“Adding value in Southern France”
by Languedoc-Roussillon Prospection (LRP)
Languedoc-Roussillon - a platform for trade, a superb lifestyle
Languedoc-Roussillon has a privileged position at the heart of southern Europe and at the centre of the Mediterranean crossroads between Italy and Spain, providing excellent access to the markets of southern Europe and the Mediterranean basin. The region is a meeting point for investors, attractive and open-minded, an area for business of sustainable development combined with a preserved natural environment, upholding tradition and culture.
Languedoc-Roussillon is also a region with a truly magnificent way of life. The area’s temperate climate attracts people from all over the world each year, providing a young, diverse and well-trained workforce in the region. This, in turn, attracts multinational corporations to set up extensive operations.
The population growth in Languedoc-Roussillon is the highest in France (+ 0.9% per annum) and over the last few years, there have been massive economical changes in the region such as:
- a booming service sector
- a significant increase in secondary and university training, in particular with regard to R&D
- the arrival of a number of high-tech companies in electronics, information technology, ICT, the health sector, renewable energy (wind power, solar energy, etc.)
- the implementation of a vast irrigation system (BRL) encouraging an important agricultural diversification into market garden produce, fruit farming, and biological produce, with a dramatic increase in excellent varietal wines, AOC’s and “vins de pays”; and upward trend of the food industry
- rapid growth in the tourist industry, in particular with the expansion of the coastal resorts
Nowadays, information and communication technology (ICT) and agro-business represent the second largest economic sectors in the region, although tourism remains the dominant sector. Other important attractions for multinationals are the excellent communication and transport infrastructure, valuable business opportunities, including a multitude of public and private laboratories open to partnerships, and business incubators.
Key figures
27,376 km² - 8th largest region in France
Population : 2,295,648 (1999 census INSEE)
3.9 % of the French population
Working population: 790,300 (as of 01/01/2000)
Exports (2003) : Euro 4.097 billion
Imports (2003): Euro 6.268 billion
Languedoc-Roussillon is made of 5 counties:
Aude / Gard / Hérault / Lozère / Pyrénées-Orientales
Added value:
Highly skilled workers – High quality facilities and infrastructures – High standard of living
Productive system:
Important number of small- and medium-sized companies (less than 50 people employed): 98 %, representing 68 % of employment
4th highest rate of company creation in France
Information and Communication Technology: a strong presence
The ICT sector in Languedoc-Roussillon employs some 13,500 people spread across more than 500 production companies. Major international corporations in the region include IBM, Dell, Palm Source, Cap Gemini and OAO Technologies, as well as a varied range of companies manufacturing products such as circuits, smart cards, electronics and electrical components, with a high number of innovative and medium sized enterprises. Also the region boasts universities, schools and laboratories which offer entrepreneurs all the professional skills, training, research and technology they need to expand successfully. The multimedia sector accounts for more than 140 players, including such leaders as UBI Picture (R&D Department of UBI Soft) or Genesys, world leader in visio-conferencing.
Call Centres’ Activities (Phone Sales and On-line Service Centres)
Given Languedoc-Roussillon’s young, well-qualified, and well-trained workforce and the existence of a rapidly expanding telecommunications network, some twenty call centres have decided to set up their business here, creating several thousands of jobs.
Life sciences and biotechnology: a first class scientific environment
Another major pillar of the region’s industrial base is life sciences, a traditional industry in the region going back 1,000 years. In fact, Montpellier medical faculty is the oldest in the western world, with some 10,000 students taking courses in medicine and pharmacy. It has one of the most important University Teaching Hospital in France, including 9 hospitals and a staff of 2,000 health workers.
Languedoc-Roussillon has among the most substantial innovation and research potential in France, with over 130 public and private laboratories with 2,200 research workers. The region has important pharmaceutical laboratories, numerous companies in the diagnostic field, companies specialising in prostheses and implants, companies developing products in the telemedicine sector and companies introducing data-processing software adapted for medicine.
As far as biotechnology is concerned, the region has two major centres, Montpellier and Nîmes. Today, the “Biotech Sunbelt” of Languedoc-Roussillon is recognised as a leading region. Indeed, the area welcomes 10 per cent of French biotechnology.
