In the hollow of a valley, with the small church of Mourjou, in the town of Puycapel, on the horizon, the Cantal site of Interlab knows how to be discreet, not ostentatious for a penny. However, since 1994, the company has been developing machines here capable of detecting, observing and counting bacteria, essential in particular for the food industry, but also for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry: this is what makes it possible to guarantee that the product is safe to consume.
A “nugget” at the bottom of a Cantal valley
A “niche”, readily acknowledges Emmanuel Jalenques, co-CEO with his brother, Jules Jalenques, of a company founded by their father, François Jalenques, in 1979. 130 people work at Interlab, half of them in Cantal and stays between Boston, Frankfurt, Paris, Shanghai and Singapore.
Interlab will represent Cantal at the great Made in France exhibition
And it is Cantal, the seat of research and development, which will be strengthened. Two buildings, for an additional surface area of 3,000 m², will come behind the existing one and all the earthworks will be carried out in such a way that, in the future, it will be possible to accommodate two more. A new basin – there are already two – will be created and the whole will look furiously like an American-style campus, green, welcoming, to attract engineers. “It’s ambition, smiles Emmanuel Jalenques, even if it’s a little grandiloquent. “
Goal ? “It’s not a promise, but we plan to create around fifty jobs within eight years,” he continues. After that, it will depend on the business… ”
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Project price: four million for the buildings, two million for the equipment that will go inside with, in the long term, an increase in the size of the design offices and a very strong increase in the production capacity of the ScanStation, the group’s latest major innovation made in Cantal.
The very first robot made in Cantal detects and counts bacteria colonies
However, this site of Mourjou, in the cradle of this Cantalian family, “it is not necessarily the easiest place for an extension, estimates Emmanuel Jalenques. It is not very flat, it is not an industrial area and a lot of permits are needed. But we really feel help from local elected officials. “
And for good reason: “We believe a lot in this nugget that we cherish,” Michel Teyssedou, president of the community of communes of the Cantal Chestnut grove, which is supporting part of the project in the form of relay workshops, also with aid from the Region and the Department. From Puycapel and across the globe, our territory shines! “
This investment project had already existed for several years. The Covid-19 crisis has not slowed down the case: Interlab has already gone through this fiscal year rather well, despite a year of roller coaster 2020, explains Jules Jalenques. It was sometimes complicated logistically and in terms of human resources, we had ups and downs ”.
Cantal company awards: Interlab colonizes laboratories
However, revenue increased by 14%, boosted by a good last quarter. “We are in a sector of activity relatively unaffected by the Covid-19 crisis,” describes Emmanuel Jalenques. It is also due to a know-how that we sell in regions of the world where the economic crisis has been less severe. “
So there is no question of delaying this investment because we have to see further:
“This is our eleventh consecutive year with double-digit growth,” he continues. We have to anticipate. “
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If Interlab has weathered the health crisis well, the company took advantage of the State’s France Relaunch plan, presented in September by Prime Minister Jean Castex. Of the 100 billion euros promised at the national level, 800,000 euros will be used to buy part of the production equipment. Concretely, “we intended to build the building and buy the equipment then, we will be able to do the opposite, joked Emmanuel Jalenques, facing the prefect Serge Castel and the sub-prefect to relaunch Cécilia Mourgues, who came to visit the factory. The stimulus plan acts as an accelerator ”.
And to continue, once the official presentation is over: “We are happy to invest more quickly, but even without the help, we could have done it. This allows us to free up room for maneuver and invest more in research and development. “
And that is all of Cantal that could, in the long term, benefit from it …
Pierre Chambaud
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![[사회]”Hansan” at Seoul Station on the first day of the holiday…](https://image.ytn.co.kr/general/jpg/2021/0211/202102111852446356_t.jpg "[사회]”Hansan” at Seoul Station on the first day of the holiday…")