Bordeaux

TASTING notes for the 2004 Bordeaux — the stony French city, not its famous wine — might have read something like this : lifeless and bland ; aromas of dirt and dust ; a once majestic city well past its prime. But recent years have shown real progress. Today’s Bordeaux is smooth and elegant, thanks to reclaimed docklands and a beautification effort that is removing centuries of soot from its venerable squares and medieval churches.

There’s also a new liveliness, including avant-garde art spaces and fled gling concept stores. Throw in some stellar upstart restaurants and innovative wine bars, and Bordeaux sparkles once again.

(Source : New York Times)

Plus d'info : http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/06/2...

Bordeaux Fête le Vin

The famous and popular Bordeaux Fête le Vin opens its 2010 show on the Quays on the Left Bank of the Garonne River from 24 through 27 June next.

Now become the top wine tourism event in France, it also embraces gastronomy, music and the graphic arts.

First and foremost, it is an opportunity to discover the wines of Bordeaux and Aquitaine via a program of tasting sessions, expositions and visits to wine chateaux.

Quebec will be a major player on this occasion, within the framework of its 48-year-old twinning with Bordeaux. There will be an opportunity for all Quebeckers here to gather together to celebrate the National Festival of Quebec on 24 June, led by the Maire de Quebec, Mr. Régis Labeaume.

The facades along the Quays will be transformed into an enormous 4,000m2 screen, on which will projected a nightly spectacle featuring the story of wine and Bordeaux’s heritage.

(Source : AQUI MAGAZINE 25 May 2010)

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux.fr

Brokers Filhet-Allard Diversify

Bordeaux insurance broker Filhet-Allard, employing 560 people is currently in sixth position nationally, with a collected premiums value of $750 million. In 2009, it hit a turnover of around $100 million, once again up on the previous year,

It is now expanding its range of activities, though its affiliate AMV, to include cell phones and pre-owned vehicles. This will be in addition to its existing portfolio of marine insurance (currently 11% of turnover), business insurance (around 50%), and motorcycles (40%).

(Source : les Echos 19 May 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.filhet-allard.com

Agfa Expands its Bordeaux Site

Agfa Healthcare Enterprises Solutions, producers of specialized medical CIT systems, plan to create a world class R&D center on their site in Bordeaux suburb Artigues.

The management of Agfa HES signed an agreement protocol with the Aquitaine Region on 19 May at HIT, the Health Information Technologies Show in Paris. This lays down the terms of a partnership contract designed to maintain and support the new R&D site, which will be dedicated to clinical information systems. “We shall try to concentrate at Artigues all the company’s existing talents and to add others which we need. We expect to create another 20 to 30 positions in Aquitaine,” states a company spokesman.

Interviewed in the medical computer journal TIC Santé, Aquitaine Regional Council’s President Alain Rousset made no secret of the region’s desire to secure “more than 200 permanent jobs” in the region.

(Source : Agfa press release)

Plus d'info : http://www.agfa.com/healthcare

Thalès in Ever Closer Cooperation with University

The Thalès Group, employing around 2,000 over its two Bordeaux sites, is firming up its strategy of closer co-operation with Bordeaux University.

To strengthen the links, an association of research bodies called Albatros (Alliance Bordeaux Universities and Thalès in Research on AviOnics Systems) has been formally set up. Apart from Thalès Avionics and Thalès Onboard Systems, the consortium comprises the CNRS (National Central Research Body), Bordeaux Universities 1 and 2, the Bordeaux Polytechnic Institute, the Federation of Higher Education Institutes in the Department of the Gironde together with INRIA (Institute for Applied Computer Research).

The advanced level of electronics research and information technology skills of these research bodies was sufficient to convince the group to make Bordeaux one of its major support points for fundamental research and has consequently allocated it an annual budget of over $6 million.

(Source :Sud-Ouest 15 May 2010)

Plus d'info : www.thalesgroup.com

Bordeaux-gironde Investissement* Attracts Businesses to the Territory

With 1,500 new jobs for 33 projects announced over three years, the 2009 results for Bordeaux and the Gironde show an increase of 28% over 2008. This demonstrates the positive growth that the region has enjoyed for several years now.

In the face of increased competition from other conurbations following the economic crisis, 25 new company arrivals, 5 relocations and the expansion of existing businesses have been recorded, among which are production plants and expansions from overseas.

In essence, these results come from two main sectors. First, aerospace and defense, in particular, the relocation of 500 employees of SIMMAD (military aircraft maintenance and support). Second, the eco-industries, with the arrival of US company First Solar on the Bordeaux Blanquefort Ecoparc.

Pierre-Yves Le Borgn, First Solar’s VP Public Affairs Europe, confirms this. “Without a doubt the enthusiasm of local operators, backed up by the official blessing of the authorities on the ground, made a very important contribution to our decision to locate our solar panels plant at Blanquefort”.

(Source : Press release 7 May 2010)

* Bordeaux-Gironde Investissemement is the new identity of BRA-Bordeaux

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux-invest.fr

Successful Touchdown for COMAT

Toulouse-based mechanical and high-temp engineers COMAT are past masters in the aerospace, medical and defense fields and are setting up in Bordeaux’s Aeroparc.

“Our strength lies in the fact that we are unique. We have the complete capacity for designing, manufacturing and testing,” explains Olivier Carron, VP Marketing. “This is what has made COMAT stand out from the competition for the last 30 years. We do not limit ourselves to engineering. We can also realize what we have designed”.

The company’s major customers include the European Space Agency, the Atomic Energy Commission, DGA (Government Armaments Commission) and EADS (aerospace manufacturing).

In fact, the presence of EADS is one of the reasons for setting up in Bordeaux. The rationale for the Aeroparc move was to get closer to customers in order to respond more effectively to their needs. The move has been in the pipeline since 2005 and the engineering and assembly plant came on stream on 15 April.

In addition to building relationships with local companies, COMAT plans to hire 15 to 20 new staff over the next three years.

(source : BRA press release May 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.comat-aerospace.com/

LECTRA Bounces Back

Lectra is a world leader in dedicated software for textile fabrication, based in Cestas, near Bordeaux and employing 500 people. After two difficult years, it is now definitely on the up again.

Turnover for the first quarter of 2010 is 15% up on the same period in 2009, with a net profit of $1.5 million. Above all, orders for software and computer-controlled equipment are up 68% ; a 150% rise in North America, 67% in Asia and 29% in Europe.

In the face of this bounce-back, LECTRA has started hiring again at the Cestas site with 20 interim workers, together with 15 new R&D personnel and 6 marketing staff.

(Source : APS 7 May 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.lectra.com

Excoes Steps Up Its Growth

Set up in 2009 at the Bordeaux Montesquieu Technopole, the Excoes operation designs, constructs, and will soon be marketing steam plants which simultaneously produce electricity and heat from a renewable energy source.

The company hopes shortly to raise around $700,000 to finance its growth and to recruit four more staff before 2011. It aims initially to target the market for wood pellet furnaces for communal housing units.

On another front, Excoes is working with French company Exosun to develop a mini power station linked to a solar furnace system.

(Source : La Tribune 26 April 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.exoes.com

Allgoob Launches Search Engine for Realty and Autos

Bordeaux startup Allgoob, only three years after launching its employment search engine JobiJoba, has made it the biggest small-ad database in France. Fresh from this success, it is now revving up to roll out its little brother WiPikit, to handle the realty and auto markets.

The company has just raised $700,000 from venture capitalist Newfund and is planning to recruit more engineers and sales staff.

This burgeoning company is also looking forward to new developments afforded by smartphone apps (iPhone or Android) to open up new opportunities to exploit its geolocalization know-how for these phones.

(Source : La Tribune 27 April 2010)

Plus d'info : http://allgoob.com/

New Cookie for Bordeaux’s LU Plant

The Bordeaux LU plant employs 500 people making chocolate cookies. As of last month, LU SAS has started production of a new cookie line in collaboration with Belgian chocolatier Côte d’Or.

It took a $10 million investment to produce this new range and to adapt the fourteen production lines in the Cestas plant, which is one of LU’s two largest production units.

Aimed at the French adult market, a sector which LU plans to dominate within three years, the products come in two ranges, « Biscuit Intense » and « Fine & Intense », each range offering several flavours.

The plant will turn out a thousand tonnes of these new products this year, with production scheduled to keep on climbing.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 17 April 2010)

Plus d'info : www.lu-france.fr

Steris Sets Up in Bordeaux

American corporation Steris, manufacturers of sterilisation products for the medical, surgical and dentistry markets, is to relocate its European activities to Bordeaux suburb Le Haillan.

The new location will house the European HQ, Production and Marketing departments. These are currently spread over the UK, Switzerland and Orleans, France. By the year end, the group will have started construction of the new headquarters building, which will also house design, R&D and assembly.

These activities are scheduled to come on stream by July 2011 and will involve the relocation of 150 staff, with the prospect of adding a further 100 over the following 3-5 years.

The quality of the infrastructure, the attractivity of the Bordeaux area and the warm welcome afforded by business partners and the local authority are among the main factors which led to this decision.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 14 April 2010)

Plus d'info : www.steris.com

Fermentalg Honored at NEED Forum

Fermentalg is a biotech R&D company based at Libourne, near Bordeaux. As European leader in the production of algae grown in darkness, it was awarded the “Coup de Coeur” prize at the NEED Green Business Congress recently held in Bordeaux.

Fermentalg targets three markets - food products used in fish-farming, general food supplements and third-generation bio-diesel fuels.

Fermentalg has similarly been honored at the National Concourse for the creation of innovative business, sponsored by the Ministry of Research.

(Source : Flashinfos 12 April 2010)

Plus d'info : www.fermentalg.fr

Serma Technologies Major Player in Aquitaine Electronics

Serma Technologies is a high tech electronics engineering and service company dedicated to analysing, measuring and consulting on components, systems and materials. It has 450 employees spread over ten locations. Of these, 114 work at the Bordeaux Pessac location, which alone handles more than 5,000 projects a year for clients in the aviation and auto industries.

The company aims to play a co-ordinating role in setting up an Aquitaine center of excellence for the exploitation of electronics technology in the fields of renewable energy and of electric vehicles.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 10 April 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.groupe-serma-technologies.com

Bordeaux Digital City

Bordeaux has put in train a major new project – Digital City - a complete package of services, equipment and applications projects for and by the citizens of Bordeaux. Among the raft of information now available digitally, one can access the full Bordeaux cultural program by Smartphone and iPhone on bordeaux.fr

It will soon be possible, using a mobile terminal, to take a 3D guided tour of Bordeaux in sound and vision that not only shows today’s city but reconstructs 3D historic views and monuments going back to Roman times. All this thanks to the technology developed by a local business cluster, B3D.

The B3D project is headed by AXYZ (3D material and digital imaging producers) in collaboration with a number of Bordeaux companies, At Once Technologies (video games and onboard technology), GMT Editions (e-tourism) and Systonic (web engineering), together with two Paris-based companies.

(Source : Le Journal des Entreprises 2 April 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.axyzimages.com

Epsilon Composite Moves into Aviation

Epsilon Composite fabricates pultruded tubes and profiles in carbon fiber. It is based in the Médoc, to the north of Bordeaux, and has put in hand an investment program to fabricate parts for the Airbus as of 2012.

The R&D investment is reckoned to be around $3 million and a further $4 million will be spent on new buildings and equipment. The partnership with Airbus started in 2009 and should develop to take in other Airbus components. According to CEO Stéphane Lull, the company’s know-how in pultrusion technology makes it very competitive in the aviation sector.

Epsilon Composite employs 150 people and 80% of its turnover is in exports. It has set up an affiliate in Japan. It is also well established in wind generator blades. :

(Source : L’Usine Nouvelle 29 March 2010)

Plus d'info : www.epsilon-composite.com

McKesson Bounces Back

US medical computer systems affiliate McKesson France, based in Bordeaux suburb Canéjan, employs around 300 people.

Following upon a relatively slack period during the implementation of the “Hôpital 2012” building and renovation program, the company has recently made a successful bid for a project in the Rouen hospital complex. With 30% of its turnover dedicated to R&D, the company is investing in fruitful markets, such as digital archiving of medical imaging.

( Source : Sud-Ouest 25 March 2010)

Plus d'info : www.mckesson.fr

WIT France Sets Up in Bordeaux

The WIT company packages wine in screen-printed glass tubes.

As part of its development program, it will shortly set up a new plant in Bordeaux. The WIT packaging process is unique in the world and was awarded the “Oenovation 2008” Trophy. It consists of a glass tube bonded into a screw-top aluminum closure.

Packed under atmosphere-controlled conditions in 40,50, 60 or 100ml sizes, it offers optimum keeping conditions for the finest wines for a minimum of two years.

The format is targeted not only at tasting and sampling, but also for drinking, as gift pack selections or as complimentary gifts, such as in top hotels.

“We are the only ones in the world to offer this pack format. We have taken out 5 patents covering 17 countries” asserts Charly Pairaud, CEO of the new plant at Blanquefort, which will go on stream during the first half of April. “The choice of this location is not just linked to the development opportunity afforded to us by one of our partners, it is a strategic one. We will be sitting next door to world-renowned vineyards and this represents a major growth potential for our operation”.

(Source : BRA press release March 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.witfrance.com/

Couach Naval Yard to Supply Indian Navy

Couach, constructors of luxury yachts, high-power launches and military patrol-boats, has just landed a contract with the Indian Navy to build 15 high-speed launches.

Couach, with its yard at Gujan Mestas on the Arcachon Basin, employing 300 people, is well placed to bid for more orders, such as another one from the Indian Navy for 80 more vessels.

As constructor of MEGA Yachts, it is consolidating its position in the market, having just picked up an order for a 50-meter yacht, a Yacht 5000 Fly, from a Ukrainian business magnate.

(Source : Les Echos 17 March 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.couach.com

Inward Investments A Good Haul for Bordeaux and Aquitaine

According to the AFII (French International Investments Agency), the balance sheet for Bordeaux and the Gironde department is decidedly positive, thanks particularly to important new arrivals of such big hitters as America’s First Solar and the takeover of the former Ford plant by Germany’s HZ Holding.

Overall, more than 2,000 jobs are projected over the next three years.

On a broader scale, the Aquitaine region, for the first time ever, has moved up to third position among all French regions in terms of new jobs created through inward investment (2,890 jobs from 29 investment projects). Measured as a percentage of new jobs against the total workforce, it is the top region in France.

(Source : BRA press release March 2010)

AEC Polymers Leads Europe in Adhesives

Bordeaux company AEC POLYMERS, founded in 2003, formulates and manufactures structural glues and high-resistance industrial adhesives.

In a market which is growing exponentially, it is the sole European manufacturer. 18% of its overhead is devoted to R&D.

Employing 30 people at its plant at Le Barp, south of Bordeaux, it services 350 customers worldwide, with distributors all across Europe, Turkey and the US, where it should soon set up an affiliate.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 15 March 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.aecpolymers.com

Green Projects for Nanni Industries

French affiliate of Italian group Nanni Diesel, Nanni Industries is based at Arcachon with a 2009 turnover of around $40 million and an annual production figure of 2,900 units.

Designers and constructors of marine diesel engines, their development projects include a number specifically aimed to respect the environment.

They have put in place a research program on a range of marine generators involving a new environmentally friendly hybrid system under the banner of “Clean Boat” projects.

Nanni Industries is pursuing a 3-year expansion strategy, aiming to increase its team by 30, raise production to 7,000 units and raise turnover by 20%.

(Source : OBJECTIF AQUITAINE 1 March 2010)

Plus d'info : www.nannidiesel.com

Aquitaine Top Region for Net Job Creation

In 2009, the Aquitaine region distinguished itself for its vigorous job creation performance.

The research bureau TRENDEO has carried out an analysis of data supplied by the Observatoire de l’Investissement. From this, it emerges that in terms of net job creation (the difference between total jobs created and total jobs lost), Aquitaine is ranked top region in France, ahead of Normandy, the South of France and Corsica.

In 2009, a year in which, according to the Observatoire, France logged up a negative job loss of 122,000, only these four regions showed a positive net gain.

(Source : Trendeo February 2010)

Bordeaux in Top Three Cities for Investment Promotion

The FDI Magazine (published by the Financial Times) has just completed its annual rating of European Cities and Regions of the Future. In this, Bordeaux occupies third place for its inward investment promotional strategy for 2010-2011, coming just behind Hamburg and Berlin.

Even more encouraging is that among cities of less than 250,000 population, Bordeaux comes top in this category and fourth for quality of human resources.

99 economic development agencies figured in this study and thus Bordeaux achieved a very creditable rating, which bears witness to its effectiveness in attracting inward investment dollars, both from Europe and from overseas.

(Source : FDI Magazine February 2010)

Bordeaux Future Cycling Capital with Bikes To Go

Following closely on the heels of Paris, Marseille, Lyon and some other French cities, Bordeaux is providing free bikes on loan to the public. As from 20th February, 1,545 bikes are now available.

Dubbed “VCUB”, the service complements existing public transport facilities and was launched almost simultaneously with the “TBC”, the newly coordinated bus and tram network.

The 1,545 bikes will be available 24/7 at 139 pick-up points to anyone with a credit card or season ticket valid for the Bordeaux bus/tram system.

Bordeaux is also proud to have mounted the Cyclab event in early February, themed “The Bike of the Future and the Future of the Bike”.

This attracted nearly 600 delegates from all over Europe. We were delighted to welcome celeb designer Philippe Starck to take part in the closing debate on mobility, during which Mayor Alain Juppé officially launched “l’Appel de Bordeaux en faveur du vélo” (The Bordeaux Appeal to enhance the status of the bike as a technical, social and environmental step forward).

(Source : Mairie de Bordeaux 25 Février 2010)

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux.fr

Agfa to Computerize Paris Public Hospitals

Agfa Healthcare, the Bordeaux-based Agfa affiliate, has been selected by the Paris public hospital network to computerize patient records throughout its 36-hospital network.

Agfa Healthcare will handle this program jointly with Oracle and Cap Gemini. The conversion project is to set up a database to handle the records of 6 million patients. The budget is estimated at around $150 million.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 18 February 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.agfa.com/healthcare

Vergnet Opens New Wind Generator Blade Plant

The Vergnet Group, France’s only wind generator maker, has just announced the opening of a turbine blade plant at Blanquefort, near Bordeaux.

This is in collaboration with EADS Astrium, who bring to the equation their advanced composites know-how.

The new plant will be located in the Blanquefort Ecopark, a 350-hectare reclaimed industrial zone, where it is scheduled to start producing 31-meter blades before end 2010, creating around 300 new jobs. Another new tenant there will be First Solar, manufacturing solar panels. (Source :Sud-Ouest 3 February 2010)

Plus d'info : www.astrium.eads.net

Development of the Eco-industry in Greater Bordeaux

As part of its strategy of maintaining its drive and pulling power, the Bordeaux region is concentrating its considerable energies on developing its green business, whilst at the same time continuing to diversify into new fields of activity.

The venture is already taking shape at the start of this year with the creation of a network of eco-businesses, which are concentrated around the major development cluster located in Bordeaux commune Blanquefort.

The Bordeaux Ecopark covers 350 hectares, of which 50 are currently available for new occupation. An established industrial park, sometime location for Bordeaux’s Ford plant, it is now re-launched upon a new and promising career as home to eco-businesses, starting with the setting-up of a cluster of wind generation companies.

More than that, the Ecoparc is organized like an efficient campus, around an R&D and training facility dedicated to renewable energy and eco-construction. Set up in January 2010, the Ecoparc Nursery will initially promote and encourage around ten young innovative businesses in this field.

(Source : Press release 2 February 2010)

EBC Medical Relocates Near Bordeaux

Specialist in optical and opto-electronic material, EBC is re-locating its R&D operation to Bordeaux.

Its research affiliate Vision Innovation Center (VIC) which plays a vital part in the Group’s operations, will start up in Pessac. In so doing, it signals the importance of the cluster of competitiveness that it will be joining.

“The partnership with the Bordeaux Hospital Complex and with Bordeaux Universities I and II were determining factors in our decision to re-locate,” explains François-Henri Sahakian, vice-president of VIC. “We are right in the center of a zone where the concentration of scientific expertise is quite exceptional. Apart from this research opportunity, we have found some dynamic and committed partners here, who have helped us to drive our project on and to give us a good start“.

A seven-strong team has got the research unit off the ground, presaging a bright future for the many development projects now under way locally.

(Source : BRA Infos february 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.ebcmedical.com/

Aquitaine Tops List for Green Job Creation

According to the magazine L’Observatoire des Investissements, its regional breakdown of green job creation in France shows the southwest regions well ahead. Aquitaine is virtually on top, with 1,089 green jobs created in 2009, much better than the Paris Basin (792) and the South of France and Provence (376).

In fact Aquitaine accounts for nearly 20% of all new green jobs in France.

Figuring highly among the companies who have created the most green jobs in renewable energy, waste recycling and bio-fields, are Smurfit Kappa, Fermentalg, Univercell, Exoes, Sunnco and Exosun.

Two other major relocation projects on the Bordeaux industrial green scene are First Solar, with solar panels, and EADS Astrium, with wind generator blades.

(Source :“Les Emplois Verts” from L’Observatoire des Investissements)

Fermentalg to Turn Micro-algae into Diesel

Fermentalg is well down the line in its micro-algae production program. It envisions three prime markets - feed for fish farms, general food additives, and eventually, bio-diesel.

The aim is to replace first-generation vegetable-based fuels by biodiesel produced from micro-algae. The food additive market has been targeted because certain micro-algae produce Omega 3, much prized by dieticians.

By 2011, new kid on the block Fermentalg expects to have grabbed a goodly share of this market, which is already valued in hundreds of millions of dollars.

(Source : les Echos 19/01/2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.fermentalg.com

$20M Logistics Investment for Médecins Sans Frontières

Aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières is investing close on $20 million in doubling its depot facility at Bordeaux’s Mérignac Airport, its biggest logistics unit in Europe.

MSF’s activities are on the increase. It currently operates in 70 countries, bringing medical aid to many thousands of people.

MSF is investing in both more real estate and in constructing a 6,400m2 extension to its existing building. Of this, 2,500m2 will be dedicated exclusively to medicines and 1,200m2 will be new office space. About 20 new jobs will be created.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 13 January 2010)

Plus d'info : www.msflogistique.org

Getrag Invests More in Bordeaux

Getrag’s operation at Bordeaux-Blanquefort (mass-producing automatic and manual auto gearboxes) has just had a very satisfactory year’s trading.

In the context of the economic crisis that has hit the auto industry generally, Getrag has been something of an exception. 2009 has turned out to be a bumper year and 2010 is also looking good.

Transmissions supplied by the Bordeaux plant go into popular inexpensive models that have continued to sell very well. Getrag has supplied 524,000 transmission systems to eight plants in Europe and Japan.

2010 is shaping up nicely. The plant is scheduled to operate at 90% capacity this year, while around $22 million will be invested, mainly in upgrading machine tools. The plant, which employs 823 people in Greater Bordeaux, benefits greatly from its contractual arrangements with Ford, which is committed to taking gearboxes until 2021.

(Source : Press release 18 January 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.getrag-ford.com

Médecins Sans Frontières to Double Bordeaux Facility

With its workload constantly increasing, humanitarian organization MSF is about to double its logistics facility at Bordeaux-Mérignac.