Transport and Communications: an interlocking network
Languedoc-Roussillon, that superb crescent bordering the Mediterranean, has a well-developed, modern infrastructure making it the ideal logistical and distribution centre for southern Europe and the Mediterranean as a whole (8 % increase in HGV traffic per annum across the Spanish border). The privileged geographical position and complete infrastructure provide excellent access to Spain, Italy and northern Africa for the distribution of goods. It is making up for 10, 000 jobs in the region.
A dense road and motorway network with four motorways/turnpikes, giving three main motorway intersections and 1,500 km of main roads in all. Five airports with numerous commercial flights daily elsewhere in France and Europe, and three regional freight airports. Excellent sea access for the three commercial ports: Sète (2nd largest port on the French Mediterranean), Port la Nouvelle et Port Vendres.
The European-standard rail grid with a “corridor” reserved exclusively for freight, a brand-new High-Speed Train (TGV) to Montpellier with future extension to Barcelona, and combined transport platforms in Perpignan, Le Boulou and Montpellier. Specialized multimodal platforms: Gard Industries / Nîmes, Montpellier-Sète Méditerranée, Triangle d’Oc / Narbonne-Béziers, Pyrénées-Méditerranée / Perpignan (number 1 in Europe for fresh produces).
Agro-business and Food Industry:
The International Agropolis Centre in Montpellier brings together 2,300 researchers in the agro-business sector. It is the leading European centre for agronomical, tropical and subtropical research and one of the main national centres for water research. International laboratories such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO, Australian) are established at Agropolis.
For the last ten years, the agrifood industry has experienced an upward trend and generates sales of Euro 7 billion, providing more than 20,000 jobs in some 1, 400 places. The product of these, for some of them, world-famous companies are very varied: mineral water, confectionery, groceries, food processing, mostly fruit and vegetables, ready-cooked dishes, pet food and local specialties: brandade (creamed cod) or cassoulet (meat and bean casserole).
Renewable Energy: an area of predilection
The alternative and renewable energies in Languedoc-Roussillon are gaining in importance in the region. The Eole 2005 project must generate 313MW of new capacity using wind power in the years to come in France. More than a third is to be produced in Languedoc-Roussillon. Among the wind parks that remain to be built, 11 will settle in the region, which appears to be the area of predilection, thanks to the characteristics of its winds. Parallel to wind power, fuel-cells, bio-masse and photovoltaic energy figure among the sectors of priority for development.
Nautical Industries: leading-edge technologies
The nautical industries are enjoying a boom: almost 1,000 people are employed in the manufacturing sector. A dynamic industry federated around the “Pôle Marine”, centre of excellence, representative and recognized thanks to the common interest between its members: a passion for quality, inventiveness and innovation.
Globally recognized manufacturers of catamarans have chosen to locate in Languedoc-Roussillon for its ideal location. They design and build deluxe catamarans, using exclusively leading-edge technologies. Manufacture of nautical equipments, pleasure launches, large fishing launches, open boats and tunny boats are found all along the coast and are internationally well-known: such as Catana, Deltavoile, Martinez, Outremer.
Mechanical engineering: a well-structured industry
Heavily concentrated around the traditional steel-making employment pool of the towns of Béziers and Alès, the mechanical engineering represents 13.83 % of manufacturing workers.
Languedoc-Roussillon is home to every trade in the mechanical engineering industry, steel-making, smelting, boilermaking, sheet metal manufacture, stamping mechanical welding, surface treatments… operating in a variety of fields such as: the oil and gas industries, agricultural machinery, railways, the car industry, aeronautics, etc.
An innovative site, unique in France: the Alès Cévennes Centre combines the competition, scientific and technical aspects of the mechanical sports industry and specialist automobile promotion. This original industrial complex contains over 50 companies (over half of which are manufacturing or offering services to industry), providing over 400 jobs in the following areas of activity: automobile, motorcycle and go-kart construction, parts and accessories manufacturing, mechanical and plastics subcontracting, design, competition stable, training, etc.
