Action plan
| Grand-Est industries | Threats | Opportunities | Challenges | Actions |
| New technologies | National and global cooperation on technological progress called into question if infrastructures do not evolve Risk of SMEs losing cooperation with large groups from another region, and their current dependence on those large groups for investment in technology Rejection of technology by one category of consumers |
New market opportunities, particularly in sustainable energy and the development of new, more powerful and greener technologies New collaborations and technological developments within open communities Public financial support for SMEs' investment in digital technology and innovation |
Need to develop local partnerships for green technology → Specific needs for these partnerships for SMEs and their R&D investment The challenge of eco-design addressed at digital level (in particular through the development of more energy-efficient IT solutions) Need to set up local platforms to replace the major platforms Optimising institutional support for digital transition Adapting intellectual property management to a dynamic of local cooperation |
Strengthening links with the University of Strasbourg for local innovation partnerships Setting up a community of practice on the theme of green technology (between manufacturers and research laboratories) => encouraging subjects relating to the eco-design of digital technology Grouping SMEs together to set up a joint R&D activity Trialling a first local platform Responding to calls for tender for digital financing (at European, national and regional level) |
| Financial aspects | The scale of the infrastructure investment required to move to sustainable production => heightened for SMEs, in particular because they will have to take into account the full life cycle of their production Financial penalties if environmental targets are not met, should companies not be sufficiently proactive in their green efforts (e.g. recycling, etc.) A fall in turnover to be absorbed following the decline in consumption and the development of the circular economy |
Financial support from the EU, the State and local institutions (e.g. the Region). SMEs are favoured by local financial support. The development of diversified, responsible, more direct and local forms of financing (alternatives to the banking model) The development of local currencies between companies (modelled on the WIR currency in Switzerland) as part of the circular economy Lower costs owing to the new, more economical design of production |
Moving away from traditional assessment methods based on quantitative financial data, and successfully taking non-financial aspects into account for access to green financing. Improving access to financing for green infrastructure projects Incorporating the cost of greening at every stage of the production process while remaining competitive |
Drawing on existing non-financial assessment systems (sustainable performance indicators), disseminating them and making them known to public authorities. Drawing on existing financing schemes and incorporating green technology themes into them (e.g. smart city green tech), building on existing bodies (e.g. ADEME) Developing local crowdfunding and crowdsourcing aimed at finding solutions for sharing financial risks. Responding to calls for tender on green investment through collaborative approaches, in particular between SMEs and local authorities Joining forces in a local consortium to co-finance green tech innovations Collaborating to reduce costs across the whole value chain (design, production, distribution, after-sales service) by disseminating green tech innovations |
| Business model | The local scale reduces the level of consumption - export opportunities decline (for France's third-largest exporting region) Risk of recession - loss of business with more limited consumption and more intense competition => in particular for fragile SMEs The disposable consumer goods and equipment replacement sectors will be called into question |
Greater economic stability (less dependence on global stock markets and on crises) New opportunities for partnerships between regions through nearshoring New business opportunities in "useful" goods and development aid, as opposed to gadgets and hyper-consumption New business opportunities in recycling The bartering economy as a new opportunity for added value - providing a new service Local SMEs are at an advantage owing to their knowledge of the region and their local image SMEs are more agile in adapting to sectoral transformations (e.g. recycling, etc.) |
Becoming involved in the reorganisation of the supply chain for full relocation (through to recycling) with the other players in the sector Enabling companies to group together in order to organise direct redistribution (a short supply chain) Cooperating with citizens to organise local distribution (short supply chain through crowd-logistics) Combining the relocation of business with the maintenance of technology Making better use of technology for responsible production (e.g. 3D printing) Identifying the least risky fields/sectors in this transformation and anticipating losses of export market share |
Strengthening links with all players in the chain and becoming its coordinator (in a collaborative or centralised mode) Partnerships between manufacturers and new crowd-logistics start-ups, facilitating the establishment of short supply chains with citizens Drawing inspiration from the community-supported agriculture (AMAP) model for a direct relationship between manufacturers and consumers and the involvement of the latter in governance Using the company's resources to become an interface for the bartering economy (collection and redistribution) and to offer an additional repair and maintenance service Investing more in phygital - all the more so for SMEs that are least advanced in digital technology Creating a local consortium for innovation and shared investment in technology. Investing in, or redirecting part of the business towards, sectors favourable to sustainable and local consumption |
| Production processes | The shift from large-scale production to small-batch production that does not necessarily find a local market Closure of SMEs and of subsidiaries of groups choosing to refocus their industrial activities outside Europe Fewer export opportunities, particularly for SMEs whose main activity may sit within a globalised production chain Loss of partners and of supply sources on the other side of the world, etc. Difficulty in making produced goods available: a significant gap between the location of production and the place of consumption |
Local production favoured by consumer preference and by rising fossil fuel costs for transport Sharing of means of production and, more broadly, of facilities: access to shared machinery and tools, to 3D printers, etc. Opportunities for local activity generated by repair and recycling needs Collaboration with locally based organisations encouraged by the local refocusing: SMEs that were used to working at local level are at an advantage |
Relocating part of production to the consumption area, depending on the sector Successfully reconfiguring processes following relocation Incorporating recycling into the production process and the use of second-hand materials Transforming the organisation so as to be able to incorporate the activities newly offered on the local market Making local collaboration a success (for example around the sharing of means of production) |
Studying the Grand Est consumer market in order to adapt the relocation of production Identifying the conditions for success and the points requiring vigilance drawn from relocation experiences
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| HR | Obsolescence of certain skills linked to large-scale production methods Threats to certain jobs and even redundancies, particularly for SMEs A shortage of staff with the required operational skills, leading to a war for talent and rising costs Inability to meet, or to find structures capable of meeting, the high needs for training and transformation. For SMEs, a lack of support functions (training, HR, etc.) that could be called upon The usefulness of initial vocational training called into question: this risk appears lower for SMEs, in some of which the versatility developed mitigates the effect of initial specialisations Impoverishment of the region linked to the departure of its driving forces and of skills with little attachment to the region: this risk appears lower for SMEs, which recruit mainly locally and take on young graduates from the region, trained in Alsace, who stay |
Mobilisation of communities of practice and HR networks to set up local practices, for example in training: particularly for SMEs, which were already used to building such links and sharing resources Better-adapted training, a priori thanks to resources mobilised nearby and a posteriori in follow-up, with opportunities to reduce costs through the "bartering" of training and the sharing of knowledge Skills needs at varying levels, not only experts, with greater attractiveness for SMEs (job versatility having already been acquired) Transferability of employees between different companies within a local labour market in a circular economy context: already used by SMEs to enable professional mobility |
Transforming / developing the skills matching production needs as well as new approaches (eco-design, recycling, etc.) Devising training methods and schemes that are quickly operational Successfully connecting industry with training providers across the region Developing/maintaining the attractiveness of the region |
Seeking out skills matching the new approaches within the region, or developing them in-house Stimulating the supply of new training courses (the "green tech" challenge) and the sharing of them Developing the apprenticeship structure for the necessary changes in skills Structuring communication across the various networks in order to facilitate the connection between industry and training providers and to facilitate the sharing of know-how Organising shared employment arrangements Running a Grand Est new green tech recruitment/communication campaign to develop the employer brand |