More than 6,000 tonnes of merchandise, medical and non-medical materials leave this facility every year. Storage capacity will be doubled. A new 6,500m2 extension, designed specifically to stock medical equipment, will be grafted on to the existing warehouse facility.

Staff levels will go from 80 to 98 people. Alongside this, a new administrative block will be built and the existing facility renovated, making 3,500m2 available to handle new logistics staff who will be coming in on training programs.

(Source : Sud ouest 13 janvier 2010)

Plus d'info : www.msflogistique.org

What’s On in Bordeaux” Now on iPhone

Ever the digitally connected city, Bordeaux now offers a brand-new service to all its citizens and visitors using an iPhone or a Smartphone. An app for accessing Bordeaux’s calendar of events is now available free from the App Store. Entitled “À Bordeaux”, it is the first app of its type covering a major French city. It allows users to access events by time, location and category, to locate them on a map, or share them via email, Facebook or Twitter.

The Bordeaux Diary is one of the most visited sections of the site - concerts, expositions, shows, sports events, theaters, congresses, special events and festivals – in all, there are 3,500 events listed every year. They cover activities in more than one hundred locations for shows, sporting events and cultural happenings both in downtown Bordeaux and the greater metropolitan area.

The City Hall puts all these activities, updated daily, at the fingertips of all citizens, visitors and other Bordophiles, announcing to the world that Bordeaux is a city on the move.

(Source :Channel News 12 January 2010)

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux.fr

Bordeaux Aircraft Maintenance Operation Expands

AIA (Atelier Industriel Aéronautique) maintains engines for military aircraft, mainly fighter planes like the Mirage and the Rafale. Handling 400 engines a year, AIA needs to consolidate and centralize this operation.

Consequently, the Bordeaux-Cestas site (currently employing 950 people with a turnover of $300 million in 2009) is expanding by constructing a new 1,000m2 building, renovating another as a maintenance hall. A 3,000m2 storage facility will be added in 2011.

By end 2010, another 100 people will be hired. The investment program for AIA in Bordeaux will exceed $12 million each year through 2010-2011.

(Source : Le Journal des Entreprises 8 January 2010)

Plus d'info : http://www.defense.gouv.fr/dga

Fast-growing Sunnco Gets Even Bigger

Solar energy company Sunnco, founded in 2006, reckons to double its 200-strong team during next year. Located at Merignac since 2006, it includes a call center, a project management team and a sales department.

Currently rather cramped in its existing building, it is planning to re-locate to Bordeaux suburb Cestas, where it will create an integrated solar panel complex on posts.

(Source : Sud-ouest 22 December 2009)

Plus d'info : www.sunnco.com

Darwin Project at Bordeaux – Template for a UN Program

On 18 December the Darwin Project team came back from the Copenhagen Summit, having received confirmation of the international partnership agreement with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

In line with this accord, the Darwin Project and the City of Bordeaux become the French UNEP pilot sites for determining a new international yardstick for measuring the carbon footprint of buildings and cities. According to its promoters, the Darwin project “puts in hand the eco-renovation of a historic military heritage site in the heart of Bordeaux, the Niel Barracks”.

The Darwin Project aims to respond in a practical way to the issues of durable development, combining sustainable growth with selective growth reduction, by controlling environmental impact and energy use, and by reducing operating costs. All these criteria demand a new approach to buildings management.

By the same token, the architectural aspect of the project is also vital.

Plus d'info : www.projetdarwin.eu

USA’s First Solar Lights Upon Bordeaux

First Solar, American world leader in solar panels, and EDF Energies Nouvelles have jointly announced the setting up of a manufacturing plant on the Blanquefort Ecoparc, the biggest in France.

The $150 million project is reckoned to create 380 new jobs by end 2012. Construction starts in September 2010 and production will begin in 2012, building up to its maximum capacity of more than 100 Megawatts annually.

Local government bodies (Bordeaux City Authority, Gironde Council and Aquitaine Region) will contribute around $48 million, principally in the form of investing in real estate .

The site will include a solar panel recycling unit, the first in France.

(Source : Sud-Ouest, 22 December 2009)

Plus d'info : www.firstsolar.com

NGUP SE Sets up in Bordeaux

Plastinov is a company located southeast of Bordeaux, manufacturing composites components. For the last three years, it has concentrated on making wind generator nacelles and blades. As such, it was appointed as main supplier to EADS Astrium for blades and tooling.

To handle this business, Plastinov acquired a production line from Dutch company NGUP. The two operators then had the idea of setting up a jointly owned affiliate dedicated to blade repair and maintenance. Thus, NGUP SE (South Europe was born. It is located in the Blanquefort Ecoparc, just outside Bordeaux.

“The South Europe Wind Generator Park is a logical development and presents us with some interesting business opportunities”, comments Fabien Baumann. “NGUP SE is locating near Bordeaux as a practical manufacturing strategy. It is here that the future of wind generating will be determined”.

(Source : BRA Press Release, December 2009)

Bordeaux Chosen for TV3 Southwest Cluster Control

Following upon the recent management decision by France Télévision, Bordeaux now becomes one of the four regional management hubs for France 3.

The South West Cluster Control, employing a staff of 20, will cover the regional transmitters in Bordeaux, Montpellier, Limoges, Toulouse and Poitiers.

On learning this good news, Bordeaux’s Mayor Alan Juppé was emphatic. “This is indeed a very positive recognition of our city and of the image that it enjoys throughout France. Once again, Bordeaux demonstrates its role as regional capital and as one of the great European cities of the future”.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 2 December 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.bordeaux.fr

Bordeaux Company To Challenge Google

Bordeaux vision technology company I2S has just announced that it is entering the burgeoning digital books market.

It plans to set up an experimental platform designed to explore the various techniques for creating, consulting and navigating around digital books.

The project is in direct competition with Google. It aims to “create user-friendly documents in the fields of culture, publishing and business”.

(Source : Sud Ouest 1rst december 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.is-vision.com

New Supremo of Business Communications Strategy for Bordeaux

New Supremo of Business Communications Strategy for Bordeaux Jean-Marie Chadronnier has just been named President of the BRA - the Bordeaux Economic Development Agency.

Jean-Marie-Chadronnier, longtime CEO of the Compagnie des Vins de Bordeaux et la Gironde, is a widely known and very popular personality on the Bordeaux scene in general and in the wine business in particular.

As well as being President of the Federation of wines and spirits exporters, he was also President of Vinexpo and Vinexpo Asia-Pacific from 2002 through 2009. His arrival as President of the BRA comes at a key moment in the history of the region’s business communications, since the Board has unanimously decided to appoint TBWA to handle the execution of the region’s communications strategy.

It is now for Jean-Marie Chardonnier to guide the execution of the strategy, which is so vital to the future of the Bordeaux region in facing up to the challenges of the years to come.

(Source : BRA press release 6 November 2009)

Bordeaux Free Bike Facility to be called VCUB

Following upon the success of “Vélib” in Paris, the Bordeaux free city bike service, “le VCUB”, will be rolled out on 22 February next throughout the 27 towns of Urban Community of Bordeaux.

Bikes can be picked up at 139 points, of which 99 will be located in downtown Bordeaux. Of these, 90% will be located close to tramway and bus lines.

This development is not without significance, following upon the Copenhagen Summit.

(Source :Sud-Ouest 2 December 2009)

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux-region.com

SIMMAD Relocates to Bordeaux Region

Aquitaine’s military-industrial cluster will soon be home to part of SIMMAD, the national defense organization dedicated to maintaining the operational readiness of French military aircraft and other equipment.

It is located at the Brétigny air base on the outskirts of Paris. Some 400 of the staff will shortly be relocating to a site close to Bordeaux Airport.

This move reflects Aquitaine’s strengths in this field : a very strong Air Force presence here ; many large aerospace companies already serving military customers ; the second most important area in France for Department of Defense establishments and a high level of support from local public bodies.

(Source : L’Usine Nouvelle 16 November 2009)

Deloitte Technology award for Dolist

Bordeaux startup email marketer DOLIST has just made it into the Top Fifty French companies figuring in the Deloitte Technology Awards.

This young Bordeaux outfit ranks 49th in the 2009 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and at 296th in the European Fast 500.

Dolist is now up there with the industry leaders. Results over the last five years show Dolist growing its turnover by 587%, coming from $620,000 in 2004 to $3,6 million at end 2008.

(Source : Flash Info 20 November 2009)

Plus d'info : www.dolist.net

Sustainable Development - Bordeaux Region Scores

The European Institute of Ecology has recently announced its 2009 Awards to those local bodies adjudged to have incorporated the aims of durable development most effectively into their overall operating strategy.

Twelve authorities were cited, of which three are in the Bordeaux area : • The Conseil Général de Gironde, cited for its initiative under Agenda 21* • The town of Blanquefort, cited for its initiative under Agenda 21* • The town of Mérignac, cited for its initiative entitled "Mérignac’s Agenda 21 in action"*.

The 2009 citation, awarded for two years, will be renewed in 2011 if it can be shown that these initiatives continue to be vigorously pursued.

By the same token, the Bordeaux City Authority has just seen its project "The Garonne Plain" given the status of "EcoCity". Covering an area of 3,243 hectares, the plan has been given full backing by the Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Durable Development and Territorial Improvement.

(Source : Mairie de Bordeaux press release 15 November 2009)

*Agenda 21 is an action programme for the 21 st century geared towards sustainable development. It was adopted by the countries signing the Rio declaration in June 1992. Its main purposes are to fight poverty and social exclusion, to produce sustainable goods and services and to protect the environment

Plus d'info : www.rubansdudeveloppementdurable.com

Ceva Santé Animal Heads for Fifth Ranking

Based at Libourne, near Bordeaux, veterinary pharmacist Ceva Santé Animale is opening a new workshop and control lab.

The existing control lab, at 12,500m2, is now doubled in size. The company employs 2,300 worldwide, of which 500 are in Libourne. Its turnover equates to around $577 million.

From its inception ten years ago, Céva Santé Animal has grown to become ninth largest group in its field. Over the next ten years, it aims to rank fifth in the world, with a turnover of around $1.5 billion.

To achieve this, the company is putting its money into R&D, investing 8% of turnover, while strongly pursuing a strategy of acquisition. Already with a strong foothold in the US, it is now aiming to set up in China.

(Source : OBJECTIF AQUITAINE 12 November 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.ceva.com

Ryanair Landing at Bordeaux

Four new airlines will be offering departures from Bordeaux in 2010, among them Ireland’s low-cost operator Ryanair.

This is not unconnected with the fact that in May, Bordeaux’s new low-cost terminal will be opening.

More cities will shortly have direct connections to Bordeaux, such as Brussels from 17th December, followed by Oporto, Edinburgh and Bologna. This should bring 200,000 more passengers through the airport.

(Source : OBJECTIF AQUITAINE 29 October 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.bordeaux.aeroport.fr

Bordeaux City Bond Depot

A first for France, and long awaited by the international wines and spirits trade, the Bordeaux City Bond was launched this year at VINEXPO 2009. The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, together with VINEXPO and the General Directorate of Customs, have made this new facility available for warehousing wines and spirits destined for export, with all taxes and duties suspended while in bond.

Located in the Bordeaux Fret industrial zone (Bordeaux Nord), the 5,000m2 Bordeaux City Bond Depot, the first of its kind to be fully temperature-controlled, represents an investment of $9 million.

The storage capacity is currently 400,000 cases of fine wines, but this will be rapidly increased.

(Source : Sud-Ouest Novembre 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.bordeaux.cci.fr

Cheops Technology - Leading Edge Secure Data Storage

Cheops Technology, an SSII (Software Engineering Services) rated company has a 300-strong team with a turnover of $75 million. The company has just opened its new HQ and another data center at Canéjan, near Bordeaux.

Specialists in server housing infrastructures, they have just invested over $3 million in the new data center to handle the predicted upswing in the growth of the facilities management and outsourcing market over the coming years.

The 1,800m2 building houses a 500m2 leading-edge computer room. It is in fact their second data center in Bordeaux (the first operating at Bordeaux-Lac on the other side of the city) and it will be the core of their "ICOD" service - Cheops Infrastructure On Demand.

Cheops Technology is the only company outside the Paris Basin to have two synchronous data centers that guarantee real time data replication. The two centers are linked by a fiber optic network.

(Source : Press Release 26/10/09)

Plus d'info : http://www.cheops.fr

Fluofarma Signs Up with Roche

Biotechnologists Fluofarma, operating on the Bordeaux Bioparc, offers High Content Screening services and counseling to the pharmaceutical industry.

They have just entered into a multi-year agreement with Swiss laboratory Roche, world leader in the fight against cancer.

This collaborative agreement is concerned with developing predictive tools for detecting the liver toxicity of various drugs.

The objective is to accelerate the development of safer, more effective drugs.

(Source : les echos 21/10/09)

Plus d'info : http://www.fluofarma.com/

Giant Urban Solar Power Station for Bordeaux.

To the north of the city, alongside the Bordeaux Lac Exposition Center, a 92,000m2 solar panel installation is going up over the center’s vast parking lot.

The Nouvelles Energies Division of EDF will be covering 20 hectares of the lot with solar panels - 8,000 parking bays will be roofed over with 60,000 panels, generating 12 megawatts, sufficient to supply 5,700 homes.

Costing the EDF division $100 million, it will come into service in 2010.

(Source : les Echos 20/10/09)

Plus d'info : www.edf-energies-nouvelles.com

Fermentalg Rolls Out new Micro-Algae Process

Fermentalg, a young startup operating from Libourne, near Bordeaux, has developed a process for growing marine alqae cultures in darkness without generating polluting waste products. The aim is to develop new-generation bio-fuels by 2013.

With the support of the Aquitaine Regional Council, a massive R&D program will shortly get under way, its main goal being to develop this process on an industrial scale.

"We are the only ones in Europe to be doing this", explains CEO Pierre Calleja. "Instead of using photosynthesis, we grow the algae in darkness. This gives us impressive culture yields off very small surface areas".

Thanks to this process, Fermentalg has been honored at the National Concours for the creation of innovative business, sponsored by the Ministry of Research.

( Source : 20 Minutes 19 October 2009)

Vitagermine Keeps On Growing

From its base at Canéjan, near Bordeaux, Vitagermine, whose Baby Bio brand is French market leader in organic baby foods, as well as in other organic dietary foods for adults and sportspersons, has doubled its turnover in 3 years, and is expecting to hit $35 million in 2009. Funded by the Swedish family group Arpeggio, Vitagermine currently employs 70 people and will shortly be hiring 10 more as it continues to grow.

(Source : Sud-Ouest Eco 14 October 2009)

Plus d'info : www.vitargermine.com

Stryker Spine Set to Expand

This Bordeaux company, Strycker Spine, world leader in the design and manufacture of spinal implants, is to construct a new 12,000m2 building at a cost of several million dollars.

With a staff of 350, Stryker hit a turnover of around $35 million in 2008. (Source : La Vie Economique 16 October 2009)

Plus d'info : www.stryker.com

Biggest French Wood-fired Power Station for Bordeaux

Dalkia (EDF and Véolia Environnement affiliate) and the Smurfit Kappa wood pulp conversion group are jointly constructing the biggest biomass-fired electricity and steam generation plant in France. This will be located on Smurfit’s Cellulose du Pin site at Facture, south of Bordeaux. It is scheduled to come on stream in October 2010, creating 90 new jobs.

The furnaces will be fed initially by forest refuse (wood fragments, bark, roots and branches) from the great storm here in January 2009. The low-pressure steam generated will be used for paper drying.

Dalkia has invested over $200 million in this project.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 8 October 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.smurfitkappa-cellulosedu...

Aquitaine Welcomes the Polymers Industry

As a leading region for polymers expertise, the Aquitaine region is organizing and hosting the second Aquitaine Conference on Polymers from 13 through 16 October at Arcachon, on the coast near Bordeaux. The conference will bring together all the leading names in the polymers sector.

It showcases the center of scientific and industrial excellence already established within the Aquitaine region.

This is epitomized by work in the field of new polymers, such as thermoplastics, nano-materials and biomaterials. Between Bordeaux and Pau, there are a number of internationally known organizations, such as LCPO (Laboratoire de Chimie de Polymères Organiques), the Paul-Pascal Research Center and LMCB (Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée).

There are already many practical commercial applications, such as polymer-based solar panels, with a great many more to come. In this context, a conference open to anyone who is interested will be held on the theme of "Medications for Tomorrow", on 15 October.

(Source : AQUI 28 September 2009)

Disposable-Lab Sets Up in Bordeaux

Already operating in Bergerac, Disposable-Lab has confirmed that it is setting up a 1,500-m2 lewading-edge production facility at the Bordeaux-Montesquieu Science Park with an investment of well over $3 million. The company produces clinical packs with a difference. The production process is groundbreaking. The equipment used in making up medical products is trashed after each run.

This "Plastic plant" with its single use assembly lines is a first for Bordeaux.
"With this system, one can eliminate any risk of cross-contamination between the products", asserts Jean-Pascal Zambaux, President of Disposable-Lab, "This way, all the problems relating to statutory requirements for cleaning equipment are avoided."

Construction started in October 2009 for completion by June 2010, with the plant scheduled to come on stream the following September.

(Source : BRA press release September 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.labdisposable.com/index.php

Caudalie Spa Best in the World

The Condé Nast Traveler magazine, which targets top-end exclusive tourism and out-of-the-ordinary destinations, has just elected the Spa Vinothérapie Caudalie best spa in the world. This is the second prestigious award to be awarded to the spa.

The Caudalie springs rise at Martillac, a little town lying southeast of Bordeaux in the heart of the Bordeaux vineyards, opposite the world-famous Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte.

The establishment offers vinotherapy and gastronomy together with the ultimate in hotel comfort. As a spa, it is unique in the world, not only for its originality, but also for the quality of its treatments.

(Source : Vogue August 2009)

National First for Bordeaux "Zero Energy" School

The first zero energy school in France is due to open its doors in 2012 in Bordeaux suburb Bègles.

This $80 million project puts a premium on bioclimatic design practise with the help of geothermic and solar energy panels, drawing on renewable energy sources, linked to high-performance equipment. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80%. The school is designed to accommodate over 1,400 students.

Elsewhere, in Bordeaux suburb Blanquefort, the School of Construction Trades has just been awarded full certification "NF Batiments Tertiaires Demarche HQE®" confirming that it has reached the highest standards in energy efficiency combined with the minimum impact on the environment. It is the first school in France to have achieved this certification.

(Source : La Tribune et Le Moniteur 4 September 2009)

EVENTO Sports a New Pine Walkway

The first Biennale of Contemporary Art, Evento à Bordeaux, will be held here from 9 through 18 October. A feature of this will be a striking new walkway in solid pine, linking the famous Quinconces area with the banks of the Garonne River. Designed by Japanese plastician Tadashi Kawamata, the 120-meter-long bridge uses timber felled by the hurricane in January 2009.

The walkway has been built by three Aquitaine companies, Beynel, FP Bois and Lamécol, all of whom operate within the cluster of competitiveness known as Xylofutur. The special adhesive used in the construction was developed by a researcher at the Institut du Pin.

Xylofutur has co-financed the project to the tune of over $500,000.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 31 August 2009)

Plus d'info : http://evento2009.org/site/en/

FAI Looks Upwind for its Conversion Program

First Aquitaine Industries (ex-Ford Aquitaine Industries), affiliate of German group HZ, is to construct two new buildings at its Blanquefort location to handle the new "Eoliennes" wind generation program.

The program envisions very large wind generator units and involves an investment of over $90 million and a workforce of around 180.

The Aquitaine Region will be giving close support to FAI in the retraining of 1,400 employees to gain the new skills required to get this and future new projects off the ground.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 31 August 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.first-aquitaine.com/fr

Lumiscaphe Exports its 3D Photo-realist Package

Set up in 2001 at Cestas, near Bordeaux, Lumiscaphe has just opened its first American affiliate office in Los Angeles. Specialist provider of tailor made software solutions, the company has developed a specific expertise in the creation of realistic 3D photos in real time.

"Our flagship product, Patchwork3D, is a two-pronged solution : on the one hand, it is a creative tool for materials design and project review, on the other, it is a high-performance visualization tool for general industry and architectural projects", explains Marketing VP Philippe Dieudonné.

The company has a staff of 11 and a current turnover of around $1,300,00. The blue-chip client list includes EADS, PSA, Renault, Louis Vuitton and Toyota.

(Source : La Tribune 4 August 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.lumiscaphe.com

Bordeaux Slaughter Site to become New Cultural Center

Between now and 2014, the current riverside site of the Bordeaux slaughter house will see the creation of a new 10,000m2 cultural center to house the Regional Modern Art Foundation.

The center will be on the periphery of the projected Euratlantique international business quarter to be constructed close by the St Jean train station, where the Sud Europe Atlantique rail link will be inaugurated in 2016. (The new service will reduce the Paris-Bordeaux journey time to just over 2 hours - a 30% reduction).

The new cultural site is also intended to house other organizations designed to support creative activity and the creative business scene, such as an industrial design unit, currently being formulated ; a regional cultural agency for the performing arts ; a regional agency serving the cultural industries ; a meeting area to facilitate public meetings and debates on all questions relating to culture and creativity.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 7 August 2009)

Two Bordeaux Businesses Honored by Prix de l’Ambition Awards

A panel of judges comprising the Palatine Bank, the daily newspaper La Tribune and the HEC Business School, have selected two companies, MILLESIMA and AUDEMAT, for honors in the Prix de l’Ambition.

MILLESIMA, a 70-strong company engaged in marketing fine wines, has been awarded the International Development Trophy. It operates fourteen Internet sites in seven languages and has a turnover in the order of $70 million, 54% of which is exports.

AUDEMAT has been awarded the Durable Development Trophy for the quality of its new manufacturing plant. It builds radio and TV transmitters and employs 158 people in France and overseas.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 3 August 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.audemat-aztec.com

BeTomorrow Launches iPhone Original Application

Bordeaux company BeTomorrow designs and markets mobile phone add-ons, such as real time 3D simulations, retransmission and iPhone applications. It has just produced an original iPhone application to locate public toilets wherever you are. Launched just one month ago, the application is already one of those most frequently downloaded (over 62,736), second only to eBay, according to BeTomorrow director Sylvie Clin.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 1 August 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.betomorrow.com

Lynches-Bages - Decidedly The Tops

Chateau Lynch-Bages has been listed by Forbes Magazine as being among the top ten international destinations for wine tourists.

All year long, Lynch-Bages offers the ideal environment for exploring the world of wine, including guided tours of wineries, expositions of contemporary art, wine appreciation courses at its École de Bordeaux, boutiques, restaurants, hotel and bed-and-breakfast facilities.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 30 July 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.lynchbages.com/

Bordeaux to have Cultural Wine Center

The $70 million Bordeaux Cultural Wine center project is due to open on its 10,000m2 site in the Floating Dock district in 2013.

The initiative for this comes from the local authorities, largely from a desire to promote a more synergistic economy. It will gather the region’s wine growers more closely around the CIVB (Comité Interprofessionnelle du Vin de Bordeaux).

