Industrial barometer: French reindustrialisation slows in H1 2025

2025-10-31 · Publisher : DGE / ministère de l'Économie · Domain : Industry 4.0 & 5.0

The State industrial barometer counts a net gain of nine plants in H1 2025, against 48 in H2 2024. Green industry (+11) and defence (+8) drive the trend; automotive and chemicals close sites.

### Background On 31 October 2025, France's Directorate-General for Enterprise (DGE) published the **State industrial barometer** for the first half of 2025. France keeps opening and expanding more plants than it closes, but momentum is clearly fading. ### Key features - **Net balance of +9 plants** in H1 2025, against **+48** in H2 2024. - **Green industry**: most dynamic sector with **11 net openings**, driven by the circular economy (recycling, refurbishment of devices). - **Defence**: **8 openings**, 40% of them in military aeronautics. - **Automotive**: **13 closures**, mostly suppliers; **chemicals**: 6 closures; food industry: −6 despite 19 openings or expansions. - Regions: Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine at +8 each; North-East regions at −10; Pays de la Loire at −6. - The ministry blames the economic climate, Chinese overproduction and higher US tariffs, and expects the trend may extend into 2026. ### Why it matters For engineering and automation teams, these figures map where projects are: recycling lines, defence and aerospace are opening sites, while automotive subcontracting shrinks. Modernising existing sites (productivity, energy) becomes the main competitiveness lever. ### Key takeaway French reindustrialisation continues, but slowly, and is concentrated in green industry and defence.

Tags : France, Réindustrialisation, Durabilité, Défense