“The world leader in patient positioning in proton therapy, which concerns cancer treatment, is located in Eure-et-Loir. More precisely in Chartres! », writes, word for word, Claude Burlot, general manager of BizLink Robotic Solutions France, to draw the attention of the actors of the local economic and political world to the existence of this rare nugget in the ruthless world of medical robotics dominated by other nations.
Alongside his young operational director, Benoît Bessirard, the Chartrain boss recalls, first of all, the genesis of BizLink Robotic Solutions: “Until last January, we were part of the German group Leoni CIA Cables systems. We were part of a group of more than 90,000 employees worldwide. In France, we were only 125 to 130 employees. We were very small next to the rest of the group. For strategic and financial reasons, Leoni sold a division of 3,000 people, of which we were part, to the Taiwanese company BizLink. The holding company is located in Taipei, but the head office is in California, USA. »
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In all this complex and interpenetrated world of cutting-edge industry, a band of die-hard Beaucerons are busy bringing out, within the Jardin d’entreprises de Chartres, the best of themselves to innovate in medical robotics, and in particular that which treats and cures cancer.
Orion, best in class
“Among the 130 employees of BizLink France, we have 30 totally passionate people who decided to design and manufacture the Orion robot for medical applications. We started the adventure in 2012. Originally, this project was initiated with the Institut Curie, in Orsay, to robotize the positioning of a patient under a radiation beam for cancer treatment. “, explains the general manager of BizLink Robotic Solutions.
During several years of work and tests, the BizLinks fought against all received ideas. They succeeded in the design and manufacture of Orion, while a team from the CEA (Atomic Energy Commission) was forced to give up trying to complete its research.
A cell of 30 people achieves exceptional performance
The most extraordinary thing about this French invention, made in Chartres, is to be found in the very attitude of the former bosses of the Leoni group. The Germans had given carte blanche to Claude Burlot and his small team, but without much hope of success. “In 2012, we restarted the project with four young engineers and a quality engineer, here in Chartres. The first usable robot, we made it in 2015, both in the hardware part and the software part. Our machine is ten years old and we are in the process of switching to a new, more modern model, called Pulsar”, adds Claude Burlot. Baby Orion weighs a ton. The Chartres team wants to create, with Pulsar, a lighter version for large hospitals. “Pulsar, too, has a very bright future ahead of it. Throughout the last few years, we have been able to achieve the ambitious objectives that we had set ourselves, but this success, both in economic, human and technical terms, hides two recurring problems: the difficulty in finding young motivated engineers in the regional basin of the Centre-Val de Loire and our lack of notoriety at the national level which limits us to finding medical and paramedical partners for the development of Pulsar”, assures the Chartrain boss who does not lack mobilizing energy with his young engineers. .
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In numbers
14,000 employees work for the BizLink group around the world, including nearly 130 at BizLink Robotic Solutions France, in Chartres.
78 robots Orion have been delivered by BizLink worldwide. In France, only one copy is at the University Hospital of Caen.
24 robots Orion are currently ordered and being manufactured in Chartres.
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