"The center must not only evoke the history of Bordeaux wine, its different vineyards, its diversity of flavors and the associated trade skills, but it must also become a major source of hard information and data on our vineyards for both tourists and serious wine enthusiasts", explains Sylvie Cazes, owner of Chateau Lynch-Bages at Pauillac.

With its three-pronged approach - cultural activities, tourist promotion and wine festivals, it should provide something for each one of its projected 250,00 visitors.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 27 July 2009)

Bordeaux Spearheads First European "Green and Connected Cities Cluster"

In early July, Bordeaux hosted the first meeting of the "Green and Connected Cities Cluster". Here, delegations representing experts, businesses and major city authorities gathered together to create, talk through and structure some innovative and practical initiatives. The objective is to bring about 21st-century cities that are durable and interconnected. Such cities must harness information technology with durable development to respond to the great social challenges of the future. The project requires a creative answer to current constraints and to the social and environmental issues that are apparent today.

The first members of the cluster are : Bordeaux, Grenoble, Nice, Rennes, Strasbourg, Valenciennes, Orange, Renault, Schneider Electric, Veolia, and the Institut Telecom.

(Source : Aqui 15 July 2009)

Nanni Moves into Marine Hybrids

Nanni Industries, marine diesels maker and French affiliate of Italian group Nanni Diesel, has decided to expand its facility on the Arcachon basin. Construction of a 1,500m2 depot and a 500-m2 office extension is already under way and will come on stream at end 2009.

The company will be investing nearly $10 million over the next three years to handle the development of marine hybrids, mainly for passenger launches and for certain types of merchant vessel.

Nanni engineers have come up with an innovative hybrid drive system that can be used to convert all Nanni engines and even those of certain competitors.

(Source : Les Echos 15 July 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.nannidiesel.com

Discovering Bordeaux’s Modern Architecture

A part of the historic center of Bordeaux has recently been classed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. At the same time, Bordeaux can boast some fine modern architecture.

The Bordeaux Tourist Office, in concert with the architectural center ’Arc-en-Rêve", has compiled a fascinating trip around town, designed to highlight those buildings most representative of excellent construction since the Fifties.

The 90-minute tour in an open-topped bus starts outside the Hotel Seeko’o, which means "iceberg" or "glacier" in Inuit. This is an opportunity to discover a façade made entirely of corian, created in 2007 by the King Kong studio.

This stop also provides an opportunity to admire the complete makeover of the riverside "Quais"’ including the transformation of Warehouse H14, now magicked into a smart exposition center, and also the biggest water-mirror in the world, created by Paris fountain designer Jean-Max Llorca. Across the Garonne River on the Right Bank, visitors will appreciate the Botanical Gardens, which contain a state-of-the-art presentation of the various natural habitats to be found in Aquitaine.

(Source : www.batiactu.com 25 June 2009)

AEROfan Launched at Paris Air Show

A national first, the AEROfan collaborative platform was launched at the Le Bourget Air Show. Closely supported by the Aquitaine Region, the goal of the platform is to promote synergistic activity between the skills and know-how of Aquitaine’s aerospace industry and the training and research resources of Bordeaux University.

AEROfan will bring together Aquitaine engineering schools, Bordeaux University 1 and other leading labs to create a highly innovative project in terms of research, collaborative development, technology transfer and teaching around the turbofan aero engines being developed in Aquitaine by the Price Induction company.

A low-power, lightweight, economical unit, the turbofan breaks much new ground technically. It is designed for use in small general-purpose passenger aircraft carrying up to 6 passengers.

The Aerofan project will operate within the framework of the world Cluster of Competitiveness known as "Aerospace Valley".

(Source : Aquitaine Regional Council Press release 16 June 2009)

Plus d'info : www.price-induction.com

Plume Minidrone Takes to the Air

AEROART, a young outfit set up in 2005 in the incubator of the Bordeaux Technowest nursery, designs and manufactures drones.

Having already created Aélius, an amphibious drone, they have now moved on, and in co-operation with another Bordeaux startup FLY-N-SENSE, they have just brought out a mini-drone, Plume, at the Paris Air Show.

At a modest cost of around $13,000, Plume can carry out surveillance on beaches, forests, industrial sites, and takes aerial photos. It can carry transducers and probes for specific experiments and can serve as a training tool in surveillance handling.

(Source : Sud-ouest 15 June 2009)

Plus d'info : www.aeroart.eu

Bordeaux Hotel wins 5-star Status

Like ten other French hotels, The Hotel Burdigala has just achieved 5-star status. Another Bordeaux top hostelry, The Regent Grand Hotel, hopes to join this exclusive group before the year-end.

The Burdigala* fully deserves this status, much sought after in Bordeaux. It will carry the rating for five years. However, in 2014 it will have to have demonstrated the same consistent high level of customer care and comfort to get its rating re-confirmed.

*Burdigala is the Roman name for Bordeaux

(Source : APS 11 June 2009)

Plus d'info : www.burdigala.com/fr/acceuil.html

LYRACOM Lights Up Laser Highway

The Megajoule Laser site at Le Barp will be lit by 115 LED street lights. This is done within the framework of the general plan for lighting the Laser Highway. The commune of Le Barp, between Bordeaux and Arcachon, is equipping its entire public lighting system to the latest standards.

The product is the brainchild of Bordeaux company Lyracom, developers of LED lighting systems designed specifically for public utilities. The system enables better lighting and energy consumption management without shutdowns.

Lyracom’s systems offer lighting solutions that have a very positive impact on reducing energy consumption. The light source, DataLed, consumes 65W in normal use, compared with 150W for standard systems.

(Source : Press release 9 June 2009)

Plus d'info : http://wwww.lyracom.fr

HOME - Libcast’s Top Podcast

Quite some achievement for young startup Libcast, to carry Home, Yann Arthus Bertrand’s celebrated film event. Libcast provides internet multimedia solutions. It is hosting and podcasting Home, which will be the first significant podcast product to be carried on this platform.

The podcast provides an exclusive mix of extracts from the soundtrack of "HOME", together with a video make-off of the film.

Set up in 2006, Libcast is officially recognized as a "Young Innovative Company" for its online software to create and transmit podcasts.

By the same token, Libcast SAS is a finalist for the coveted Red Herring 100 Europe award and thus figures among the startups recognized for promoting innovation in France.

(Source : TPE-PME.com 3 June 2009)

Plus d'info : www.libcast.com

CEVA : Three New Cubs for Vet Products Giant

Ceva Santé Animale, ninth biggest animal health group in the world, is based at Libourne, near Bordeaux. It has just set up three new units.

Two will be housed in new buildings on the site ; a lyophilization unit, costing $2.5 million and a control lab, costing around $2.75 million’

The third development is a major logistics platform to be built on a site close by. Ceva is Libourne’s top employer with a total payroll of 2,100, of whom 500 are employed at the Libourne HQ.

(Source :Sud-Ouest 22 May 2009)

Plus d'info : www.ceva.com

Bordeaux Top City for Rich Heritage

Classified by UNESCO, Bordeaux tops the list for the largest number of historic monuments.

This has emerged from a survey carried out by Arts Magazine on the most art-rich cities. The survey rates Bordeaux as fourth richest among cities of more than 100,000 population, behind Lyon, Strasbourg and Toulouse according using the criteria of museums, art galleries, historic monuments, major events and attendances.

In this regard, it is worth noting that this fall, Bordeaux will be launching Evento, a biennial event featuring urban creativity and dedicated to the plastic arts, the theater and dance.

(Source : Arts Magazine March 2009)

Bordeaux Competitiveness Cluster “Route des Lasers” at Laser World of Photonics

Collective presence at Laser Munich 2009 (15-18 June)

In the region of Bordeaux, lasers, photonics and their applications is a main field. That is why key players of Bordeaux “Route des Lasers” will come together, for the third time in a raw at Laser World of Photonics - booth C1-319 - to promote companies’ expertise and products.

EOLITE Systems will introduce its new multi-fiber delivery laser “OCTOPUS” and the new 150W version of its BOREAS Laser. Amplitude Systèmes will demonstrate Satsuma, a compact diode-pumped ultrafast fiber laser, and Mikan, a new serie of compact air-cooled ultrafast ascillators.

CORDOUAN Technologies will present its new instrument for physical-chemistry applications dedicated to the refractive index measurement in suspensions for analysis applications such as the characterization of absorbent, dark or concentrated samples. Polyrise will also introduce a new class of Sol Gel based varnishes for anti-reflective coatings applications.

In fact a visit to our booth will enable you to make contact with representatives from : ALPhA (Aquitaine Lasers Photonics and Applications), the SEML Route des Lasers, the Bordeaux Region Development Agency and the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux-region.com

Ninth Neurosciences Colloquium at Bordeaux

The ninth Colloquium of the Neurosciences Society has been held once more at the Palais des Congrès in Bordeaux, concluding on 29 May. This is no chance happening, for Bordeaux provides a solid base for the neurosciences community and the Society has its HQ here.

Held for the third time in Bordeaux, this biennial colloquium provides opportunities for exchanges between researchers, students and clinicians concerning cerebral functionality and pathology. It brings together nearly 1,200 delegates, the greater part of whom are advanced postgraduate students.

It also affords an opportunity to promote the strengths of the Bordeaux center of excellence in neurosciences - the use of stimulation in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and of obsessive-compulsive disorders.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 26 May 2009)

Plus d'info : www.neurosciences.asso.fr

JobiJoba Makes it to European Top 10

Allgoob, Bordeaux creators of search engine JobiJoba.com dedicated to job seeking, have been designated among the ten European startups as ’The most promising for 2009’ at the Innovate ! Europe show, held in Saragossa, Spain, at the beginning of May. Allgoob was selected from a field of 300 companies in Europe and Israel.

(Source : Flash Infos 15 May 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.jobijoba.com/fr/

Aeroparc, New Science Park at the Gates of Bordeaux

Bordeaux Aeroparc, the new science park dedicated to aviation and aerospace will offer a 2,000-m2 facility unique in France.

It is located at Mérignac, just alongside the runways and next to the Institute of Airport Maintenance. It will offer training services and qualifications for recognized levels of competence to those mounting projects, or companies who have relocated here, such as Altep, BEA and Catherineau. The components supplier Le Câblage Français, designers and manufacturers of electric cabling, will have a plant operating here from next June.

Nursery and incubator Bordeaux Technowest, which houses a drones development cluster, will also be locating at the Aeroparc.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 16 May 2009)

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux-aeroparc.com

New Luxury Yacht for Bordeaux Yard

Construction Navale de Bordeaux has just launched its latest baby, the 30-meter sailing yacht "Chrisco".

Set up in 1987, an affiliate of France’s leading boat builder BENETEAU, CNB constructs large luxury yachts and catamarans.

Designed by famous Italian naval architect Luca Brenta, the clean lines of the boat and its interior design have met with great success. It has already completed around fifty craft of this type. Chrisco will be handed over to its owner in a few weeks.

CNB has just delivered its hundredth luxury catamaran, the Lagoon 500. This class currently accounts for 70% of turnover.

There is a steady flow of orders, in spite of a slight easing recently.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 6th May 2009)

Hundredth Rocket Nozzle for Snecma PS

Ariane V owes a lot to Bordeaux know-how.

An affiliate of the Safran Group, rocket and space launcher builders Snecma Propulsion Solide, has just chalked up its hundredth propulsion nozzle for Ariane V.

The carbon fiber nozzle lifts off the rocket for the first two minutes of flight.

The Bordeaux company is one of the very few in the world to produce such high-performance space sub-assemblies. Sales should shortly top the $400 million mark.

(Source : Sud Ouest 07/05/09)

Plus d'info : www.snecma-propulsion-solide.com

No Crisis at VINEXPO !

It’s already a sell-out at the 15th Bordeaux International Wines and Spirits Show, acknowledged as the global rendezvous for anybody who’s anybody in the liquor business worldwide.

From 21 - 25 June, 2,400 exhibitors from 47 countries will be displaying their wares. France, Spain and Italy, who together account for 52.5% of world production, representing a cool 5.6 billion bottles, are once again widely represented. At this show, there are five newcomers - Sweden, Byelorussia, Egypt, Mauritius and the indomitable Brazil.

In all, the show VINEXPO will cover an area of 90,000m2, comprising the exhibition areas, the gardens, the "Club du Lac", conference rooms and wine tasting salons, together with other support services.

(Source : Les Echos de Bordeaux May 2009)

Plus d'info : www.vinexpo.com

Aquitaine Sets Its Sights on China

The Aquitaine region is setting up a Chinese development office at Wuhan in Hubei Province.

Within the framework of existing collaborative agreements between the two regions, the Aquitaine Regional Council plans to establish a local business representation and support office at Wuhan.

Its mission will be to help Aquitaine businesses to increase exports and to sell Aquitaine skills and know-how. This will be a very positive advantage for smaller and medium Aquitaine companies, particularly in the laser and wine producing sectors.

(Source : Presse Release)

Plus d'info : www.cr-aquitaine.fr

Bordeaux School of Management Gets World Recognition

AASCB, the US Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business has just accorded the Bordeaux School of Management American accreditation. With this third international accreditation, the Bordeaux Management School has now moved into the prestigious realm of business schools holding the "Triple Crown" - EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System), AMBA (The Association of MBAs) and now the AACSB.

These three labels of excellence guarantee the academic quality of BEM’s training and the recognition of its degrees throughout the world on the basis of European and American criteria.

( Source : Press release 05/04/09)

Plus d'info : www.bem.edu

Bright Future for Solar Energy in Bordeaux

The young Paris-based solar energy company Sunnco opened up in Mérignac near Bordeaux last November.

Sunnco’s Bordeaux operation already employs 96 people and reckons to double its team by the year-end.

The Mérignac office has recently added a showroom. Its call center team of 35 handles new business, sales and consultancy for Sunnco nationally.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 24 April 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.sunnco.com/

Bordeaux Forms the Biggest European Viticultural Research Center

The Bordeaux Institute of Wine Sciences(ISVV) is merging with the Viticultural Research Department at Bordeaux University to form the biggest multidisciplinary body of its kind un the country.

The 10,000-m2 center will house researchers, teaching staff, engineers, technicians, admin staff and students. It will also have the biggest wine-tasting facility in the world.

These advantages will make it the biggest research and technology transfer center of its kind in Europe. It has three main objectives :

• Scientific excellence • Openness to international exchanges • Close collaboration with members of the industry

The ISVV’s mission is to become a global reference point for the scientific community and the wine producing industry.

(Source : Press release 17 April 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.isvv.fr/isvv_eng/

Libcast in Top 100 in Europe Red Herring Trophy

Bordeaux Internet multimedia solutions designer Libcast SAS is proud to announce that it has been nominated as a Finalist in the Top 100 for the coveted Red Herring Europe Trophy, and therefore figures officially among the startups fostering innovation in France.

Inaugurated by the US Red Herring magazine in 1996, the trophy recompenses the hundred most innovative high-tech companies in Europe from a field of around 1,800 candidates.

Selection criteria include the business model, financial health, development strategy, technical and managerial strengths, together with the overall performance of the business. Each company is subjected to a rigorous analysis to arrive at the 100 finalists.

The presentation this year will be in Berlin, where 15 French companies will be among the winners.

(Source : Mid e-news 15 April 2009)

Bordeaux, Destination Business

The urban makeover that Bordeaux has undergone over these last few years seems to have turned it into a business tourism destination in a class of its own after Paris, Cannes and Lyon.

Over the last 10 years, the hotel district has grown by nearly 10% and is scoring an ever-increasing occupancy rate. Congrès et Expositions Bordeaux, which operates at three locations here, has handled 1,320,000 guests and 9,025 exhibitors over 304 events in 2008 (7% up on 2007).

Business in 2009 is holding up well, with VINEXPO already a sell-out.

(Source : Press release 15/04/09)

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux-expo.com

Dedicated Low-cost Terminal for Bordeaux Airport

In view of the rapid growth of low cost air traffic, Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport is planning a dedicated low cost airline terminal, which is scheduled to open at end 2009.

It will be able to handle 2 million passengers a year, which is the forecast traffic by 2017. At this point, it should account for 40% of total traffic through Mérignac.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 27 March 2009)

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux.aeroport.fr

Audemat Buys Irish APT

AUDEMAT, located near Bordeaux-Mérignac airport, manufactures UHF broadcasting equipment used for radio and television. It has just acquired APT in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Audemat’s 2008 turnover was around $22 million, of which 60% was export business. Since the nineties, annual growth has averaged 24%, so it has gained the reputation for being pretty fleet of foot.

The main thrust of its R&D effort is centered around "eco-design" for improving the energy efficiency of its transmitters.

Along with that, it has invested over $2 million in a low-energy plant in Bordeaux. The 932-m2 building utilizes various "green" techniques in order to optimize its energy footprint, thereby reducing its environmental impact.

(Source : Les Echos 24 March 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.audemat-aztec.com

Aquitaine in Top Five for Foreign Investment

With 2,290 jobs created or maintained in 2008, of which 60% are jobs in the manufacturing industry, the Aquitaine region gets fifth place throughout France, in terms of its attraction for foreign investors. This is up one place compared with 2007.

The balance sheet drawn up by the AFII, the Agency for international investment, focuses on new foreign investment projects throughout all French territories. Aquitaine is now among the Top Five regions in France, which accounted for more than 50% of foreign-generated jobs in 2008, namely ; Ile-de-France(26%), Rhône-Alpes(11.2%), Nord-Pas-de-Calais (9.9%) and Midi-Pyrénées (7.6%), with Aquitaine accounting for 7.2%.

(Source : Press release 3 March 2009)

Arc&Typ Sign Up with Taillan Group

Following their runaway success in Paris, the architects and interior design consultants ARC&TYP are setting up a Bordeaux operation. With their capacity for innovation and their flexibility, in a few short years the firm has become a beacon of excellence in its field. Turnover has gone up by 42% from 2007 to 2008. They have very rapidly made their mark on the international scene, notably in Dubai and in Russia, supporting the distribution and merchandizing of brands like l’Artisan Parfumeur, Clarins and Mugler.

In Bordeaux, Arc&Typ have just signed up with one of the biggest wine companies in France, the 400-strong Taillan Group, who own 14 top Bordeaux chateaux. The contract is for designing and building Taillan’s exhibit at VINEXPO 2009.

(Source : Communiqué de presse 15 March 2009)

Plus d'info : www.arcettyp.com

National Police College for Bordeaux

Winning out over several other cities, Bordeaux has been selected as the new home of the Higher National School for Police Officers, which will be moving down from Paris in 2012. The choice of Bordeaux reflects its many advantages as a great university city and as the home of the National School of Magistrature.

The location for the new college is an 8-hectare site in the Bordeaux-Bastide district, which is in line with the projected new Bacalan-Bastide Bridge. It represents an investment of around $80 million

The school will provide basic and continuous training for the senior echelons of the Police Nationale. A permanent staff of 200 will handle around 100 students at a time.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 7 March 2009)

Towards A Great Bordeaux - 2030

Bordeaux’s mayor Alain Juppé has just rolled out a great new city program under the banner ’2030 - Towards a Great Bordeaux, a Durable City".

Following on from the construction of the 45-km tramway network and the opening up of the waterfront on the Garonne River, the new program involves the creation of "a swathe of durable development" which stretches from the north of the city, taking in the northern dock basin, down to the south, with the "Euratlantique" project around the train station, the Gare Saint-Jean, where the new ultra-high-speed rail link will pass through. At the same time, the major developments planned for the Right Bank of the Garonne will give a better balance to the city.

This program envisions the creation of ’eco-districts’, with two new bridges over the Garonne and strict environmental standards applied to all construction work and public parks. It will give rise to the creation of 10-15,000 new dwellings and 800,000m2 of business premises to support the development of eco-industry and creative industry (a separate project already under way) and will provide for the 30,000 new inhabitants expected by that time.

(Source : Le Monde 4 March 2009)

SC2X Growing Like Crazy

Young Bordeaux company SC2X, one of the most successful video games creators on the Bordeaux scene, is growing at an amazing rate. Set up only six years ago under its Mad Monkey Studio label, it designs and markets interactive 3D applications for video games and some industrial sectors.

Having raised around $1.3 million from its bankers and other backers, its 37-strong team will soon be relocating to a new 600m2 building in the Place Ravezies in Bordeaux.

At the same time, SC2X is broadening the scope of its operation to cover interactive applications for the construction and transportation industries, together with local authorities.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 6 March 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.sc2x.com

AT Internet Wins European Seal of e-Excellence

During CEBIT, the premier European Intelligent Technology show, leading French web analytics specialist AT Internet was awarded the Platinium European Seal of e-Excellence for its innovative solutions.

This trophy is intended to reward those companies who have demonstrated proven synergy between the technical excellence of their solutions and the needs of their customers.

In September 2008, Xiti went back under its old name AT Internet in order to split its services into two halves - its top-end range of services and its free or entry-level solutions.

Along with that, the company has now gone international, as evidenced last September, by setting up offices in Germany and England.

(Source : Press release 3 March 2009)

Plus d'info : www.atinternet.com

"Bordeaux Creative" is Born

Alain Juppé, Mayor of Bordeaux, has just announced the creation of "Bordeaux Creative".

This group will comprise artists, representatives of relevant institutions and the business world. Its mission will be to define and identify those sectors of the Bordeaux creative scene which will benefit from active development ; to consider ways and means of bringing this about ; and to formulate a development strategy for new projects.

The "creative economy" is a new entity that brings together different fields of cultural and business activity. It will be based on the talents, the imagination and the resources, both individual and collective, of the various players involved.

14 fields of activity have been identified as forming an integral part of the creative economy. These typically include the plastic arts, architecture and city planning, publishing, music, the performing arts, creative tourism and gastronomy.

The BRA, Bordeaux’s economic development agency, which has been closely involved in a research study covering the economic importance of this sector, estimates that it currently involves 3,500 establishments and 14,000 jobs within Greater Bordeaux.

(Source : Sud Ouest 20/02/09)

Plus d'info : http://www.bordeaux.fr

SOREGOR Sets up in Bordeaux

Angers-based SOREGOR, accountants and auditors catering specifically to small businesses, has identified Bordeaux as the location for its first regional office in Aquitaine.

The decision to set up a first offshoot here is fairly obvious, in terms of the fact that Bordeaux is the regional capital of Southwest France.

It will be very much a shop window for the group’s range of facilities, offering accountancy services, HR expertise, legal services, audit services, computer expertise, general business consulting and training facilities. Soregor is the tenth biggest accountancy firm in France.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 19 February 2009)

Plus d'info : www.soregor.fr

Bordeaux Hosts "Naval Meetings" Expo

From 4-5 March, Bordeaux Congrès et Expositions and BCI Business Conventions International jointly host the first ever Naval Meetings 2009 at the Bordeaux Palais des Congrès.

This is a top-level gathering of buyers and suppliers in the marine industry, helping to facilitate the exchange of views, to foster new contacts, to publicize innovations and to present successful business experiences.

In the Gironde department alone, the marine industry involves more than 1,600 jobs in 200 companies with a total turnover of $250 million. In Aquitaine, the overall regional count in this sector is 700 companies.

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux-expo.com

Re-born Ford Plant Diversifies into Wind Generators

Ford Aquitaine’s auto transmissions plant at Blanquefort, near Bordeaux, has been acquired by HZ Holdings and equipment supplier Johann Hay.

