Three factories were still closed in 2009

Dunkirk city symbol. On 19 November 1988, the Prime Minister, Michel Rocard, announced "a very large and very good new economic for the France": the construction by Pechiney of a factory of aluminum in Dunkirk. Twenty years later, where is it For the city of the North, Monday is a black stone. Rexam, the British group who took factory cans-beverage of Pechiney in 2001, made a cross on the site. It must now send the letters of dismissal to its staff. In a market in overcapacity, exit Earth plant in 1991 was more competitive, according to the Directorate.

It is also Monday that Total should formalize the closure of its refinery in Flanders, another industrial Cathedral. The refinery, which employs 370 employees and 450 subcontractors, is the case since mid-September. It should not restart and would be transformed into deposit. Total wins money, of course. In ten days, the French champion should disclose an annual profit of approximately EUR 8 billion. But these profits do not come from the refinery of Flanders, which is in deficit. Hence the decision to close the unit, despite the controversy coming.

Dunkirk is a good mirror of the French industry. Despite political voluntarism which led to create sites like those of Pechiney, the industry continues to lose ground in France. And since one year, the crisis accentuates the movement. "It causes an acceleration of deindustrialization and offshoring to emerging countries," notes Patrick Artus of Natixis. Cases spectacular Rexam and Total in Dunkirk were added to the myriad of closures, which marked the past year. The axe fell particularly on Continental's Clairoix, Molex, another factory OEM automotive, Villemur-sur-Tarn, unity TV Philips of Dreux, chemical plants of Celanese Pardies (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) and Clariant to Huningue (Haut-Rhin) or the coke oven of Carling in Lorraine.

"The markets are elsewhere."

Others will follow, even if the Government received that a group such as Renault, which he is a shareholder, keeps all of its French sites. "In Europe, a number of factories arrested provisionally when the application has suddenly fallen will never restart, prognostic a CEO of CAC 40. Let us be clear: these facilities are often old, less effective. Modernizing them cost dearly, while markets elsewhere.

The decline of traditional industries is in OECD countries. But it is especially marked in France, the market share in world exports is declining for 15 years. The sign of a degraded competitiveness, especially from the Germany, which returned much ground in recent years. An example Paper-cardboard. Since 2000, the production of this sector rose by 14 German, despite the crisis. In France, it has instead fallen by 18. Three factories were still closed in 2009.

Most worrisome, however, is not that plants are disappearing. It is that it is in constructed so little news. The France has largely missed the boat of the high-tech. It is a party with delay in the very green energy carriers. And overall, industrialists prefer to invest elsewhere. Question of costs of production and market. "The differential growth between Europe and emerging countries is explode." This logically leads to create new capabilities in these emerging countries, not otherwise, notes Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, Rhodia chemist pattern. The growth is in Asia, new factories as well.

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