Industrial sites and sensitive area’s restoration
Dismantling, reconversion, decontamination, purification and reconstruction of industrial sites will become more and more important in the world. In Languedoc-Roussillon, the nuclear site of Marcoule, in the Gard County, possesses many important assets: laboratories, R&D centres, companies, software development, but also a school of dismantling and, of course, a real “quality of life” to welcome investors.
This sector employs some 5,000 people highly qualified in nuclear waste management (low or high activity), in research, transport or logistics.
Tourism: an important contribution
With some 15 million tourists annually (of which 5 million non-French), more than 90 million bed-nights, and total sales of nearly Euro 4 billion, Languedoc-Roussillon is the 4th most popular region in France for tourism. It has a capacity of 2 million beds, and employs some 65,000 people.
Languedoc-Roussillon is a land of coastal plains, garrigue (Mediterranean scrubland), mountains, valleys and plateaux. The rich variety of the region’s landscapes has strongly influenced the architecture, lifestyle and culture of its people. Languedoc-Roussillon countryside is unspoiled and its coastline is protected, but its historic and cultural riches are also stunning.
Pont du Gard
The region is littered with historical monuments, abbeys and castles and boasts several UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Pont du Gard, the Canal du Midi or the medieval city of Carcassonne and the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, which take to the abbey of Saint Guilhem-le-Désert and the abbey church of Saint Gilles. As a land of Mediterranean culture, Languedoc-Roussillon is characterised by its “art de vivre” (“the art of living”) and is firmly attached to its traditions and customs.
Last but not the least, the region has a wide variety of tourist destinations: Sea, mountain, countryside, urban... Hot springs, thalassotherapy and fitness training (2nd most popular region), river-based tourism, golf, outdoor activities and leisure occupations, naturism (leading region in Europe), etc.
Adding value in Southern France
Numerous companies have already chosen the Languedoc-Roussillon to set up extensive operations. These include: ABX, Arjo Wiggins, Bausch & Lomb, Bejo, BSN-Glasspack, Cap Gemini, Dell, Genesys, Haribo, IBM, Idenix (Novartis), Kraft Food, KWS, Monsanto, Nestlé, OAOT, Office Depot, Owens Corning, Mars-Royal Canin, Pierre Fabre, Rijk Zwaan, Sakata Seeds, Sanofi-Synthelabo, Seminis, Synt:em, UBI Picture, etc…
Investing and starting up in the region offer superior access to southern Europe and North Africa. It is a pleasant area for relocation and it has developed into a cosmopolitan society where it is easy for foreigners to settle.
Languedoc-Roussillon proved to be an innovative cluster for several business sectors.
The inward investment agency of Languedoc-Roussillon, LRP, is there to help you with your business project.
Languedoc-Roussillon Prospection (LRP) co-ordinates the economic development policy of Languedoc-Roussillon, encouraging and assisting foreign investment in the region. LRP has a well-structured network of partners: the French Government (DATAR), the Regional Council, local authorities, chambers of commerce, private companies and other financial institutions. LRP is also member of the Invest in France Network around the world.
LRP’s missions:
- Developing Regional Industry
- Prospecting investors: coordinate, implement prospection drives, promoting sectors or areas with potential investors
- Incentives and Advices
- Ongoing support for local and economic development
- Strengthen the economic attractiveness and competitiveness of the Languedoc-Roussillon.
LRP can also help supervise the local development of companies in the various industrial areas
LRP’s added value:
LRP facilitates, simplifies and accelerates implementation for your business projects.
LRP will assist you by identifying suitable locations and premises, searching for the right partners, analysing financial packages, and helping you apply for and receive economic incentives…
LRP’s services are completely free of charge and fully confidential.
Your one-stop shop in Languedoc-Roussillon: LRP
Contact: Bernart Roycourt
Languedoc-Roussillon Prospection (LRP)
417, rue Samuel Morse – Le Millénaire II –
F-34000 Montpellier – France
Tel: + 33 4 229 480
Fax: + 33 4 229 490
Web: www.invest-in-southern-europe.com
E-Mail :