From now through 2010, HZ Holdings is scheduled to invest $250 million in the plant. New industrial ventures will be funded, one of which will be in the renewable energy sector, with the manufacture of wind generator turbine components. This will take up around $100 million of the $250 million injection. Gearbox production for its customer Ford will continue at least until 2011 and maybe beyond, if new markets in Russia and China develop as envisioned. The site payroll of around 1,600 will be maintained.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 4 February 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.ford.com

Nexeya takes over Bordeaux’s Novalase

Nexeya are designers and suppliers of specialized electronic products and very high added value services. They have just acquired Bordeaux company Novalase, whose specialty is laser and optics solutions for industry and who is one of the key players in "The Laser Ecosystem", centered around the Megajoule Laser project south of Bordeaux.

Comments Nexeya Products Divisional Director Bruno Langlois, "Novalase will consolidate Nexeya’s expertise in a major field of optics. This is a technology which is present in a large number of our systems and those of our partners who will contribute to the development of Novalase".

For Patrick Chabassier, CEO and founder of Novalase, "Combining with a company of the caliber of Nexeya opens up all sorts of exciting opportunities to move into new areas". 10-strong Novalase, currently turning over around $1.5 million, will be joining a group with 1,100 employees, turning over more than $126 million.

(Source : Company press release 6 February 2009)

Plus d'info : www.novalase.com

Epsilon Composites Move Into Green Energy

World leaders in carbon fiber technology, Epsilon Composites are based in the Médoc area, near Bordeaux.

They are currently planning to set up a series of small production plants in close proximity to newly-acquired customers in Denmark, Germany and Spain, who are leading the wind generator industry in the development of a new generation of blades.

Alongside this important project, Epsilon have launched into composite materials for the oil industry, working in consort with Technip, world leader in oil research.

(Source : Sud-Ouest Eco 6 February 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.epsilon-composite.com/

The Bordeaux SAFT World R&D Center and FORD

The first Ford hybrid automobiles will come about largely as the result of the expertise and know-how evolved here in Aquitaine and its neighbor, the Charente.

The Franco-American Johnson Controls-Saft corporation, long-time producers of auto batteries, have just opened up a potentially huge demand for batteries for Ford of America’s first hybrid auto power unit.

This has been mainly designed and developed at the Saft World R&D Center in Bordeaux.

The batteries will subsequently be produced at Saft’s manufacturing plant at Nersac, further North in the Charente region. 5,000 batteries are scheduled to roll off the line in the first year. If demand increases significantly after that, production will be transferred to the US.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 4 February 2009)

Plus d'info : www.saftbatteries.com

Sony Engages Immersion

Bordeaux company Immersion is a world leader in virtual reality and visual simulation. It has been selected by Sony to demonstrate the applications for Sony’s new SXRD 4K projector.

This device enables Scale 1 images to be produced from a single projector. It is an extremely powerful tool, ideal for visualization rooms, in automobile design and in the defense sector.

Immersion, a member of the Aerospace Valley cluster of competivity, has its own R&D facility. It has doubled its staff from 10 to 20 in four years and has a turnover of €4.5 million.

(Source : Flash Info 28 January 2009)

Plus d'info : www.immersion.fr

New Airbus Order for Fayat Group

The Bordeaux corporation Fayat is a world leader in road construction materials and the fourth biggest public works contractor in France. In 2008, the number of its affiliates passed the 100 mark and it now has 16,000 employees.

It has just landed a €100 million order from Airbus to construct six new buildings. Having already built the assembly shop for the A380, it is now been contracted to build assembly shops for the A350 at Toulouse, Saint-Eloi, Saint-Nazaire, Stade, near Hamburg, and Llescas near Madrid.

The contract will benefit several Fayat regional affiliates, including Bordeaux-based Sarec at Floirac.

(Source : Sud-Ouest Eco 23 January 2009)

Plus d'info : www.fayat-group.com

New Laser and Plasma Institute in Bordeaux

The new Institut Lasers et Plasmas (ILP) has just come into being at Le Barp, south of Bordeaux, alongside the upcoming Megajoule Laser installation.

Thanks to the LIL (Laser Integration line) and the PETAL (Petawatt laser), Aquitaine has the greatest High-intensity laser capacity in Europe. As such, it is becoming a top-line attraction to all scientists and industrials in this field.

The new 1,500m2 research facility is open to researchers who are engaged in civil research programs under way at the CEA/ CESTA facilities.

The ILP is a national steering organization, whose mission is to promote, drive and coordinate programs in the field of high-intensity lasers and plasmas.

Plus d'info : http://www.ilp.u-bordeaux1.fr/index.php

Catherineau Expands

Bordeaux business jet interior outfitter Catherineau (100 employees) is on a strong climb path, having grown its turnover by 15% in 2008. The company will re-locate from its existing location in Bordeaux’s Bacalan district to a 13,000-m2 site on the brand-new Mérignac aviation industrial park, where it is constructing a 4,000-m2 plant, scheduled to come on stream in December 2009.

Catherineau will be investing €3 million on the buildings and €1 million on new machines. This relocation will mean hiring around 15 more people. A 1,260 m2 extension is already in the pipeline.

Major customers are DASSAULT(Falcon business jet), EUROCOPTER (Super Puma and Dauphin VIP helicopters), SOCATA (TBM 850), and AIRBUS (A319, A320).

(Source : Sud-Ouest 17 January 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.catherineau.com

Lectra Takes Another Step Forward in Fashion

Lectra, world leader in integrated solutions for the textile, leather and composites industries, whose production and R&D facilities are located in Bordeaux, has just announced an update for its PLM solution.

Designed for the fashion industry, the Lectra Fashion PLM V1R5 version has greatly improved functionality for managing the development of new collections, giving management teams increased control over performance. It offers a revolutionary and comprehensive solution to the handling of a collection and its products.

On another front, Lectra has just concluded a partnership agreement with ESMOD, a major player in the training sector of the fashion industry. Esmod runs 21 schools around the world, including five in France.

(Source : Company press release January 2009)

Bordeaux’s Pulling Power Confirmed

Like the rest of the Aquitaine region, the Bordeaux area continues to draw in new residents.

The latest census statistics rank Aquitaine as third among regions that have shown a strong increase in population since 1999. Over the last seven years, the region has gained 211,419 inhabitants, a hike of 7.3%, just behind Corsica and the Languedoc-Roussillon region.

In Aquitaine, the Gironde department, with a population of 1,421,659, is one of the most dynamic areas, with a population growth of 10.43%. Bordeaux, whose population has grown to 235,878 (up 7.7%), has consolidated its position as ninth among the top ten most attractive cities in France.

(Source : Sud ouest 10/01/09)

Naolys Attracts Big Time Cosmetics Players

Naolys, a startup created in Bordeaux in 2003 by a couple of toxicology researchers, produces natural vegetable root cells aimed at the major cosmetics houses, such as Carita, Décléor, Shiseido, Nuxe and Guerlain.

In 2008, Naolys should hit a turnover of more than $1 million and it aims to double that in 2009. Located at Cestas, near Bordeaux, the company extracts the natural active ingredients from roots, stems and leaves using its own patented process. Today, this is in great demand by the pharmaceuticals industry for use in anti-cancer and anti-thrombotic drugs.

Naolys can therefore produce unlimited quantities of pure active ingredient. Since these have not been subjected to any pollution, nor undergone any genetic modification, they perform in exactly the same way as those from the plant from which they came.

(Source : SUD-OUEST ECO 19 December 2008)

Euros Minted at Bordeaux

All French euro coins in circulation have been struck at Pessac in Bordeaux. The Paris Mint factory at Bordeaux which produces several million coins each year and sometimes as many as a billion, has a monopoly on the minting of coins.

It also mints euros on behalf of Malta and Luxembourg and, on occasion, strikes limited editions, such as those to commemorate the French presidency of the European Union.

It is currently engaged in striking coins to commemorate the tenth anniversary of European monetary union.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 2 january 2009)

Plus d'info : http://www.monnaiedeparis.fr

Bordeaux Wins the “Grand Prix National des Villes”

On the occasion of first National Concours of French cities, sponsored by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the City of Bordeaux has just been awarded a National Grand Prix for the all-round excellence of its downtown area.

Bordeaux shares this honor with four other cities with upwards of 400,000 inhabitants, out of a field of more than one hundred competitors. Bordeaux was classified as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2007. The Grand Prix is recognition of the achievements of the municipality, particularly with regard to its urban development program.

The National Concours award marks the re-awaking of the city, the makeover of the banks of the Garonne River and of the Old City, the social, commercial and cultural enhancements initiated by City Hall, transport improvements with the tramway and cycle tracks, the preservation and nurture of Bordeaux’s historic past, together with the environmental improvement programs.

Mayor Alain Juppé hails this new honor for his city : “This Grand Prix has rewarded the efforts made by all our citizens to reclaim the heart of our city and make downtown Bordeaux a welcoming and exciting place to be. I am overjoyed”.

Source : Press Release december 2008

Plus d'info : http://concoursnationaldesvilles.com

AIA Will Service Tiger Helicopter Engines

The AIA (Atelier Industriel Aquitaine), based near Bordeaux, specializes in the maintenance of military aero-engines.

They have just been given the OK to handle the maintenance contract for the turbo power units in the Tiger helicopter. MTR, constructor of the Tiger helicopter turbos, is a consortium of the UK’s Rolls Royce Aero-Engines, Germany’s MTU and France’s Turbomeca, based in Aquitaine.

AIA employs around 900 people in Bordeaux and forms part of the aviation sub-contracting network linked directly with the French Air Force.

(Source : AIR ET COSMOS - 19 December 2008)

Plus d'info : http://www.defense.gouv.fr.dga

IDIGAO Sets Up in Bordeaux

IDIGAO are designers of operational and management decision support software.

They have decided to set up a marketing office in Bordeaux.

The decision support software is essentially based on Microsoft’s tool SQL SERVER 2005 BI. The company also offers auditing and consultancy services to compile initial status reports, which are designed to place subsequent development projects in their proper context.

IDIGAO SAS expects to hire 10 more staff over the next three years ( Source : BRA press release 15 December 2008)

Plus d'info : http://www.indigao.com

Bordeaux University Revolutionizes Alzheimer Knowledge Base

There has been a significant leap forward in the study of Alzheimer’s, thanks to the efforts of two Bordeaux researchers, Jean-François Dartigues and Jean-Marc Orgogozo.

The two neurologists started their work on this Alzheimer project in 1988 when they were both interns at the Bordeaux University Hospital while at the same time, working in the university’s research labs.

20 years of research have brought to light the fact that initial problems can be detected ten years before the illness can be actually diagnosed.

This study has been circulated worldwide, achieving global currency. It will now serve as a basis for future research in this field, having been published in the learned journal “Annals of Neurology”.

(Source : Sud-Ouest - 16 December 2008)

Sanofi Launches Its New Data Handling Location

Sanofi Aventis has just relocated its entire IT control systems section, previously located at Saint-Loubès, to its Floirac site on the outskirts of Bordeaux. Sanofi employs 1,200 staff on four locations in Aquitaine. The new site will be handling the deployment, support and maintenance of all systems and applications involved in manufacturing and storage of the entire group’s plants and logistics centers.

(Source : Objectif Aquitaine - 28 November 2008)

Plus d'info : www.sanofi-aventis.com

Bordeaux Winegrowers Subscribe to Durable Development

98% of Bordeaux wine producers feel concerned about protecting the environment. An assessment of the industry’s carbon footprint has recently been produced with the aim of quantifying its ecological impact on the climate.

As a result of the findings of this study, the CIVB (the professional body governing viticulture in Bordeaux) has announced a 5-year plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15%.

The CIVB is now committed to reducing the Bordeaux wine-growing industry’s emissions by 30,000 tonnes over the next five years.

This will be brought about by various measures, including using lighter bottles and increasing efficiency in glass manufacturing ; by ensuring more efficient loads ; by increasing the use of sea transport from the Port of Bordeaux ; and cutting down on the use of fertilizers and other chemical products.

By taking this positive step to promote durable agricultural practices, winegrowers are demonstrating that they are fully behind the Environmental “Grenelle” (multi-party resolution, about to become law).

(Source : AQUI 20 November 2008)

Sunnco Sets Up in Bordeaux

Paris-based solar energy company Sunnco is planning a new office at Bordeaux-Mérignac to handle project management and customer relations. This will be its biggest facility in southern France. It will initially employ 40 people out of a total complement of 200, a figure that is scheduled to grow to 100 locally during the course of the next 12 months.

Sunnco has enjoyed rapid growth in its field, which covers the installation of solar energy systems, not only for private individuals, but also for companies and local authorities.

(Source : Les Echos 21 November 2008)

Plus d'info : http://www.sunnco.com/

Eolite Systems Keeps On Growing

Young laser technology innovators Eolite Systems, are currently operating on the campus of Bordeaux University at Photonics City.

They have just secured a new capital injection of $3.5 million from venture capitalists Oddo Asset Management and Bluebird Venture.

Eolite Systems has developed a high power pulsed fiber laser technology which opens the way to applications in sunrise industries, such as micro-electronics and flat screen manufacture.

Additionally, Eolite Systems has just signed a co-operative working agreement with British laser company Powerlase, which will exploit its customer base to market Eolite products in exchange for access to Eolite’s R&D resources.

(Source : APS 21 November 2008)

Plus d'info : http://www.eolite.com

Strato Compo Moving to Port-Médoc

Strato Compo, a 14-strong outfit currently operating outside Bordeaux in the Médoc, designs and manufactures components in composite materials. It is planning to build a brand new warehouse complex at Port-Médoc in 2009.

The new facility will cater to the sailing market, providing boat storage, repairs, a sail locker and a chandlery department.

At the same time, Strato Compo, which played an important role in the construction of the state-of the art trimaran Roucayrol, is aiming to set up a fully equipped boat yard.

(Source :Le Journal des Entreprises 17 November 2008)

Plus d'info : www.stratocompo.com

Prix Territoria – Bordeaux Gains a Double Award

The jury of the Prix Territoria has made a double award to the Mairie de Bordeaux – one for the development of public spaces and one for heritage promotion.

The City of Bordeaux won an award for its skate park on the downtown Quai des Chartrons, the biggest facility of its type in France. Spread over a total area of 2,350 m2, the complex is one of the most innovative outdoor spaces in the country. It provides surfaces for all ice sports with some unique layouts, including the first ever space dedicated to the under-10s.

By the same token, Territoria has recognized the work done by the Mairie de Bordeaux, which is carrying out an exhaustive analysis of the Bordeaux townscape and the current architectural stock.

The goal is to finalize an effective urban planning program designed to enhance and develop the city’s outstanding urban heritage.

(Source : Enews de Bordeaux 13 November 2008)

Stantum Goes International

Bordeaux company Stantum has built a very successful touch-screen technology business since its inception in 2002.

Its latest development is an interface that responds to several simultaneous finger touches, as well as reacting to a stylus.

This innovation is aimed at manufacturers of screens and semi-conductors.

The 21-strong Bordeaux team is one of the rare companies in this domain that has carried its innovative ideas to market. Currently riding high, it is just about to set up offices in Taiwan and California.

(Source : Sud-Ouest ECO 7 November 2008)

Plus d'info : http://www.stantum.com

Bordeaux World Capital of Virtual Reality

From 21 through 26 October, Bordeaux hosted two major gatherings of virtual reality experts : ACM VRST, held for the first time in France ; and the third series of Open Days organized by the French Virtual Reality Association.

These conferences have been organized under the auspices of a consortium comprising Bordeaux University 1, the National School of Electronics and Computer Sciences (ENSEIRB), the National Research Center (CNRS) in partnership with the BRA.

In the Aquitaine region in general and the Bordeaux area in particular, there has been a large body of virtual reality know-how for a number of years now, not only in the university research groups, but also in commercial companies, both large and small.

Both conferences were open to anyone involved with virtual reality techniques and who wished to get into and discuss the latest developments in this field.

Plus d'info : http://vrst2008.labri.fr (ACM VRS)

Epsilon Composites Goes International

Founded by Stephane Lull in 1987 at Gaillan-en-Médoc, near Bordeaux, Epsilon Composites has become world leader in carbon fiber, thanks to its advanced pultrusion and pullwinding processes, resulting in highly flexible mass production techniques.

The company turns out 300 tonnes of carbon fiber a year. It has a 100-strong team and a current turnover in the order of $20 million, which is doubling every three years. With the opening of an office in Japan and the setting up of subsidiaries in Germany and Italy, it is well on the way to implementing its international strategy.

Epsilon Composites is in the running for the “Aquitaine Company of the Year” award, sponsored by Sud-Ouest newspapers and the Banque Populaire du Sud Ouest.

(Source : Sud-Ouest Eco 17 October 2008)

Plus d'info : http://www.epsilon-composite.com/

Audemat Gains 2008 “Entreprise Internationale” Award

Audemat is a designer and marketer of leading-edge radio and TV broadcast equipment. Based at Mérignac with a staff of 110, it has just been nominated for the “Entreprise Internationale” award for South West France, organized by Ernst & Young and the Entreprise magazine.

Audemat has been selected from among “les plus belles enterprises de France”, on the basis of its independence, strong growth, and high profitability. It has thus hiked itself up from eleventh place in the South West.

Audemat has been certified to ISO 9001 standards for the last 10 years and has just obtained ISO 1401 certification.

(Source : Press release 15 October 2008)

Plus d'info : www.audemat-aztec.com

European Forum for Architectural Policies

More than 400 architects took part in the debates at the latest European Forum for Architectural Policies, which was held at the Arc en Rêve Architectural Center in Bordeaux.

How to reconcile durable development with urban expansion ; how to impose an environmental vision without being constrained by conventional construction practices ; determining the role of politics in urban development decisions ; such have been the issues under the spotlight at this international gathering of delegates and moderators.

The event brings with it the recognition of the Arc en Rêve Architectural Center as a very successful theatre for the Forum for European Architectural Policies, the only one organized by the Ministry of Culture within the framework of the French Presidency of the EU.

(Source : Le Moniteur Archi 16 October 2008)

Bordeaux Launches Green Parking Disk

The Green Disk is a new idea in France and Bordeaux is the first city to adopt it. This facility will provide 90 minutes’ free parking to ecologically friendly vehicles, such as electrics, hybrids, GPL users and car sharers.

One of the priority goals of Bordeaux’s Urban Project is to reduce the number of vehicles in the downtown area and to develop alternative ways of getting around.

With the advent of the tramway system and the new underground parking facilities, both moving around and parking are easier. Now, the aim is to reward those who operate “clean” vehicles.

(Source : Enews environment 6 October 2008)

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux.fr

Bordeaux-Quebec Links Extend into Video Games

Within the framework of its prospecting mission to Quebec last September, the BRA has enjoyed a positive strengthening of business ties between Quebec and the Bordeaux area, helped by the fact that Bordeaux and Quebec have been twinned since 1962.

The BRA was particularly keen to get something going in the video games sector, which is one of the bright stars in the Bordeaux and Quebec business firmaments. It is also not without significance that the Quebec company Frima has just opened its Bordeaux office.

The BRA has of late been instrumental in the setting up of other Quebec businesses, such as wind generator makers AAER and laser optics specialists Phasoptx in the Bordeaux area.

Several other companies from the province of Quebec have already set up affiliates in Bordeaux, namely Alcan from Montreal and Tembec from Quebec City. Conversely, about ten Bordeaux companies have set up affiliates in the province, including Abzac SA, Gaia Converter and Lectra.

(Source : Le Soleil, Quebec, 26 September 2008)

Decathlon Sets Up Logistics Platform near Bordeaux

France’s leading sports equipment retailer has decided to set up a new distribution center in the Bordeaux area.

Decathlon’s new regional distribution platform has just come on stream at Cestas, just south of Bordeaux.

This logistics hub will service its 20 megastores in the Aquitaine, Charente and Limousin regions. The depot represents an investment of $30 million and employs around 70 people.

The new development is helping to establish the Cestas-Canejan district as a specialist logistics area, following upon the recent opening of a 100,000 m2 depot for CDiscount .

(Source :Sud-Ouest 1 October 2008)

Plus d'info : www.decathlon.fr

Sogerma to Fit Out new Presidential Airbus

Nicolas Sarkozy’s new Airbus A330, a pre-owned version acquired by the French Government, will receive its presidential refit in the hangars of Sogerma Services at its Bordeaux-Mérignac plant.

It will replace the current presidential aircraft, an A319, providing more capacity and a much greater operating range.

The maintenance affiliate of TaT Sabena Technics, Sogerma Bordeaux is recognized for its longstanding expertise in fitting out VIP aircraft. The A330 is scheduled to arrive next spring for its year-long makeover.

(Source :Sud-Ouest 17 September 2008)

Plus d'info : http://www.sogermaservices.com

Exosun Targets Solar Energy Market

Young Bordeaux company Exosun designs, markets and installs solar energy systems for power stations.

It is setting its sights on the solar energy market worldwide. It has patented a process for tracking the sun from sunrise to sunset, automatically adjusting for seasonal variations.

The first pilot plant will be installed on the science park at Martillac, south of Bordeaux.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 12 September 2008)

Plus d'info : www.exosun.fr

ASI Informatique Sets Up in Bordeaux

Nantes company ASI Informatique is a software engineering house dedicated to providing company gateways. It has just set up its Bordeaux office at Bordeaux Lac.

Comments a company spokesperson, “From this local base, we are aiming to develop and consolidate our operations around groupware applications, corporate gateways, business intelligence and general consulting for clients in the South West”.

The Bordeaux office plans to hire 30 new staff by end 2009.

(Source : Corporate press release 1 September 2008)

Plus d'info : www.asi-informatique.fr

Another Capital Gust Fills Valorem’s Sails

After a capital injection of around $15 million in 2007, Bordeaux wind generator maker Valorem has just received a further capital boost of about $24 million from its existing backers, Crédit Agricole Private Equity, Avenir Grand Sud Ouest and venture capitalists Grand Sud Ouest.

Set up in 1994, the 60-strong company, based in the Bègles district of Bordeaux, has up to now simply installed generator projects. It is now moving seriously into the wind farming business, prospecting and developing its own wind farms. This diversification creates the need for a further capital injection.

In addition to that, Valorem has set up a joint venture with AAER, a Canadian wind generator manufacturer, who will be joining them in Bègles on the new Environmental Intelligence Park, where Valorem has just moved to newly converted premises in what used to be an Esso R&D unit. (Source : Les Echos 04/09/08)

Plus d'info : http://www.valorem-energie.com

McKesson Clinches two New Contracts

McKesson France, based near Bordeaux, provides hospital management systems. It has just landed two new contracts to add to its 250 installations already in place in major hospitals in France.

The Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier, the fifth largest teaching hospital, and the CHRU in Lille, another of the biggest teaching hospitals in France, will soon be applying McKesson’s know-how in handling their salary and social security payments and running their HR departments.

(Source : Flash Info 4 September 2008)

Plus d'info : www.mckesson.fr

New Bordeaux Process for Wine Bottle Authentication

Arcane, the technology transfer unit of the Center for Nuclear Studies at Gradignan in Bordeaux, has just signed an exclusive working agreement with The Antique Wine company, international dealers in fine wines, to deploy a new process for authenticating bottle glass using Ion Beam Analysis techniques.

After dating the wine by measuring the radioactivity levels of Cesium 137, the bottles are then screened through the particle accelerator.

The London-based Antique Wine Company can now offer its clients this new authentication service for very old bottles.

In the first instance, the working agreement will involve handling around 160 bottles from top chateaux and from the company’s own cellars. The second phase, starting in November 2008, will be setting up a French-registered company, Vincerte, to market this service to the industry at large.

(Source : National Scientific Research Center Press Release)

Saipol Makes New Investment on Bordeaux Site

Bordeaux oilseed processor Saipol has just brought a new semi-refining unit on stream. Altogether, Saipol has invested $110 million over two years on its new venture into biodiesel production.

The group has another presence in the Bordeaux region, in the guise of its affiliate Lesieur, an edible oil refinery employing around 100 people.

(Source : Les Echos 1 September 2008)

Plus d'info : http://www.saipol.net

Canadian Optics Group Sets Up in Aquitaine

Canadian optics company Phasoptix is planning to locate a photonics and optics R&D facility in Aquitaine, closely followed by a production plant.

Building on its existing expertise in optics, photonics and lasers, Phasoptix is launching into a new field of development - form-memorizing alloys for connecting optical fibers.

The project is scheduled to come to fruition in mid-2009. Aside from the wealth of technological expertise in the laser optics field available in Aquitaine, their interest was heightened by the close R & D relationship already existing between Phasoptix and laser manufacturers Amplitude Systems.

(Source : Press release 9 July 2008)

Two Bordeaux Architects Honored

The Grand Prix de l’Architecture 2008 has been awarded to two Bordeaux architects, Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal. At their meeting on 2 July at the ministry of Culture in Paris, the Jury selected them from a short-list of four.

The Grand Prix, the top distinction accorded to architecture in France, is awarded by the Ministry of Culture to architects who have spent their entire professional career in France.

In this instance, the projects submitted for consideration included the Archeological Museum in Saintes, the Architectural Center in Vienna, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Faculty of Management at Bordeaux University and the School of Architecture in Nantes.

(Source : Le Moniteur 4 July 2008)

Launch of New Business District in Bordeaux

The ‘Euratlantique’ project for redeveloping the area around the St Jean train station is now well under way.

It represents a major development for Metropolitan Bordeaux over the coming years. The construction of the Atlantic High Speed Rail Link to southern Europe will certainly see station traffic double, with an annual passenger throughput due to climb to 20 million over the next 10 years.

In bringing Bordeaux-Paris journey time down to 2 hours, the high-speed line will make this district one of the most important centers of tertiary activity in the entire Bordeaux conurbation. The business center is likely to create between 10-15,000 jobs.

The development has acquired official status as an ‘Operation of National Interest’ under the aegis of the EPA (Etablissement Public d’Aménagement), which has been set up to drive the project.

(Source : Les Echos 1 July 2008)

Lectra Opens Up In India

Bordeaux-based Lectra Group is world leader in integrated solutions for the flexible materials industry, employing 1,500 people world wide with a turnover of around $325 million.

It has just announced the setting up of a new affiliate in Bangalore, the high-tech capital of India.

The company will be targeting new business opportunities and seeking to consolidate relationships with existing clients by being close at hand. Lectra’s client base includes the apparel industry, footwear, fashion accessories, automotive and other industrial users.

(source : Press release 25 June 2008)

Plus d'info : www.lectra.com

IOTA set up in Bordeaux Laser Highway

IOGS, the Institute of Optics Graduate Scholl, has its HQ at Palaiseau, just outside Paris. Its Management Committee has decided unanimously to set up an office in Bordeaux.

This move carries with it a number of very real benefits :

• It enhances the overall excellence of scientific activity in Aquitaine and demonstrates the attraction of the Bordeaux university scene, where its powerful multi-disciplinary approach is exemplified by the Neurocampus project.
• It provides additional training facilities to Engineer’s, Master’s and Doctorate levels.

• It will add additional R&D strengths to the existing optics and lasers structure. The entire range of major Aquitaine projects in this field, such as the Megajoule Laser, the Petal Laser, the Alphanov Technology Center and the leading-edge startups will benefit from this.

The Aquitaine region has already invested around $50 million in this sector of activity.

(Source Press Release Aquitaine Council

Plus d'info : www.institutoptique.fr

New Distribution Center for ‘La Poste’

The new distribution center for La Poste, under construction at Cestas, near Bordeaux, is scheduled for handover in June 2009.

Costing $75 million with a payroll of 420, it will be one of the organization’s biggest sorting offices.

From this 10,000m2 site, it will handle the entire mail throughput for the departments of the Dordogne, the Lot-et-Garonne and the Gironde.

A dozen state-of-the-art machines can to handle 50,00 letters an hour, 150 a second. When it comes on stream in 2009, the center will operate 24 hours a day, six days a week, handling some 2,500,000 items a day.

The aspect of sustainable development has also been seriously addressed through providing improved road links, thereby reducing CO2 emissions by 10%.

By the same token, the building will qualify for the official HQE (High Environmental Quality) rating.

(Source :Sud-Ouest 19 June 2008)

Coframi Computer Services Hiring in Bordeaux

AKKA computer services affiliate Coframi operates from Bordeaux Mérignac with a current staff of 230.

Its specialty is the design and maintenance of onboard software systems. Its biggest customer is THALÈS, for whom it handles systems on the Airbus A380. Other important clients include EADS-ASTRIUM, C-DISCOUNT and SANOFI.

Including the 30 software engineers currently bring sought, Coframi plans to hire a total of 70 new people this year.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 20 June 2008)

Plus d'info : www.coframi.fr

Bordeaux’s Perolo Sets Up in China

Based in the Northern outskirts of Bordeaux, the Perolo Company is setting up a production plant at Lang Fang, near Beijing, in response to the explosion in the container market.

The company specializes in valves and cocks for tankers transporting hazardous liquids and is installing its first valve assembly line, mainly to supply its major customers China, International Marine Containers and Sigamas. Perolo set up a Chinese office two years ago.

It now gets more than one third of its total turnover from this market. With 110 employees currently, it will progressively increase its production capacity, while at the same time retaining its R&D facility back in France. www.perolo.com

(Source :Les Echos 17 June 2008)

SG Private Banking Sets Up in Bordeaux

SG Private Banking has just opened up a local office here, with the aim of strengthening its presence in the region. The unit will provide a wealth management service on behalf of the Société Générale group to its high net worth customers over the whole of the South West (Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées, Poitou-Charentes and the Limousin). SG personnel will be working closely with the bank at retail level in all its 270 branches throughout the region.

(Source : Newsmanagers 11 June 2008)

Plus d'info : www.sgprivatebanking.com

Wine Sciences Grouped in Bordeaux

The largest scientific building project in Aquitaine, the new premises for the ISVV (the Institute for Vine and Wine Sciences), will be completed by end 2008 on the campus of Bordeaux University.

The 10,000m2 building will house 250 researchers and a similar number of academic personnel selected from INRA (Agricultural Research Institute), ENITA (Agricultural Engineering Institute) and the Bordeaux School of Management.

Its activities will be focused on research, teaching and innovative work, and technology transfer. The new premises will foster a much greater level of synergy between researchers, students and technicians, making Bordeaux a point of reference at national level in this field.

One of the other programs allied to the vine and wine sciences sector is “Inno-vin”, a competitiveness cluster project, which could receive the official go-ahead in the next national round of project assessments, due to take place before the end of this current year.

(Source : Le Journal des Entreprises June 2008)

Plus d'info : http://www.isvv.fr/isvv/

Operation Campus –Bordeaux’s Winning Hand in HE Competition

The Bordeaux Research and Higher Education Center of Excellence is mounting an competition for inovation on the theme “Towards a New University Model”. Out of 46 submissions, the Bordeaux University project proposals are among the top six selected by the Ministry of Research and Higher Education. Marshalling the combined expertise of its four universities, three schools of Engineering and its Political Science Faculty, the Bordeaux University has wowed the jury.

Bordeaux will receive a grant of over $800 million to be spent on updating and restoring the fabric of the buildings, providing new student accommodation and improving the teaching facilities.

(Source : Educpro 30 May 2008)

Plus d'info : www.univ-bordeaux.fr/pres/

A Neurocampus at Bordeaux

Bordeaux is already recognized as a leading player in the field of neurosciences with particular emphasis on its cerebral research activities. It is well on the way to becoming the global capital in this domain.

Over recent years, Bordeaux’s status has attracted around 30 research units, both from France and from overseas, who have come to swell the ranks of the 400 or so researchers already gathered under the roof of the Francois-Magendie Institute.

The Aquitaine Regional Council has therefore now embarked on an ambitious Neuroscience research development project which will be sited at Bordeaux University and dubbed ‘the Neurocampus’

The project, with a budget of around $90 million, aims to provide the region with a scientific facility which covers all aspects of neurosciences under one roof. To this end, a 16,000 m2 dedicated building is under construction.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 23 May 2008)

Bordeaux Marks Quatercentennial of Twin City Quebec

Bordeaux’s relationship with Quebec is one of the most vigorous and active out of the 18 twinnings which Bordeaux enjoys.

The last 45 years have seen an enormous number of joint ventures, not only in the fields of culture and education, but also in the business sphere. In fact, both Bordeaux and Quebec have positively encouraged their various organizations to work closely together. It is in this atmosphere of close co-operation that Bordeaux has participated enthusiastically in the coordination of a vast program of events covering 35 projects in the cultural domain, in education and business.

In concert with the Quebec City Hall, Bordeaux has mounted a large number of activities in Quebec, born of the long-standing partnership between the key players in both cities.

(Source : Mairie de Bordeaux press release May 2008)

Plus d'info : http://www.bordeaux.fr

Quicksilver chooses GT Logistics

GT Logistics demonstrates once more its vigorous drive to diversify, this time into the textile industry.

Quicksilver Europe, world leader in outdoor apparel, has selected GT Logistics to set up the operating systems for its brand new distribution depot in the Alpine district of Isère. The 18,000m2 depot was built by Prologis, a specialist in logistics platforms.

To ensure the efficient running of the operation, between 40 and 50 GT staff are on secondment to Quicksilver. Such a tie-up with this global brand serves to underline their textiles expertise. Another feather in the cap of GT Logistics.

(Source : Company press release 16 May 2008)

Plus d'info : www.gt-sa.com

Aquitaine Benefits from German Group’s Expansion

The German group KSB, producer of industrial pumps and valves, is working in concert with Gaz de France, Technip and Eurodim via its affiliates in the Bordeaux and nearby Dordogne regions.

They are developing the ‘Connectis‘ system which enables the direct transfer of liquid methane at sea from a tanker without the need to use a land-based intermediary plant.

The 50-strong Bordeaux unit which is working on the valves and the control systems, has developed an automatic docking system, which has already been tested successfully at the Loire-Atlantique terminal.

(Source : Les Echos 14 May 2008)

Plus d'info : www.ksbgroup.com

Quiksilver chooses GT Logistics

GT Logistics demonstrates once more its vigorous drive to diversify, this time into the textile industry.

Quicksilver Europe, world leader in outdoor apparel, has selected GT Logistics to set up the operating systems for its brand new distribution depot in the Alpine district of Isère. The 18,000m2 depot was built by Prologis, a specialist in logistics platforms.

To ensure the efficient running of the operation, between 40 and 50 GT staff are on secondment to Quicksilver. Such a tie-up with this global brand serves to underline their textiles expertise. Another feather in the cap of GT Logistics.

(Source : Company press release 16 May 2008)

Plus d'info : www.gt-sa.com

Bordeaux spends $450 million to Ease Rail Bottleneck

The new railroad bridge project, recently completed under the direction of the RFF (French Rail Network), in preparation for the new Tours-Bordeaux-Hendaye high-speed (TGV) rail link is « the biggest urban rail project to be opened in France to date » according to the RFF.

In broad terms, it has soaked up $450 million, jointly financed by the RFF, the State and the various regional local authorities involved.

The works involved in connecting the bridge to the network in a record 72 hours constituted a massive technological and human challenge for the technicians directly involved. The teams swung the two sections of track from the Eiffel bridge, which spans the Garonne, onto the new bridge, constructed right alongside it. This new bridge will be carrying four tracks by end 2010, at which point, a notorious rail bottleneck will be cleared.

(Source : Usine Nouvelle 09 /05/08)

Bordeaux To Open Biopark in June 2009

The new science park will be dedicated to biotechnology and related research programs, together with the production of bio-medication products. From its 20-hectare site in Bordeaux suburb Pessac-Mérignac, it will operate under the aegis of the ‘PROD’INNOV’ cluster of competitiveness. The Bio-park comes within the framework of key projects initiated by Bordeaux as part of the development of competitive clusters.

The flagship project in the Biopark will be the Pre-manufacturing Center for Biodevelopment, which will gather together all start-up operations in a dedicated building.

(Source : La Lettre d’Innovation 25 /04/08)

Neurosciences Makes Great New Brain Discovery

In Bordeaux, two research teams from the Magendie Neurocenter have joined forces to exploit a major discovery in brain function after eight years of research.

Featured as front page news in the international review "Sciences", these Bordeaux research teams were the first to discover an information transmission mechanism in the nervous system. This will help with understanding certain cerebral pathologies associated with poor communication between neurones.

Today, Bordeaux’s Neurocenter can boast some of the world’s top performers among its research teams, neurobiologists and physicians

(Source : Sud-Ouest 11 April 2008)

Plus d'info : http://www.inb.u-bordeaux2.fr/index.php

Bordeaux Group Fayat gets into Road Ballast

Faced with increasing shortages of these materials, Fayat’s road construction affiliate Fayat Entreprise TP has decided to get into sourcing and marketing road ballast.

It is working in concert with Vinci affiliate Eurovia, which lays and maintains road networks. Together they will be sourcing ballast supplies from abroad. To this end, they have just formed an operating company, "Matériaux Portuaires Aquitains". Their first imports will be arriving from Scotland at Bordeaux-Bassens quay in about three months’ time.

The joint venture company is setting up a permanent 5-hectare storage and sales facility on a lot at Bassens, rented from the Port Autonome de Bordeaux.

(Source : Les Echos 18 April 2008)

Plus d'info : www.fayat-groupe.com

UK Group SAGE Forges Ahead in Bordeaux

British software engineers SAGE, having for some time made their presence felt in the Bordeaux area, are building on their operation here. Their core activity is management and client relations software. They have just opened a new office complex close to Bordeaux’s Mérignac Airport.

SAGE’s Bordeaux operation occupies third place globally in the field of management software. It already has a payroll of 180 which should grow to 260 over the next 24 months.

Over the last few years, it has become one of the most important regional operating hubs, not only for business services directed at the South West, but also for software development in general. In particular, it maintains two telecoms arms – one a marketing operation, and the other a customer hotline support facility serving Metropolitan France and francophone markets worldwide.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 16 April 2008)

Plus d'info : www.sage.fr

20 Successful Years for Bordeaux International School

Bordeaux International School has just celebrated its 20th birthday.

Much more than just a bilingual school, the BIS is truly international, accepting students from the world over. There are as many as fifteen nationalities currently attending the school.

Over the twenty years since its inception, the school and its staff have created a powerful and effective educational framework which has received massive accreditation, notably from the Council of International Schools, and which has been very positively recognized by all concerned.

For the future, the BIS will continue to offer expatriate children a school which is closely adapted to the needs of their international school career, at the same time continuously innovating and providing a happy and welcoming atmosphere for all.

(Source : BIS press release 15 /04/08)

Plus d'info : http://www.bordeaux-school.com

Bordeaux Architects Brochet Lajus Pueyo in China

Following upon successful projects in Paris and Houston, Bordeaux-based architects Brochet Lajus Pueyo have just landed a contract to build a winery at Peng Lai, in the Chinese province of Shandong.

It is a 10,000m2 complex, comprising the winery proper, offices, reception and a tasting hall.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 05/04/08)

Plus d'info : http://www.brochet-lajus-pueyo.fr/

Aquitaine Scores High in Foreign Investment

With 23 new projects announced in 2007, resulting in 1497 new jobs, the Aquitaine region now occupies sixth position in France. This is the highest position it has achieved to date.

Year on year, the region is increasing its strength in job creation and now accounts for 4.3% of new jobs created in France.

By the same token, Aquitaine is consolidating its position in terms of new firms setting up as well as existing ones that are expanding their operations here.

The Bordeaux area in particular and the Gironde department in general are acting as a powerful magnet for foreign investment into the whole region.

2007 has seen a strong progression on this front, with 525 new jobs created and eight new projects, including UK software house Logica (affiliate of Unilog) with 200 jobs and the Domaine de Haute Gardegan (US golf complex) creating 150 jobs.

(Source : BRA press release March 2008)

Rescoll Heads Up Aerospace Valley Project

Bordeaux company Rescoll is a Centre de Ressources Technologiques, which specializes in polymers, resins, adhesives and assembly techniques using adhesives. It has a staff of 24 and a 2007 turnover of around $2.5 million.

It is now heading up the SMILE project within the framework of the Aerospace Valley cluster of competitiveness, in company with Airbus and Dassault Aviation.

SMILE is a cooperative project aimed at developing innovative heat-based processes for fabricating metal aircraft components.

Rescoll is also involved in a vast European research program, New Bone, which is dedicated to developing new forms of prosthesis using composite materials.

(Source : Les Echos 31 /03/08)

Plus d'info : www.rescoll.fr

Bordeaux Airport Plans Dedicated Low-cost Terminal

Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport is planning a dedicated low-cost terminal, scheduled to open at end 2009. It will be able to handle 2 million passengers a year, which is the forecast traffic by 2017.

At this point, it should account for 40% of total traffic through Mérignac.

The development comes as a response to the rapid growth of this market sector, which has tripled in three years. Over the last few years, over a dozen new services, both continuous and seasonal, have been introduced, serving the UK, Scandinavia and Italy.

The $8 million investment is well justified, especially given future competition from the new TGV rail service starting in 2016, which will offer a 2-hour journey time from Bordeaux to Paris.

(Source : Les Echos 27 March 2008)

Bordeaux Laser Center Gains Innovation Award

The CELIA (Center for high–intensity Lasers and their applications) is a body under the joint aegis of Bordeaux University, the CEA and the National Research Center.

It is exclusively engaged in the field of high-intensity lasers and their application. It has just been awarded the INFI 2007 Trophy for innovation in the laboratory category, both in Aquitaine and at national level. Special mention was made of its innovative scientific strategy.

Dedicated to leading-edge technology transfer, CELIA has facilitated the creation of three companies. Since 2007, it has been part of ALPhANOV, the new optics and laser center within the « Route des Lasers » cluster of competitiveness.

CELIA has obtained four French patents since 2004, essentially in the field of new fiber optics technology in the medium high power sector. These patents, now extended internationally, bear witness to the marketing exploitation skills and the general pace of business in Aquitaine.

(Source : APS 22/03/08)

Plus d'info : www.celia.u-bordeaux1.fr

i2S Creates the Empreinte Foundation

i2S has distinguished itself as a pioneer in extreme-condition digital vision and image processing solutions for customers requiring high image quality, ever-higher camera performance and image processing systems that are increasingly intelligent and flexible.

Its operating divisions include i2S Linescan, surface inspection, quality control and process optimization systems ; i2S Digibook, digitization systems and solutions and compression software ; and i2S Vision recognized as the leader in high-end digital vision and image processing in France.

Now with the creation of the Empreinte Foundation under the aegis of the Institute de France, i2S is putting its knowhow to work to preserve and promote written and pictorial cultural heritage.

The first product of this heritage preservation technology will be rolled out at the year end with the appearance of the digitally based manuscript of Balzac’s « Illusions Perdues ». www.i2S.fr

(Source : Sud-Ouest 16 /03/08)

Plus d'info : www.i2s-vision.com

Bordeaux among Top 25 European Cities – Again !

For the second time running, the London Financial Times Foreign Direct Investment section has rated Bordeaux among the 25 most investor-attractive European cities in its 2007 classification of ‘Cities of the Future’.
Among the selection criteria for this were its business potential and the number of spectacular new projects which are on the stocks here. A great confirmation of the good rating achieved in 2006.

(Source : FDI Magazine March 2008)

Plus d'info : www.fdimagazine.com/cp/10/FDI 052-0...

Bordeaux – Capital of the Wine World

A unique event on the 2008 wine scene. Same time – April-May – same place – Bordeaux, France. Three outstanding wine events, each with its own special appeal :

Challenge International du Vin, at Bourg-sur-Gironde on 12 April. This will present 5,300 wines from the world over, to be appraised by at least 900 discerning palates.

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, in Bordeaux 12-18 April. This concours is held each year in a different city around the world. In 2008, it is the turn of Bordeaux. Here, 5,700 wines from all over the world will be presented.

Concours de Bordeaux-Vins d’Aquitaine, in Bordeaux 10 May. 3,000 wines from the Aquitaine region will be assessed by a distinguished panel of judges. This is the only event of its type which is committed to durable development.

(Source : Press Release CIVB)

Fleet-footed AUDEMAT gets « Gazelle » Award

Bordeaux company AUDEMAT has pioneered the development and marketing of state-of-the-art professional equipment for TV and radio broadcasters. It has just been granted the special recognition awarded to small businesses with exceptional growth records, dubbed ‘Les Gazelles’.

The year 2007 saw AUDEMAT’s payroll grow by 25%, bringing it up to 110 people, of whom 100 are in Bordeaux. Its turnover rose from around $13 million to more than $23 million over the same period.

An impressive demonstration by a vigorous and dynamic organization whose growth is based on export development and on a strategy of strong and sustained technological innovation. More than one third of the team is engaged exclusively on pursuing new technologies.

AUDEMAT is the only European company to have gained 11 awards for innovation over the last 8 years at NAB, the World Broadcasting Show at Las Vegas. The group has two affiliates, one in Beijing, China, since 2008, and the other in Miami, Florida.

(Source : Press Release 11/03/08)

Plus d'info : www.audemat-aztec.com

Bordeaux Launch for First French Wind Generators

The marriage between Canadian wind generator makers AAER and the Bordeaux consultants Valorem has born fruit in the form of a working agreement to set up a manufacturing base for wind generators in the Bordeaux area.

The plant will produce rotor blades and will employ some 200 people. An involvement of Composites Aquitaine, supplier of aviation composites, is also on the cards.

Valorem is a 33% stockholder in AAER SAS, a company set up to manufacture and market wind generators.

(Source : Les Echos 27 February 2008)

Plus d'info : www.valorem-eolien.com

Bordeaux Be Innovative at MIPIM 2008

The Bordeaux Region Development Agency (BRA) will once again have a major presence at MIPIM, the International Business Property Trade Show.

You will find us at the “Bordeaux Be Innovative” booth along with all the key representatives of the Bordeaux economy and property development.

Visit us at the Booth N°05.02-07.01 from 11 to 14 March 2008 in Cannes and give us the opportunity to show you the exciting major urban projects underway in the Bordeaux Region !

For further information, please contact Marie Laure DUFAU on +33 (0) 617 015 729

Plus d'info : www.mipim.com

The BRA to Participate in Logistics Show

The BRA, Bordeaux’s economic development agency, will be exhibiting for the first time at SITL (International Trucking and Logistics Week), due to take place at Paris Villepinte, 11-14 March. This will be the show’s 25th year.

The BRA aims to promote Bordeaux to leading logistics players as a vital transport and distribution hub. It will presenting the vast array of warehousing and depots and the extensive logistics infrastructure already in place, together with major logistics projects in hand or projected throughout the Greater Bordeaux region.

In this, the BRA is strongly backed up by a number of interested organizations,including local authorities ; the Agence d’Urbanisme ; the commercial realty companies ; the Port of Bordeaux ; RFF, the French rail network authority ; Bordeaux Airport ; the CERTA (regional logistics co-ordination body) ; and the Union Maritime et Portuaire de Bordeaux.

Contact William Ballue – Hall A5, Stand P113

Plus d'info : http://www.salon-sitl.com

Getrag Ford Supports Cologne Plant

The Getrag Ford plant at Bordeaux (850 employees) manufactures manual gearboxes for the Fiesta and Focus models.

It has just won an inter-company order to supply 400,000 gearwheels annually to ease the pressure on Ford’s plant in Cologne.

The components will go into gearboxes destined for Cologne’s production of Mondeo, Galaxy and S-Max models. Getrag will be spending well over $2 million on new machine tools to handle this order, which will additionally offer them greater production flexibility.

All in all, over the next few years, Getrag plans to invest around $14 million in its Bordeaux Blanquefort plant.

(Source :L’Usine Nouvelle 15 /02/08)

Plus d'info : http://www.getrag-ford.com

Europlasma Crystalizes Another Deal in Far East

Bordeaux high-tech hazardous waste vitrifier Europlasma has already installed several of its systems in Japan. It has now moved on to South Korea, where it is about to install a new plant, some 40 kilometers out of Seoul.

Europlasma’s Bordeaux plant for vitrifying hazardous waste materials using plasma torch technology has already been operating for some time.

(Source : Les Echos 13 /02/08)

Plus d'info : www.europlasma.com

Growth of Client Service Call Centers

Client service call centers are now big business in the Aquitaine region, employing around 7,000 people, for the most part in the Bordeaux area.

Aquitaine is the third most important French region in this sector, the biggest employers being Téléperformance, Laser Cofinoga and Ecureuil Assurances (Caisse d’Epargne).

A further call center is currently on the stocks, which is due to employ another 300 people.

(Source : La Vie Economique 6 /02/08)

Fiber-optics Expertise Concentrates in Bordeaux

With the construction of the Megajoule Laser site at CEA/Cesta, outside Bordeaux, allied to its stated goal of developing a solid fiber-optics industry here, the Bordeaux-Gironde region now has the strongest technological potential in this domaine in Europe.

The Cité Photonique has gathered many small leading-edge specialized laser and photonics businesses in its 4-hectare technology park on the campus of Bordeaux University.

Here they can exploit all the available R&D facilities to achieve critical mass.

Such is the case of Eolite, one of the earlier arrivals. It is handling a large number of projects, for the most part from the Far East. It will shortly be joined by Cordouan Technologies, which is about to roll out an optical spectrometer.

The latest comer, Laser 3S, specialist in medical lasers, is about to relocate from Paris in order to get access to all the expertise available at Bordeaux University.

(Source : Usine Nouvelle 07 /02/08)

Véolia sets up Shipbreaking Yard in Bordeaux

Aquitaine waste handlers Véolia Propreté are about to inaugurate a shipbreaking operation which will be unique in France.

This will be at Bassens, in the Port of Bordeaux. Scrap metals reclaimed will be shipped out by sea for recycling in the metallurgical industry. Almost 500,000 tonnes of scrap will be handled here over the next 10 years.

In Aquitaine, Véolia is already engaged in reclaiming metals coming from other trades.

(Source : MER ET MARINE 29 /01/08)

Plus d'info : www.onyx-so.com

iCognitive Europe Sets Up in Bordeaux

iCognitive Europe, international consultants in supply chain management, has just set up a branch in Bordeaux to service local and regional clients, providing consultancy, training and research facilities. Supply chain management is a strategic, tactical and operational optimization tool. It is a vital factor in improving profitability and in providing a competitive edge.

In this context, iCognitive offers local and regional organizations a range of tailor-made services designed to achieve profitable and durable development. iCognitive expertise has already made its mark in Asia and beyond, since it is actively present throughout the world. With the head office located in Singapore, iCognitive has affiliate offices in China, Malaysia and Canada. The company is currently spreading its activities throughout France and the rest of Europe.

(Source : BRA News 02/08)

Chinese Group Longhai Buys Chateau Latour Laguens

The Longhai International Trading Co.Ltd is a real estate group founded in 2001, with its HQ at Quingdao, between Beijing and Shanghai. It has just acquired Chateau Latour Laguens, a wine property in the Entre-Deux-Mers region, southeast of Bordeaux. Latour Laguens makes wine in both the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur categories and produces 160,000 bottles a year from 30 hectares of vines.

Back in Quingdao, Longhai is constructing a Palace of Wine to feature wines of the world, and at least a part of Chateau Latour Laguens’ production will be featured here.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 29/01/08)

Plus d'info : www.latourlaguens.com

Laser Contact Presses on with Growth in Bordeaux

The Laser Contact Client Relations Center, set up in Bordeaux in 2001, is now expanding and hiring a further 120 people.

An affiliate of the Laser Group, the company has chalked up a 40% turnover hike in 2007, while the outsourcers market has increased from 7% to 8%.

Laser Contact has 300 employees, for the most part client consultants. Its client list includes EDF and GDF, Laser Cofinoga and other French household names, plus Telecom Italia.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 25 /01/08)

New Hiscox Operations Center for Bordeaux

With a regular annual growth rate of 10% over the last 10 years, specialist insurer Hiscox has just passed another milestone in its development.

As of 4 February, Bordeaux will be home to the Hiscox France operations center which will handle agent services. The choice of Bordeaux was a natural one, given the intensity of its university and business activity and its overall quality of life.

From this office, agents will handle the writing of policies, all levels of accounting and settlement of claims. By the same token, business written by partners and affiliated groups will be handled by a dedicated team also based in Bordeaux.

The new setup forms a vital part of the Hiscox strategic plan. A British company, Hiscox is committed to a high growth strategy and aims to increase its payroll from 65 in 2007 to around 200 by 2015.

(Source : BRA News 30/01/08)

Sogerma Services and Thalès Combine to Score

Two Bordeaux companies, Sogerma Services (TAT-Sabena Techics affiliate) and Thalès (onboard avionics), have just won contracts from the Délégation Générale pour l’Armement to refurbish 14 C-130 transports for the French Air Force.

Sogerma Services is fully embedded into the aviation wing of the Aerospace Valley cluster. Gaining this contract will strengthen the company’s position at its Bordeaux location and will enable it to bid for the main Operational Maintenance contract for the French C-130 fleet. This will in turn safeguard Sogerma’s maintenance activities on its site at Mérignac.

In terms of employment and workload at Sogerma and Thalès, the contract is worth the equivalent of about 100 jobs over a three-year time span.

Additionally, Thalès has just been appointed by Airbus to handle onboard image displays for the upcoming A350.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 22/01/08)

Aquitaine Still Favorite with the British

The France Show 2008, the specialist realty show recently held in London, has just provided further confirmation of the continuing popularity of South West France for the British.

Low-cost air links to Bordeaux and Bergerac, together with lower real estate prices on this side of the Channel have combined to re-inforce this attraction.

The director of agents ORPI was in London to sell South West building lots and homes. « We start by selling the region », he explains.

A Bordeaux construction company, André Beau, whose client base is 10% British, has just opened a permanent London office.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 21/01/08)

Bordeaux the Migration Magnet

The Aquitaine region in general, and Metropolitan Bordeaux in particular, continue to exert their attractions. The quality of life here appeals not only to retired people, but also to those in mid-career.

Between 2000 and 2005, there has been an annual population influx of 17,000 from other regions. This figure includes 3,600 retirees and 7,500 people in active occupations.

Overall, Aquitaine ranks third among regions with a positive population increase and fourth in the employed sector. Newcomers in this younger (27-40) group are mainly from the the Paris Basin. The population in Greater Bordeaux is now approaching 1 million. This growth is the result of the vigorous activity of its elected representatives, the general environment and the basic attraction of Bordeaux itself.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 17/01/08)

Plus d'info : http://www.insee.fr/fr/

New Bordeaux Center for INRIA

INRIA, the National Institute for Computer and Automation Research, is opening a new research center in Bordeaux.

INRIA is the only research body in France exclusively dedicated to communications sciences and information technology (CIT) and plays a determining role in such fields as telecoms networks and multimedia ; software systems and complexes ; and simulation, modeling and visualization.

As of 1 January 2008, three new centers will come on stream – in Bordeaux, Lille and Saclay. In Bordeaux, the center will be located on the campus of Bordeaux University.

Its particular mission is to develop a strategy for innovation and technology transfer, specifically within the framework of the world class competitiveness cluster Aerospace Valley, and also in close liaison with the universities, the top technology institutes in Aquitaine and the labs of the National Research Center.

Bringing together 14 research teams with a total of 250 staff, the center is based on a protocol of co-operation signed with the Aquitaine Regional Council.

(Source : Journal du Net 14/01/08)

Plus d'info : http://www.inria.fr/bordeaux/

Bordeaux Shortlisted for 2013 Cultural Capital of Europe

The European jury has selected Bordeaux, along with Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse, among the eight French cities shortlisted for the title of Cultural Capital of Europe 2013, for which the final selection will be made at end 2008. This is the fruit of a combined effort to promote the advantages of the city, its metropolitan area, and the entire region.

The project team is led by Richard Coconnier, co-director of the Theatre Nationale de Bordeaux in Aquitaine, and the sponsoring committee is chaired by Vaira Vike-Freiberga, ex-President of Latvia, whose contribution adds a true European dimension to the Bordeaux bid.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 20/12/07)

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux2013.com

Aerospace Thrives in Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrénées

INSEE, the French Institute for Economic studies, has recently carried out the first comprehensive study of the aerospace industry covering the regions of Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrénées.

The study was commissioned at the request of the Aerospace Valley cluster of competitiveness to evaluate the sector, which accounts for more than 100,000 jobs in Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrénées, covering both large national corporations and smaller local companies. In spite of the financial climate, the aviation sector has held up very well as regards employment and has record order books, notably in the space sector.

In 2006, although employment only grew by 2.2% overall in the two regions, the aerospace sector, by contrast, showed a growth of 4.1%. This is most pronounced in engineering and R&D.

Manufacturing sub-contractors achieved a hike in turnover of 12.4% over the same pperiod.

(Source : L’Usine Nouvelle 19 /12/07)

A New Bank is Born

The Caisse d’Epargne Aquitaine Nord Region is combining with its neighbors in the Pays de l’Adour and Poitou-Charentes to form a new entity, the Caisse d’Epargne Aquitaine Poitou-Charentes.

The new group will rank Number Three in the national Caisse d’Epargne hierarchy and brings together 300 branches with a total payroll of 3,000. It is in the top three for net banking surplus ($700 million in 2006) and in the top five for equity capital. Territorially, it is the largest banking group in the area.

The Head Office will be located in Bordeaux. It will house the departments of Finance, Auditing, Risk Management, Continuous monitoring and Compliance management. The Bordeaux region, in company with the southern part of the Landes, the Basque Country and the La Rochelle area, constitutes the main core of growth within the new entity.

(Source : Les Echos 17/12/07)

Lectra Gains Japan Award

Lectra is the foremost provider of hardware and software to the textile, leather and supple materials industries throughout the world.

It has just been awarded the 2007 prize as top French investor in Japan by the AFII (Agence Française pour les Investissements Internationaux). This award affords material recognition to French entrepreneurs who set up successful affiliates and/or marketing operations on the Japanese archipelago.

For their significant contribution to the economic development of both countries, two Japanese companies (NTN Corporation and Diakin) together with two French ones(Lectra and MC Decaux) have been selected to receive this honor, now being awarded for the fourth successive year.

(Source : company press release 15/11/07)

Plus d'info : www.lectra.com

Merck Serono, 20 Years of Growth

In 1987, startup Sorebio saw the light of day in the Martillac Science Park, Bordeaux. In 2004, it was absorbed into the Swiss group Serono to develop the specialist skills needed to come up with biotechnology-based medications.

Today, as part of the German group Merck-Serono, the company is unique in France. In the corporate context, it fits neatly between R&D and pharmaceuticals production.Its specialty is the development of production processes for proteins used in clinical trials.
The ultra-modern plant has just tripled its capacity through the addition of new rooms equipped with powerful bioreactors and through the automation of every stage of cellular culture.

The workforce is growing steadily and two-thirds of the current team of 70 are employed directly on process development and the production of pilot batches.

(Source : Usine Nouvelle 29/11/07)

Plus d'info : www.merckserono.fr

Menway International Sets Up in Bordeaux

HR consultancy and employment agency Menway International Group announces the opening of its Bordeaux Office.

« In opening its Bordeaux office, Menway International Grand Sud-ouest is taking a significant step in providing its Bordeaux clients with innovative methodologies and a skills platform which will help them recruit the best talent and to guide individuals through periods of change or career development », states Corinne Cabanes, South West Regional Director.

With a turnover of around $3.3 million, blue-chip clients, more than 2,000 people on their books and a service prospectus which covers recruitment, change and transition management and career development, the Menway International South West agency has more than succeeded in its bid to become a recognized player in the field.

(Source : Company press release 10/12/07)

Plus d'info : www.menway.com

Bordeaux the Airbag City

In 2007, Bordeaux has, for the second time, hosted IPASS, the World Congress for Pyrotechnics in Automotive Safety, which is dedicated to pyrotechnics applications in the auto industry. It brings together pyrotechnics companies with the necessary know-how to save lives in traffic accidents. Auto makers present were Peugeot and Citroën, with suppliers including Autoliv and Zodiac, together with various research organizations.

Bordeaux’s SNPE Matériaux Energétiques is a leading European manufacturer of pyrotechnic materials whose instantaneous combustion releases gases to inflate airbags on impact. It supplies 40% of the charges fitted by world leader Autoliv and is working on new pyrotechic materials for applications such as automatic hood releases.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 28/11/2007)

Plus d'info : www.sme-propulsion.com

Rhodia Creates New Innovation Center at Bordeaux

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the inauguration of the Pierre-Gilles de Gennes Nobel Prize for Physics, chemicals giant Rhodia has announced the creation of the Pierre-Gilles Innovation Center (Pôle Innovation) on its Pessac site, near Bordeaux.

This Center already houses the Laboratory of the Future (le Laboratoire du Futur) a consortium involving Rhodia, the National Research Center and Bordeaux University 1, with close support from the Aquitaine Region and the State. It is internationally recognized for its achievements in developing original miniaturized testing procedures.

The goal of the Innovation Center is to become the development platform for Rhodia’s major new innovative thrusts. It will be supported by a veritable nursery of talent in the fields of physico-chemistry and microtechnology.

(Source : La Lettre Innovation 15 /07/07)

Plus d'info : www.rhodia.com

Ceva Santé Animale to Set Up Libourne Operation

Ceva Santé Animale is a global manufacturer and distributor of animal pharmaceuticals, pet medication and programs to combat infectious diseases among animals. In 2006, Ceva had a payroll of 1,800, of whom about 500 are employed in the Bordeaux area. Ceva plans to strengthen its presence here by building a 3,500 m2 distribution facility, creating another 50 jobs.

It will take over part of the old premises of swimwear manufacturer Arena in Libourne. The rest of the site will be used by the Libourne local authority to set up a nursery for small businesses. « The idea is to provide a home for a number of small companies who work for Ceva and who have an interest in being in close proximity to it », stated a spokesperson. These would consist of suppliers, laboratories and university research units.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 19/11/07)

Plus d'info : www.ceva.com

New Investment Program for Michelin’s Bordeaux Operation

Michelin has announced a multi-million-dollar expansion program at its synthetic rubber plant at Bassens, near Bordeaux. This will increase production capacity from 160,000 to 200,000 tonnes.

The plant has a payroll of around 400, and will achieve the 25% production increase during 2009.

This expansion will enable the plant to meet the increasing demand by Michelin’s tire manufacturing plants, particularly those serving developing countries. It also reinforces the importance of the Bassens site, where an R&D team dedicated to developing new formulations has recently arrived from the company’s HQ in Clermont-Ferrand.

(Source : Les Echos 19 /11/07)

Plus d'info : www.michelin.fr

Cortix Grabs Deloitte Technology Fast50 Award

The Deloitte Technology Fast50 Award is designed to promote companies who have successfully demonstrated their ability to grow steadily and consistently in a constantly changing technological environment.

Bordeaux internet site creator Cortix has just received the 2007 award as the best performing company in the South West.

With a hike in turnover from $13 billion in 2006 to around $20 billion currently, and with new domestic offices opened in Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Caen and Paris, it has had a pretty good year.

Elsewhere in Europe it is continuously expanding. It aims to have 57 new offices by end 2010. The team is also expanding constantly, with staff numbers increasing by around one hundred a year. (Source Flash Info 19/11/07)

First Atlantic Truck Rail Link Planned for 2009

In Bayonne, in the Southwest, a new depot terminal concept is now under way for loading complete truck rigs onto special low-loader rail wagons for long-distance trunking. The key component in the program is the MODALHOR company, makers of ultra-low rail wagons designed to carry big trailers.
The rail link will serve the Paris area and Lille, with the trip taking 9-13 hours to complete. Two return trips a day will be scheduled both to Paris and to Lille, 7 days a week.

The medium term goal is to ship 2,000 trucks a day.

(Source : Sud-Ouest, 17/11/07)

AT Internet Consolidates Internationally

Bordeaux software house AT Internet (payroll 700), designers of internet audience measurement program Xiti, is now building on its expansion into Spain and Canada, having just opened a Frankfurt office, with a Chinese office scheduled for 2008.

« On the one hand, we are providing an on-the–spot service to our big international clients, such as Total and Air France, and on the other, we can now address important new national markets which are growing fast », comments Mathieu Llorens, Service Development Manager.

XiTi was launched in 2000 as a leased product. It provides a consultancy package as a decision-making tool. The product has been taken up by around 300,000 clients worldwide. This current year’s converts include Mercure Hotels, banking group Caisse d’Epargne, Jet Tours, media and aerospace group Lagardère and Sony Music.

(Source : Mid e-news 13 /11/07)

Plus d'info : www.atinternet.com

Bordeaux at Paris November Business Realty Show

The Bordeaux Economic Development Agency, BRA, will be showing Bordeaux’s realty wares at the coming SIMI (Salon de l’Immobilier d’Entreprise), from 28-30 November at the Paris Palais des Congrès.

This is a first time for the BRA at the show. The 30-m2 exhibit will be supported by the presence of leading players in the field, the Agence d’Urbanisme and the Observateur de l’Immobilier d’Entreprises.
The goal is to raise awareness and promote the attractiveness of Bordeaux by presenting the major development projects in hand here, in partnership with investors and venture finance organizations.

Plus d'info : http://salons.groupemoniteur.fr/simi

Thalès Signs with ATR

The Bordeaux group Thalès, fabricators of onboard avionics, has just landed a big order from Franco-Italian company ATR, world leaders in turboprops.

The Thalès Bordeaux unit (payroll 1,000) will be supplying all the flight deck electronics for the new version of ATR’s regional transport aircraft, the ATR 42 and 72. Several hundred of these are scheduled to be constructed over the next ten years.
In total, the order will be worth around $400 billion, greatly to the benefit of the Bordeaux plant.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 29/10/07)

Plus d'info : www.thalesgroup.com

Bordeaux Now Home to World’s Biggest Pharmacy

The organization Pharmacies Sans Frontières has just set up in Bordeaux. Currently at the recruiting stage, it is located in 500-m2 offices in the Chartrons district. The relocation in Bordeaux of the International Committee of PSF is the result of the growing presence in the Bordeaux area of several organizations of this type, including Médecins Sans Frontières Logistique, Agrisud (economic aid for developing countries) and IFIAD (Institute for the Training and Support for Development Initiatives).

On the initiative of the BRA, a sponsorship appeal was launched to raise money to acquire offices. To date, around 40 Bordeaux companies have responded positively to this appeal and they have subsequently become official partners in PSF.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 23 /10/07)

Plus d'info : www.psfci.org/new/index.htm

2007 Silver Shield Award for Bordeaux Architects

Construction trade publication Le Moniteur has named two Bordeaux architects as winners of their 2007 “Equerre d’Argent” award. They are Nathalie Franck and Yves Ballot, in conjunction with the CUB, the Bordeaux City Authority who were the project managers.

The project consists of the refurbishment and extension of the Nuyens school complex in the Bastide District on the right bank of the Garonne.

The architects have opted for a glass and metal interpretation for the extension, while retaining the original Bordeaux Stone for the existing parts.

(Source : Le Moniteur 23 /10/07)

New Ultra-modern Bordeaux Location for Terralys

Terralys, affiliate of the Suez Environnement Group, has just initiated a $9 million program to set up a model waste-handling and biomaterial recovery plant. It is known as the “Terres d’Aquitaine” (Lands of Aquitaine).

The unit will be the only one of its type in France with the capability of handling all kinds of waste material. It has its own compost-making line and its own purification plant. Thanks to the many technical checkpoints, the process provides total traceability for every truckload arriving.

(Source :La Lettre Enviro2b 16/10/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.terralys.fr

Innovative Hotel in the Heart of Bordeaux

Bordeaux architects King Kong are about to release their design proposals for a de luxe hotel, whose white facade will be created entirely from Corian®, a world first.

The architects at King Kong have envisioned a slightly crazy sculptural concept, which is a complete break, and at the same time, perfectly in sympathy with the ‘City of Stone’ spirit that is fundamental to the architectural character of Bordeaux. As they say themselves, it is “an architectural project which is innovative, of matchless quality and which is totally in step with the mood of the city and those who value it.”

The facade of the Hotel Seeko’o (“glacier” or “iceberg” in Inuit) is basically smooth and white, which throws into relief the sculptural character of the building. Add to this the regular punctuation of the windows, its highlights and its shadows, and the sculptural effect is enhanced beyond measure.

(Source : Le Moniteur 11/10/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.seekoo-hotel.com/

Aeroparc Gets Under Way

The Aeroparc Project, a dedicated industrial park for aviation companies, is well in hand near Bordeaux’s Mérignac Airport.

In 2008, the first phase will commence on a 50-hectare site and there are already existing commitments for several projects, such as Dassault’s new assembly shop for the Falcon business jet ; a 3,000-m2 cabin outfitting shop for Etablissements Catherineau ; a new engineering facility for the Altep Group ; and new studio facilities for TDM Design.

Up to 4,000 new jobs should result from this project.

(Source : Sud-Ouest Eco 12 /10/07)

i2s keeps On Innovating

Bordeaux company i2s is an acknowledged leading edge operator and market leader in the fields of visualization and image processing.
Having already achieved official certification as an “Entreprise Innovante” by venture capitalists Oséo Anvar, they are about to float on the specialist innovator market Alternext.
For more than 20 years now, i2S has produced outstanding imaging solutions in such diverse applications as sport, aerospace, security and historic document preservation. Among their innovations are extreme-condition digital cameras ; techniques for the conservation of ancient texts using high-resolution scanning and image processing techniques and process control systems for industry.

And at i2S, with its 50-strong team and a turnover of around $18 million, innovation rolls on. Their market flotation should boost capital value by several million euros, thereby enabling the company to continue its high level of investment in R&D and allow it to make strategic acquisitions in allied fields, both in France and elsewhere.

(Source : Les Echos 8/10/07)

Plus d'info : www.i2s-vision.com

New Bordeaux Claims Facility for Ecureuil Assurances IARD

As part of its programmed expansion plans, insurers Ecureuil IARD have just opened a new building on the Saint-Exupéry Business park by Bordeaux Airport.

This will house two new sections of its claims handling operations – an accident claims processing unit and a client reception center for processing damage insurance contracts. The project will generate more than 100 jobs locally.

Ecureuil IARD has been operating in Bordeaux since 2000 from its center at Martillac near Bordeaux. This latest move makes the company a leading Bordeaux employer, with nearly 300 staff operating from these two locations.

(Source : Company press release 21 /09/07)

Plus d'info : www.groupe.caisse-epargne.com

New Bordeaux-Frankfurt Air Link

As from 28 October 2007, Lufthansa will be offering a 3-times-daily direct service between Bordeaux and Frankfurt. Frankfurt is a major European hub that serves a large number of international routes, including numerous trans-Atlantic destinations.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 16 /09/07)

GT Logistics Goes for External Growth

Bordeaux Group GT Logistics, with a payroll of 1,300 and a turnover of around $12 million, is expanding. Its core business is primarily logistics and customized transportation. Since acquiring Marseilles co-packaging company CSL two years ago, its strategy has been to go for external growth. This acquisition was hence followed by Janssens Logistique and cosmetics packager Promo Caf, both in the Paris area. Now, in pursuit of the same strategy, there are acquisitions currently in hand for some larger companies.

GT Logistics accounts for some 30% of group turnover and this is reflected in the powerful image that it enjoys in its core business.

(Source : Usine Nouvelle 06/09/07)

Plus d'info : www.gt-sa.com

Bordeaux Hosts Franco-Chinese Get-together Again

Following upon the success of the initial event in 2005, the second Rencontre Franco-Chinoise will again be held in Bordeaux 22-23 November 2007. The event is organized on the initiative of local authorities in both countries who are keen to share their experiences in urban development on the one hand and their hopes for the future on the other. Around 500 delegates are expected here, comprising senior local elected representatives from both countries, accompanied by university and business delegations.

Operating under the overall theme “Durable development for a harmonious society”, four themed workshops are scheduled.

On the fringes of the Rencontres, there will be a specific program of business meetings for the Chinese CEOs accompanying their political colleagues. Key sectors will be environmental protection and the four clusters of competitiveness in Aquitaine – aerospace, lasers, maritime pine technology and product innovation.

(Source :Mairie de Bordeaux press release 08/09/07)

Bordeaux Trains Wine Brains of the Future

The new Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences of Bordeaux (ISVV) is now arising on the campus of the National Agricultural Research Institute in Bordeaux.

As from the fall of 2008, the new 11,000 m2 four-storey building will be home to 200 researchers and technical staff and hundreds of students. The objective is to gather together under one roof all the teams involved in research, academic teaching and technology transfer related to the vine and wine industry, making Aquitaine the universally recognized region for viticulture and a world leader in wine-growing know-how.

Three research themes will form the main thrust of the Institute’s activities (enology, physiology, polyphenols and related health issues).

Interdisciplinary teams will be recruited from members of various university faculties.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 03/09/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.isvv.fr

Bordeaux inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

The World Heritage Committee inscribed 22 new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during its ongoing session in Christchurch in June.

The historic centre of Bordeaux, Port of the Moon, the port city in south-west France, is inscribed as an inhabited historic city, an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble, created in the age of Enlightenment, whose values continued up to the first half of the 20th century, with more protected buildings than any other French city, except Paris.

It is also recognized for its historic role as a place of exchange of cultural values over more than 2,000 years, particularly since the 12th century due to commercial links with Britain and the Low Lands.

Urban plans and architectural of the early 18th century onwards place the city as an outstanding example of innovative classical and neo-classical trends and give it an exceptional urban and architectural unity and coherence.

Its urban form represents the success of philosophers who wanted to make towns into melting pots of humanism, universality and culture.

Plus d'info : http://whc.unesco.org/fr/list

Europlasma Diversifies into Electric Power

Bordeaux toxic waste vitrifier Europlasma is setting up a power generating operation using biomass gasification. The new venture has been funded by the Crédit Suisse group, which bought into the company last June. This diversification project will get under way with the installation of an initial gasification plant at Morcenx, south of Bordeaux.

Since its inception in 1990, Europlasma’s activities have devoted to developing and applying plasma torch technology to vitrification.

(Source : Les Echos 07/08/07)

Plus d'info : www.europlasma.com

Vermilion to Strike it Rich near Bordeaux

After a year of seismic tests, Canadian oil company Vermilion is to sink an exploratory well 50km north of the Arcachon Basin. This is the first offshore operation on the Atlantic seaboard.

Vermilion, France’s leading oil producer, is already operating on another site in the Landes area, south of Bordeaux.

The new site will require an initial investment of $30 million. The field has an estimated potential of 38,000 barrels a day. If they go ahead as planned, Vermilion expect to invest around $630 million over 10 years to get it on stream.

They will be handling the project from offices that they have set up in Le Verdon, at the Port de Bordeaux.

(Source : La Vie Economique 02/08/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.vermilionresources.com/h...

Asobo Expands

Founded in 2002 in Bordeaux by a group of ex-Kalisto employees, video games designers Asobo have just landed some important new business.

The company is still in the hands of the original management team and has established a strong stake in games aimed at very young audiences and featuring animals.

They have already had great success with titles such as “Super-Farm”, “Sitting Duck” and “La Momie”. They have just delivered their interactive game based on the Disney film “Ratatouille” to Californian distributor THQ. The film involves the adventures of a rat that finds its way into the kitchens of Parisian palaces. Coming out in the US on 29 July, it will appear on French screens from 1st August.

As a result of this new business, the Asobo team has grown from 40 to 50, and it is highly likely that more technicians and graphic artists will be joining in the short term. (Source : Les Echos 24/07/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.asobostudio.com

CDISCOUNT - Biggest Online Discounter in France

The second of three giant depots for Bordeaux online discounter Cdiscount has just come on stream on the Pot-au-Pin logistics park at Cestas, alongside the southern turnpike out of Bordeaux.

The third 30,000-m2 warehouse is well on the way to completion.

Cdiscount’s product lines run from DVDs to white goods, along with apparel, books and wine among many others. It chalked up a 37% sales hike in 2006. Today, it ships on average 20,000 orders a day, but at peak times, such as the year end, this figure can go up to 40,000.

The new facility at Cestas should enable them to handle around 80,000 orders daily. “This will be the biggest facility of its type in France, maybe even in Europe” asserts Cdiscount CEO.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 12/07/07)

Plus d'info : www.cdiscount.com

Bio-fuel facilities at the Port of Bordeaux

The new Diester bio-diesel plant has just come on stream at Bassens, located at the Port of Bordeaux. The Sofiproteol group’s two affiliates Saipol and Diester Industrie have each sunk around $40 million into this project, which makes Bassens one of the major players in the French bio-fuel market. Around 250,000 tonnes of Diester will be produced at this plant.

Port traffic generated by the new plant will increase by 50,000 tonnes a year in 2008-9, then 100,000 tonnes annually thereafter. The raw materials handled will include crude oils, ester and glycerin. The new plant will create around 30 new jobs.

(Source : La Lettre du Port de Bordeaux 04/07/07)

Valorem Expands Wind Farm Operations

The Bordeaux-based Valorem company, specialist designers of wind farms, has just significantly strengthened its financial structure in order to expand its wind farm construction activities. It has just received a capital injection of about $3,500,000 from three institutional investors associated with bankers Crédit Agricole and Caisse des Depots. The company was set up in 1994 and is exclusively engaged in designing and building wind farms, which it then sells on to the eventual operator. To date, it has provided 72MW of capacity from seven wind farms spread throughout France. It has five projects currently in hand and has obtained planning permission for eight more. These will provide a total capacity of 120MW.

Valorem employs around 40 people and has a current turnover of around $9 million. It aims to retain some of the wind farms that it is building and to run them in house.

In addition, it is in the process of setting up a joint project with French-Canadian group AAER.

(Source : Les Echos 23/07/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.valorem-eolien.com/

New Contract for SNECMA and Roxel

Snecma Propulsion Solide and Roxel, two Bordeaux companies, will be handling the power units for the upcoming French cruise missile, due to be installed in Barracuda attack submarines and future multi-tasked frigates.

They have in fact just landed this deal from the main contractors MBDA, an affiliate of EADS and BAE Systems.

It will provide full-time employment for around 50 people in Snecma and Roxel and their sub-contractors for up to 7 years.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 17/0707)

Plus d'info : www.snecma-propulsion-solide.com

Decathlon Opens R&D Facility at Bordeaux

Decathlon’s R&D center for hunting, shooting and fishing products, Geologic Village, will open in September at Cestas near Bordeaux.

This 18-hectare site will incorporate testing zones and research facilities as well as a 3,500m2 retail store. The Decathlon group will be equipping the center with the latest environmental technology, such as exterior insulation in timber cladding, enabling buildings to merge with their natural surroundings.

The Site Director, Stephane Lucas, is fond of saying that the Geologic Village is “proof by trial”, because customers will be able to test products in their natural environment before buying.

(source : Sud-Ouest 13/07/07)

Enjoy Rubgy ! Do business !

During the Rugby World Cup in September 2007, the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its partners are organising International Business Meetings between local businesspeople and Irish, Australian and Canadian businesspeople. Seize the opportunity :

• to get information about business and investment opportunities in the Bordeaux region
• to meet local businesspeople from your sector of activity
• to visit high-tech sites around Bordeaux

Contact us : Patrick VARACHE – 05 56 79 52 50 - pvarache@bordeaux.cci.fr Carole DUMARTIN – 05 56 79 52 77 – cdumartin@bordeaux.cci.fr

Bordeaux Chosen for New Orange Mobile Launch

Orange has selected Bordeaux for its initial trial in France of the Mobile Wallet service, which enables payments for goods and transport services to be made direct from a mobile phone. Bordeaux was considered to be a prime candidate for this because of its state-of-the-art tramway technology, and the general atmosphere of technological innovation that exists here.

“This new generation of mobile phone services will be seen as one of the great technical leaps forward in Europe over the next 2-3 years”, Orange CEO Jean-Noel Tronc told journalists.

Several collaborative agreements with Bordeaux operators have already been put in place, including Veolia Transport and credit card group LaSer.

(Source : Company press release 27/07/07)

Bordeaux’s Dream – to be the California of Europe

In an article entitled ‘Bordeaux – Spheres of Influence’, the business journal ‘Les Echos’ describes how Bordeaux has all that it takes to rank as one of the 30 major cities in Europe.

Chief attributes include its renowned excellence in the fields of academic and technological research achievement, its centers of excellence in aerospace and in emerging sunrise industries, such as biotechnology and fiber optics. Plus, of course, the well-known quality of life here.

Sitting at the center of a new arc of demographic growth, and soon to be the crossroads of the TGV rail routes to Paris, Toulouse and Spain, Bordeaux has re-invented itself over the past few years, enhancing its attractivity with the arrival of the new tramway system and the complete refurbishment of the magnificent riverside areas of the Garonne.

(Source : Les Echos 21/06/07)

VINEXPO hits Record Levels of Overseas Visitors

The latest VINEXPO, the Bordeaux international wines and spirits show, has just closed its doors after five days of frenzied activity and 50,000 visitors, of whom one third were from overseas. In precise terms, these were 33% in 2007, as compared with 31% in 2005. Visitor levels from traditional sources, such as the UK, Germany, Belgium and Holland were more or less the same as in 2005, but Asian visitor levels showed a marked increase. The Chinese presence tripled ; Hong Kong doubled ; Indian and Korean visitors were up by 50%.

Commented president of the VINEXPO Jean Marie Chadronnier, “The success of this year’s Vinexpo is a sure sign of the health and vitality of our industry worldwide”.

(Source : L’Usine Nouvelle 21/06/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.vinexpo.com

WEVA Honors Bordeaux with “E-Visionary Award”

WEVA, the World Electric Vehicle Association, has decided to to honor the City of Bordeaux and its mayor, Alain Juppé, with its industry “E-visionary Award”, in recognition of the outstanding contribution made by the city in the field of electric vehicle development.

It will be presented at the Electric Vehicle Symposium held at Anaheim, California in December 2007. This is a flagship event for the electric and hybrid vehicle industry.

The award recognizes Bordeaux’s forward-looking attitudes, its municipal transport strategies reflected by the new electric tramway system, its downtown electric shuttle buses and its overall urban transportation plans, including the acquisition of a fleet of electric and hybrid public service vehicles.

(Source : Press Release 15/06/07)

New Look for PNY Attaché USB Stick

Leading European memory stick makers PNY Technologies have done a complete makeover on their popular Attaché USB stick. Apart from its handy design and its high performance, the Attaché 2.0 is the first PNY stick to incorporate a swivel connector in a slim and simple design.

Now, in response to customer demand, PNY have introduced a new high-capacity 8Gb version.

PNY Technologies Europe, based in Bordeaux since 1994, have a staff of 120. The product line includes memory modules, USB sticks and flash peripherals. They also market a complete range of high-quality products for PCs, both integral and peripheral.

(Source : Press release 13/06/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.pny.fr

AAER Aims to Set Up in Bordeaux

The French-Canadian wind generator makers AAER are actively considering setting up in the Bordeaux area.

To this end, they have already set up an office at Mérignac and are establishing links with the Valorem company here. Valorem are engineers working in the renewable energy field.

Bordeaux mayor Alain Juppé has already met with the Canadian management team who are planning to extend their business into Europe to develop the market for high-power wind generators.

(Source : Les Echos 8/06/07)

Bordeaux Hosts Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup Competition ranks third in importance after the Olympics and the Soccer World Cup. In 2007, it will be held in France from 7 September through 20 October.

In Bordeaux, it will be a major event. The city will be hosting four international matches at the Chaban-Delmas Stadium, with all the concomitant economic benefits for the area.

The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce plans to use this occasion to bring together foreign businessmen with their counterparts in the Aquitaine region, to create new international business opportunities.

The key countries to be targeted are Ireland and Australia primarily, closely followed by Canada and Japan. Activities will be centered around business meetings at the International Forum.

(source : Bordeaux CCI Press release 1 June 2007)

Plus d'info : http://www.bordeaux.cci.fr

BORDEAUX at LASER 2007, World of Photonics at Munich

"Bordeaux -Route des Lasers" , representing the regional laser optics industry, will be a major exhibitor in Munich at the 18th LASER, World of Photonics, 18 through 21 June. This is the major European shop window for optics. The BRA (Bordeaux Economic Development Agency) will be masterminding the entire project, including the design and construction of the 108m2 exhibit under the banner “Bordeaux-Route des Lasers : The Place to Be”, with the goal of promoting the whole of the Aquitaine optics industry.

The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce is handling the funding and providing a Business Center for participating companies. Major exhibitors include EOLITE, CILAS, NovaLase, Kwele, Spectrinov, ALPhA, two CEA labs, the ALPHANOV Technology Center and the “Route des Lasers semi-public Company”.

Stand no. B1-475 Contact : Stéphane GARCIA tel : +33 (0)622664860

Plus d'info : http://world-of-photonics.net/de/la...

BORDEAUX VINEXPO 2007 – An Established World Event

Over the course of the last 25 years, the biennial VINEXPO show in Bordeaux has become the global reference point for all those professionally involved in wines and spirits.

This major drinks industry get-together will be held as usual at the Parc des Expositions, Bordeaux Lac, 17 through 21 June 2007. VINEXPO expects up to 50,000 visitors from 140 countries.

This 14th show will present 2,400 exhibits from 52 countries. The major wine-producing areas will be represented by prominent exhibits from individual firms. In addition, there will be national pavilions for many wine-producing countries, including Italy, Spain, the Unites States, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa.

Following upon the inauguration of Hall 3 in 2005, VINEXPO moves up again to new enhancements of on-site facilities with air-conditioned pavilions, private gardens and terraces to enable large companies to entertain their guests in the most comfortable and luxurious surroundings.

Plus d'info : http://www.vinexpo.com

Photonis Locates its HQ in Bordeaux

Photonis SAS, specialists in optics and nuclear detection, are relocating their HQ and their R&D Center at the Parc Cadera, near Bordeaux Mérignac airport. Determining factors in this decision have been the strength of the region’s relevant academic and research resources, the proximity of numerous key customers and the airport close by.

An affiliate of Axa Private Equity, Photonis are world leaders in the development of optronic components for detecting and amplifying very weak light levels for a wide variety of applications, including medical imaging, and night vision for military and scientific research applications.

The company employs 700 people at its present base at Brive and a further 1,200 throughout the rest of Europe and the US.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 25/05/07)

Two New Projects for Solectron

Solectron France, an affiliate of the world’s leading printed circuit manufacturers, is making moves to consolidate its position.

Its 1000-strong operation at Cestas, near Bordeaux, in a move to improve the quality of its switch circuit boards supplied to the Schneider Company, is bringing production back in house from its Chinese sub-contractor.

At the same time, it will be working on new circuit boards for its customer Schlumberger, a piece of business worth around $29 million annually. On another front, the advent of the next generation of electric vehicles brings new opportunities for Solectron France, by way of an upcoming agreement with Dassault affiliate SVE to mount a joint venture in this field.

(Source : Sud-Ouest Eco 11 /05/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.solectron.com

The Birth of Photonic City

Under the aegis of the Megajoule Laser Project, , the semi-public company "La Route des Lasers" is launching a program to create the “Cité de la Photonique” industrial park.

The 3.8-hectare park will be sited in Bordeaux suburb Pessac. It will admit startup companies working on optronics projects.

The first incumbent will be a startup called Eolyte Systems, a specialist in fiber optics lasers. They take over their 1,200m2 building in July 2008. The " Route des Lasers" is also funding another 1,000m2 building and there is the immediate prospect of a further four sites being sold to similar companies.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 9 /05/07)

New Destinations for Bordeaux Airport

Easyjet currently offers three flights a week from Mérignac to Bristol, but from June 1st they will be daily. Easyjet is also providing 3 flights a week to Geneva, as from 15 May. And from 7th July onwards, Air France-KLM will be increasing its Amsterdam flights from 2 to 3 on Saturdays and Sundays.

(Source : Press release 10/05/07)

Ceva Santé Animale Consolidates at Libourne

Ceva Santé Animale is the tenth largest animal health company, with a 2006 turnover of almost $270 million worldwide. The group already has a very heavy presence in Libourne, near Bordeaux, with its headquarters, R&D division and the production plants for sterile injectables and implants.

It has just announced a three-year $14 million expansion program for the site. The program includes the setting-up of a lyophylization plant, a new quality control department and an update for the injectables plant.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 4/05/07)

Dassault Extends Mérignac Site

At the Certification Ceremony, the final OK for take off for the new Falcon 7X, Serge Dassault announced a big extension to Dassault’s existing 25,000 m2 facility – a new 20,000 m2 assembly hangar to handle the new aircraft. This decision amply reflects the Falcon’s success – around 300 on order, of which 165 are for the new 7X. These orders come from 30 countries.

The new aircraft, price-tagged at around $40 million, has an operating range of almost 6,000 nautical miles (11.000 km), as compared with a range of 4,500 miles (8,300km) offered by its predecessor, the 900EX. In its standard 12-passenger configuration, the 7X can provide non-stop flights on long haul routes such as Rome-Los Angeles, Paris-Singapore and New York-Ryadh.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 28 /04 /07)

Bordeaux Salutes its Garonne River

Bordeaux precinct of Le Port de la Lune will be under the spotlight this summer, during the festival “Bordeaux Fête le Fleuve” (Bordeaux Honors the river), due to take place 21-24 June next. There will be 4 days of festivities with a series of expositions and happenings, all centered on the Garonne River. This will be the fifth occasion on which Bordeaux celebrates its river heritage and hence its connections with the world at large. There will be courtesy visits from a number of emblematic boats, a waterborne parade, swimming events including river crossings, musical happenings, a Grand Garonne Picnic and a whole raft of peripheral activities.

It is also worth noting that in the run-up period from 16-21 June, there is the World Wine Fair, VINEXPO, and Bordo’Mundo, to encourage you to discover some interesting relationships between a whole wide range of food and wine.

(Source : La Lettre de la Maison d’Aquitaine 15/04/07)

Growth at Rescoll

The Bordeaux startup Rescoll operates in the fields of polymers, resins and assembly by adhesion. It has just relocated to a new site on the Bordeaux University campus. Set up in 2001 under the aegis of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie et de Physique, its specialty is adhesion techniques. Now with a staff of 19, it has a turnover of around $1.4 million.

White hope of French industry in 2005, Rescoll collected the Engineer of the Year Award in 2006 and the Pierre Potier Prize in 2007.

(Source : Sud-Ouest 13/04/07)

Plus d'info : www.rescoll.fr

Bordeaux Now Capital of Fatty Matter Industry

ITERG, the National Institute for Fatty Matter, is a 50-strong research team operating on the Bordeaux University campus and represents the national technology resource center for the vegetable fatty matter industry. It has just been granted official ranking and funding as a “Carnot” institute from the National Research Agency, with similar recognition going to the Bordeaux Center for Research and Advanced Training and the Multidisciplinary Institute for the Biochemistry of Lipids, based both in Lyons and Marseilles. ITERG will lead this consortium for the purposes of handling LISA, a project concerned with lipids for the pharmaceutical industry. It will be involved in promoting exchanges and transfers between research bodies and commercial companies for providing solutions to problems concerning lipids, both for foods and in the non-food sector.

This accreditation will also enable the Bordeaux research community to promote its know-how in the nutrition field.

(Source : SUD-Ouest Eco 06/04/07)

Plus d'info : www.iterg.com

Bull Aims to Expand in Bordeaux

The French computer group Bull has been established in Bordeaux for some time in the guise of CITB (Bordeaux Computer and Telecoms Center) with a payroll of 100. Now it has decided to locate its vocational services center here, serving the whole of France. As a result, the Bordeaux team will double in size over the next two years.

(Source : Mid e-news 05/04/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.bull.fr

GETRAG Launches New Manual Gearbox

The GETRAG-FORD transmissions plant at Bordeaux suburb Blanquefort produces high-volume runs of manual and automatic transmissions for various automakers.

It has just launched a new manual box – the 5MTT200. Destined primarily for high-powered vehicles, it will be produced in quantity.

Good news and a net addition to the range for GETRAG FORD Transmissions, which is already a major player on the Bordeaux business scene, employing 850 people, with a turnover of around $350 billion. The new facility will provide 35,000 gearboxes a year. It represents a Group investment of about $7 million.

(Source : Press release 02/04/07)

Plus d'info : www.getrag-ford.com

Bordeaux International School Gains Official Accreditation

Bordeaux International School, the only school of its type in Aquitaine, was awarded its first Certificate of Accreditation from the Council of International Schools in February 2000. For this, it received financial support from the Aquitaine Regional Council, the Gironde Departmental Council, the Bordeaux Mairie and the Bordeaux City Authority.

In September 2005, again with the support of these same bodies, the BIS was able to move to purpose-built premises, totally renovated to meet the school’s developing needs.

Following on its latest official inspection in November 2006, the BIS has now completed its fifth year of accreditation.

The Bordeaux International School started up in Bordeaux almost 18 years ago. Its mission is to provide appropriate education for children of parents sojourning in the region whose mother tongue is not French. The BIS takes English speakers aged 3-19 and French children aged 3-11. There is a bi-lingual Kindergarten ; a bi-lingual Primary School, followed by Anglophone secondary education up to university entrance. A full range of courses is available, leading to qualification for international, American and English school leaving grades (Baccalaureate, IGCSE and A Level).

(Source : BIS press Release 26 /03/07)

Plus d'info : www.bordeaux-school.com

Pharmaciens Sans Frontières Moves HQ to Bordeaux

Pharmaciens Sans Frontières, presently based at Clermont Ferrand in Central France, has decided to move its HQ to Bordeaux.

It is an NGO dedicated to providing essential medicines to deprived countries, for the most part in the Southern Hemisphere.

The decision to move to Bordeaux was prompted mainly by the need for easy communications. The organization’s international activities involve frequent trips by its personnel to cities all over France, to Geneva, Brussels and of course to destinations in the Southern Hemisphere.

PSF’s 30 or so employees will be moving house to the Bordeaux area during this coming summer period.

(source : Sud-Ouest 20/03/07)

Atos Origin Going Flat Out

The Bordeaux branch of Atos Origin, one of France’s leading software houses, has just relocated its 400 employees to a new 5,000m2 secure site on the Europarc at Bordeaux suburb Pessac. The company remotely manages its clients’ operating systems.
It offers a range of solutions, including updating banking systems, recovery-handling procedures, computerized handling of construction permits, etc.

For large organizations it offers high-level skills in integrating software packages and for smaller companies it provides consultancy and training services.

In response to the growing demand for its services in booming markets, it will be hiring around 130 new staff this year.

(Source : Sud Ouest 16/03/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.atosorigin.com

Ciments Lafarge’s Affiliate Relocates to Bassens

The Société Aquitaine de Transformation (SAT) has just opened its new production plant at Bassens, in the Bordeaux Port Complex. SAT’s plant produces crushed slag for use as a raw material in cement manufacture. France’s leading cement producer decided to build this $26 million slag crushing plant at Bassens mainly as a result of the Bordeaux Port Authority’s declared strategy of offering sites for private investors who could commit to a throughput of a minimum of 300,000 tonnes a year.
The slag crushing plant will give rise to many new jobs, particularly in the transport sector. Locating the plant at Bassens means that it can be supplied with raw materials by sea and can use the railroad system to ship out its product to the cement plants in the departments of the Haute Garonne in the South West and Deux-Sèvres to the North of Bordeaux.

(source : Sud Ouest 16 /03/ 07)

Plus d'info : www.lafarge-ciments.fr

Launch of Alphanov Technology Center

The Alphanov Technology Center is an integral part of the Laser Highway, with its main thrusts of activity centered on lasers, optics, image processing, medical imaging and laser micro machining.
Within this framework, it has been formally granted the status of a Competitiveness Cluster. It has now been officially launched by the Aquitaine Regional Council, the Atomic Energy Commission, the National Center for Scientific Research, the Aquitaine Photonics and Laser Applications Association, together with Bordeaux Universities 1 and 2.

(source : Objectif Aquitaine 01/03/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.alpha-routedeslasers.fr/

Biggest French Wine Promotion Project Opens near Bordeaux

The biggest wine promotion project in France opened for the first time on 14th March in the Medoc area, northwest of Bordeaux. Brainchild of Philippe Raoux, CEO of wine marketer La Marjolaine, La Winery offers tastings of wines from all over the world, including older vintages. There are also restaurant facilities, picnic areas and designated sites for special events.
This new venture should attract new market sectors, including business tourism, thus making up for the gradual decline in mail order sales, which is the company’s traditional activity.

( source : Sud Ouest 06/03/07)

Caudalie – Now an International Brand

Skin care brand Caudalie, now sold in pharmacies and drug stores in 28 countries, rates as one of the great cosmetics brands. It spends 10% of its income on R&D.
Vinotherapy, its unique marketing concept, was created by Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte in Martillac, near Bordeaux. It has already spread to several other markets, such as Spain, Italy, California and Taiwan, to be joined by Switzerland in 2008. Vinotherapy is an extension of balneotherapy that uses extracts of grape pips and hot spa water for curative procedures. Caudalie, started in 1994, currently employs 250 people worldwide (180 in France), turned over $75 million in 2006 through its seven affiliates and its 6,500 outlets worldwide.

(source : La Tribune des Entrepreneurs 03/03/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.sources-caudalie.com/

New drug to Fight Malaria

For many years now, researchers have been trying to find a means of combining the two main active agents for combating malaria into one single medium. In fact, these two agents must not be mixed together.

However... a Bordeaux doctor, a researcher at Bordeaux University 2, working jointly with the ELLIPSE PHARMACEUTICALS lab has succeeded in developing a new product, which comes in the form of two separate layers, one white and one yellow.
The pill has not yet been patented, but it has proved very efficacious in preventing infant deaths by a simple three-day course of two tablets a day. It is being marketed by SANOFI AVENTIS and costs $1 for adults and 50¢ for children.

(source : Sud - Ouest 02/03/07)

Plus d'info : http://www.ellipse-pharma.fr

BeTomorrow Rolls Out This Year’s New Mobile Phone Game

Bordeaux company BeTomorrow, designers and marketers of mobile phone games, is now offering coverage of the America’s Cup in semi-real time format for mobiles, in concert with Alcatel. It will also cover the Velux 5 Oceans event, using the same system.
During the course of this year, BeTomorrow will provide the technology which will allow users to compete virtually with the skippers taking part in the 5 Oceans race.
In a highly competitive market, BeTomorrow has constantly acquitted itself well, having chalked up positive results right from its inception in 2002.

(source : Flash Info 26 /02/ 07)

Plus d'info : www.betomorrow.com

Aerospace Valley Hails New Project

Aerospace Valley groups together 570 high-tech companies engaged in research, training and manufacturing in the fields of aerospace and embedded systems. Located in the Aquitaine/Midi-Pyrenees region, it is one the leading clusters of competitiveness in France. It has already launched 65 joint projects in these fields. The latest project to receive formal recognition is one in the Bordeaux area - a platform for dismantling solid propergol powered rocket motors. This will be handled between three companies, EADS-Astrium, SNPE Energetic Materials and Snecma Propulsion Solide. The platform is scheduled to come on stream in 3 years’ time and should generate around 300 new jobs.

Les Echos 14 February 2007

Plus d'info : www.aerospace-valley.com

Inward Investment in Bordeaux - A Good Haul for 2006

The Bordeaux Economic Development Agency (“the BRA”) has stacked up an excellent tally for inward investment decisions in the Bordeaux-Gironde area for 2006, both for new installations and for extensions to existing ones, With 17 very large new investment programs and 600 new jobs created in three years. For more than half of these new projects the BRA has provided close support throughout. All of this goes to show that the Bordeaux region has plenty to offer new foreign investors at all levels.

Projects initiated by foreign investors and handled by the BRA account for almost a third of the overall results for the agency, which in 2006 have risen to 29 inward relocation projects and a total of 880 new jobs over the last three years.

Press release 9 February 2007

More Investment for UPSA in Aquitaine

French company UPSA, affiliate of US group Bristol-Myers Squibb since 1994, is currently world market leader for paracetamol and effervescent analgesic products. Marking its 70th anniversary, UPSA has announced a $50 million investment program on its site at Agen, near Bordeaux, to construct a fifth production tower for dry products. This is scheduled to come on stream in mid-2007. In addition, a new quality control lab will be up and running by early 2008. Since its acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb, UPSA has accounted for 40% of the group’s production worldwide.

Les Echos 7 February 2007

Plus d'info : http://www.bmsfrance.fr

Lectra Rolls Out Its New Products

Lectra is the world leader in software, CAD/CAM equipment and related services aimed at the fashion, automotive, aviation, marine and furniture industries. It has a staff of around 450. The company has recently invited customers from all over the world to its HQ in Cestas, near Bordeaux, for a grand launch of new software products. The guests, for the most part from the fashion industry, were shown the new 100% web-based systems that integrate all aspects of a design collection onto a single platform.

The new features allow all those involved in the life cycle of a product - creation, development, sourcing, manufacturing, and marketing of fashion product lines - to collaborate effectively. It adds value by allowing participants to work together on the same virtual version of models and fabrics, from the stylist’s initial idea to the completion of the final product.

Sud-Ouest 6 February 2007

Plus d'info : www.lectra.com

Bordeaux CIT Research Arm Strengthened

The Bordeaux campus of INRIA, the National Institute for Computer Studies, is becoming increasingly influential and 2007 will see that trend increase. Up to now, it has operated from premises loaned by Bordeaux University and the National Research Center. This year, it will move into its own dedicated building on the university campus. With this move, staff levels should go up to around 90. In concert with LABRI, the Bordeaux Computer Research Institute, it is working on an ambitious project in the field of 3D imaging for mobile terminals.

In addition, three labs operated jointly up to now by the University and the National Research Center are being restructured to create IMS (Materials and Systems Integration), a huge electronics and automation laboratory. Its main thrust of activity will be focused on power electronics and signals processing.

Les Echos January 2007

2006 a Bumper Vintage for Bordeaux Business Realty

Bordeaux commercial real estate transactions chalked up a record year in 2006. Atisreal, one of Europe’s leading real estate consultancies, has just published its annual report on the Metropolitan Bordeaux market, which has reached over 103,00 m2 compared with 90,000 m2 in 2005. This is accounted for by a number of significant deals, such as the expansion of the offices of finance house Cofinoga, and the construction of a new building for the Gironde Departmental Authority.

This is the highest real estate activity recorded in 30 years.

Sud-Ouest 30 January 2007

Methane Terminal Project Firms Up

Although still at the design stage, the construction project for the methane terminal at Bordeaux’s Port de Verdon is now firming up. Behind the project is Dutch operator 4Gas, an affiliate of specialist venture capitalists Carlyle. It has just set up a provisional project management office in Bordeaux.

At the same time, the Netherlands Ambassador has recently met with the CEO of the Port of Bordeaux to give him formal confirmation of his intention to open up a permanent commercial department in Bordeaux.

Usine Nouvelle 25 January 2007

New CNB Boat Dubbed ‘The Bordeaux 60’

Leading Bordeaux shipyard CNB (Chantier Constructions Navales de Bordeaux) is about to roll out an innovative 60-footer, ‘The Bordeaux 60’. Its hull is constructed from a glass and resin composite molded by a process exclusive to this company. CNB is an affiliate of Beneteau, who made the decision to launch this project two years ago as part of their strategy of developing their monohulls, whose maximum length to date is 57 feet. In confiding this boat to CNB, Beneteau is acknowledging the yard’s proven know-how. In 2005, it carried off the ‘Best Sail 23-36 meters’ trophy for its 117-footer, Hamilton II. The yard employs a workforce of 300 and provides work for a further 120 sub-contractors and suppliers in the Bordeaux area.

Sud-Ouest 19 January 2007

Plus d'info : www.cnb.fr

Record Growth for Dolist

Bordeaux direct marketing and email practitioners DOLIST are riding the crest of a wave of expansion in their market. They have chalked up a business hike of 75% in the first eleven months of 2006. At the root of this is the growth of their business services, since companies are generally tending more and more to farm out their email campaigns. Client gains this past year include Reed Business Information, Neurones, Heineken, HEC Paris and Fram.

La Tribune 18 January 2007

Plus d'info : www.dolist.net

Innovative Imaging Solutions from I2S, Land of Vision

Bordeaux company I2S is a leading maker of onboard cameras and image processing systems. It employs 50 people. It has just formed a partnership with TV chain Canal Plus to exploit its new technology – a dedicated soccer application that determines whether or not the ball has crossed the goal line. Known as “But Finish” (“Goal Finish” in English), the system consists of two cameras, one sited at each goalpost, offering a very precise view of the goal line. The cameras inlay the image in a virtual curtain that changes color when the ball crosses the goal line. The process takes about a minute to provide a result. Canal Plus has already used this system for the retransmission of one soccer match and currently plans to extend its use to all the big matches that it will be covering.

Sud-Ouest 9 January 2007

Plus d'info : www.i2s-vision.com

Actéon Buys into Italian Suppliers

Bordeaux group Actéon, leading suppliers of top-end medical and dental equipment, turned over $140 million in 2006, of which 85% was exported. They have just taken over Italian company Götzen, who make generators for dental radiological equipment. Actéon’s workforce will now total 680 people, of whom 250 are employed at Mérignac. Since its origins as Satelec, it has constantly striven to diversify its product line, mainly by acquisition. In 2006, the group enjoyed a 19% sales hike, mainly as a result of activities in the US, Korea and Thailand. At the same time it has just set up a Sydney office to cover Australasia.

Sud-Ouest 5 /01/07

Plus d'info : www.acteongroup.com

World First for Couach Yachts

Boat builders Couach, located in the Arcachon Basin and 375 strong, construct high-tech yachts. Their latest offering is a 50-meter wonder with sufficient range to cross the Atlantic at 30 knots, powered by its twin 5,000 hp engines. The “5000 Fly” boasts 500 m2 of payload space, including a sports hall and a cinema. Built primarily in composite materials, the yacht combines grace, space and pace. She is scheduled to go down the slipway this spring. Couach have accordingly started to build a new 4,000-m2 construction hall and have immediate plans for hiring more help. 26/12/06
Plus d'info : www.couach.com

German Group KSB-AMRI Consolidates in Aquitaine

This industrial equipment supplier is looking to increase staff at its R&D center at Gradignan, near Bordeaux, and also at its butterfly valve division at La Roche Chalais in the adjacent Dordogne département. Hiring has already begun to fill the 50 new positions, which are envisioned by the end of 2007. This expansion is the result of the division’s sales growth, most of which comes from exports. It is also reaping the benefit of growth in the energy industries, thus generating increased demand for those of its products used in pipelines, power stations and natural gas installations.

Les Echos 26 December 2006

Plus d'info : www.ksbgroup.com

Endesa Switches On in South-West

Power company Endesa is market leader in Spain and South America. It is now looking to extend into France, where it plans to invest over $2 billion from now till 2010. In the first instance, it is planning an 800MW gas-fired power station in Lacq, in the Western Pyrenees, at a cost of nearly $500 million and it has already signed an agreement with the Port Autonome de Bordeaux to build a methane terminal at Le Verdon by the mouth of the Gironde Estuary, at a further cost of $500 million. It is worth recalling that Dutch group 4 Gas is already building a methane terminal there.

Sud-Ouest 12 December 2006

New Genome Research Center Inaugurated

Currently located at Bordeaux University 2, the Functional Genome Platform is jointly supported by the Bordeaux 1 Science and Technology faculty, the National Scientific Research Center, the National Institute for Health and Medical Research and the Bordeaux University College Hospital. A new $14 million development project has just been put in hand in the form of a purpose-built 3,300-m2 building. It will be fully equipped to provide a network of life science facilities. The goal is to meet the demands of the various centers of excellence in the region : neurosciences, plant biology, microbiology and cancer programs. The Functional Genomic Platform is now a nationally recognized organization and, as such, it has enjoyed financial support from the National Network of Genomics Centers (RNG) since 2005.

Sud-Ouest 22/12/06

Plus d'info : http://www.pqfb.u-bordeaux2.fr

1996-2006 - The BRA Clocks Up its Tenth Year

In 1996, all the local authorities in the Greater Bordeaux area, and following the lead of other large European conurbations and with EU support, banded together to create a common arm for prospecting and attracting new investors to the territory.

The result was the creation of the BRA, the economic development agency for the whole of Greater Bordeaux and its surrounding areas. The collective dynamic of the BRA and its members has fostered the introduction of some 200 companies, together creating almost 8,500 new jobs in the region. Included in the list are companies such as Furuno ; Johnson & Johnson ; Global Research Center for SAFT Batteries ; Rhodia’s Laboratoire du Futur ; Eurovia road building ; Computing Division of Thalès Airborne Systems ; Atos Origin computer systems ; Unilog, McKesson ; Ecureuil Assurances IARD auto insurance ; and Tiscali telecoms.

The BRA, with its staff of 15 and its 140 members, has gained an invaluable amount of experience on the ground in terms of targeted prospecting and of guiding putative investors and newcomers. On top of that, it has aggressively promoted the region at such events as the European Composites Days, World Photonics at Munich, and the ‘Route des Lasers’ participation at Optics Valley in China.

BRA press release 30 November 2006

Two Bordeaux Small Firms Honored at Paris Salon Opto

Two Bordeaux Small Firms Honored at Paris Salon Opto At the Paris Salon Opto 2006 last October, la Vitrine de l’Innovation (Innovation Shop Window) was mounted for the fourth year running.

Organized in partnership with the Revue Photoniques and the French Association of Optics and Photonics, it featured the latest products, services and expertise coming from French R&D teams working in the optics and photonics fields. Honors were spread across numerous sectors, notably lasers, communications systems, integrated optics, instrumentation, mobile imaging units, fiber optics, and in particular, two awards for Bordeaux firms working on the Laser Highway project :

• Gold Photon to Femlight, for its Aeolus Laser
• Bronze Photon to Amplitude Systèmes, for its S-Pulse HP Laser

Revue Photoniques 7 December 2007

Plus d'info : www.amplitude-systemes.com www...

The laser megajoule

The upcoming Laser Megajoule site at Le Barp, south of Bordeaux, has just seen the main spherical experiment chamber installed on its platform in the center of the experiment hall.

This represents a major milestone in the development of the Megajoule Laser, principal component of the Simulation program, which is designed to test the reliability and safety of nuclear devices without recourse to nuclear tests, which France renounced in 1996.

The test chamber consists of a 40-tonne aluminum sphere, 10 meters in diameter. Now that this is in place, the first components of all eight laser units can be installed in the laser hall during 2007.

Starting in 2011, the test chamber will see the first experiments to focus the energy of all the laser beams on a 2.5 mm target.

Sud-Ouest 5 December 2006

Plus d'info : http://www-lmj.cea.fr/html/cea.htm

New Low-cost Air Services from Bordeaux

This coming year, there will be important new low-cost air routes out of Bordeaux-Mérignac, to Italy and the UK. In February 2007, Myair will be adding 3-4 flights a week each to Bologna, Milan and Venice to their existing Rome route.

In April 2007, Easyjet introduces daily flights to Bristol. This will be the sixth daily UK service from Bordeaux, the others being to Gatwick, Luton, Birmingham, Manchester and Southampton.

Les Echos 5 December 2006

Caisse d’Épargne Bank Acquires CIS Informatique

Two regional banks, Caisse d’Epargne Aquitaine Nord in Bordeaux, and Caisse d’Epargne des Pays de l’Adour in Dax who already own a joint stake in Bordeaux IT company, Aquitaine Valley have just re-inforced their IT interests by buying CIS Informatique, presently based in the Loire Atlantique département, north of Bordeaux.

The two IT companies will be brought together under a holding company, CIS Aquitaine Valley. In 2005, they had a combined turnover of $44 million and are looking to increase this to $65 million by organic growth and further acquisitions. Sud-Ouest 5 December 2006

Plus d'info : www.aquitaine-valley.fr

A New Market for Flamel

Pessac-based Flamel is a specialist supplier of leading-edge products such as the micro pump.
It has just acquired an indirect entree into the US.
The GSK Group has just obtained the FDA go-ahead to launch a new version of its drug Coreg, for treating hypertension and related cardiac problems.
Flamel’s Pessac plant has gained the manufacturing contract for this product, which is in the form of micro-capsules. In the light of this, Flamel has already invested to the tune of $36 million at Pessac and has doubled its staff to 170.
Les Echos 26 October 2006

New HQ for IVETEC in Bordeaux

IVETEC, leading construction consortium of builders, surveyors, and other related professions, has chosen Bordeaux for its new head office location.
IVETEC is mainly concerned with projects to upgrade and modernize buildings, bringing them into line with current technical standards. Currently, it is closely involved with helping hotel operators confronted with the obligation to conform to higher technical standards within the next five years.
The consortium already serves the largest hotel conglomerate in the world, together with a number of public buildings in Paris.
With a projected staff of 40 at the end of 3 years, the center, initially set up in the Bordeaux Free Zone, will handle bids for public and private bodies, provide technical assistance to existing customers, city halls, schools and colleges, condominium operators and other buildings open to the public.
BRA Release

Cdiscount for New Logistics Center at Cestas

Internet marketing leader Cdiscount which turned over $475 million in 2005, employs 656 people at its HQ and in 4 other units in the Bordeaux area.
It will be the first occupant of the brand-new Pierroton-Pot-au-Pin logistics park, a 200,000m2 warehousing complex at Cestas.
Cdiscount will be progressively relocating its entire warehousing facility to this site from the existing dozen or so currently spread all around the Bordeaux area.
Following at the heels of Cdiscount will be LIDL, with a 30,000 m2 unit ; GENERALI and BOUYGUES are each planning units of the same size ; and DECATHLON will be setting up its regional logistics operation here.
Sud-Ouest 17 October 2006

Cofinoga Group Expands

Credit card provider Cofinoga currently has its 2,000-strong customer relations center at Mérignac.
It is about to expand into four new buildings currently under construction near Mérignac Airport at the Ariane business park, providing a total floor space of some 6,000m2.
The company will relocate here progressively. starting early in 2007 and completing in early 2008.
To handle its growth, Cofinoga has created around 100 new jobs over the last 18 months and this recruitment program will continue over the next 18 months.
Sud-Ouest 16 October 2006

Sage Consolidates its Bordeaux Operation

Multinational software house Sage employs 10,000 people worldwide and 150 at its Bordeaux Mérignac office, which it is planning to expand considerably.
It has just contracted to have a new 2,500m2 building constructed at Mérignac, where it will be setting up a hotline operation, creating scores of new jobs.
Sud-Ouest 12 October 2006

AMPLITUDE Raises $3.6 million to Boost Its Growth

Laser specialists, the Amplitude Group has units at Evry (Paris) and Pessac (Bordeaux).
It has just raised $3.6 million to beef up its R&D operation and to support its overseas operations, notably to the US and Germany.
The Evry site produces scientific lasers, while at Pessac they concentrate on medical and industrial products.
Financing has been obtained from two sources - Aquitaine Création Investissement and CM-CIC Capital Privé. By the year-end, the company will be 40-strong.
Les Echos 10 October 2006

Weightless Surgery – A World First

On 27th September 2006, for the first time ever, a surgical operation has been performed on a human patient under weightless conditions.
This was aboard the Novespace Airbus A300 Zero G, which is specially adapted to create non-orbital weightless conditions. The medical team was led by Prof. Dominique Martin and Dr Laurent de Coninck of the Bordeaux University Hospital.
The project received full support from the National Space Research Center and The Aquitaine Regional Council.
Bordeaux company ASCENSUD (long-time elevator constructors with a specialty in mobile operating rooms) was involved in the design of the surgical suite, the first in the world to be created to handle weightless conditions.
The unit was flight tested in June 2004 and February 2006. The next step will be to develop a robotic system to perform surgical procedures in space under remote control via satellite.
Sud-Ouest 28 September 2006