Burgundy Development
The Burgundy region is famous for its vineyards, its history and its monuments, but it is also an industrial region geared towards innovation.
Burgundy is ranked 5th among the French industrial regions, and employs almost 120 000 people. It offers a well structured and dynamic network of sub-contractors, and attracts European and international leaders in their fields: Alcan, Exide, General Electric, Iveco, Koyo, Mittal Arcelor, Philips, Siemens, Solvay, Nestlé, Lennox, Valéo…
Situated on the main north-south Europe axis, the Burgundy region represents a major strategic location: 40% of total European road freight transport transits through Burgundy. It is situated close to the major industrial markets (Germany, Benelux countries, Switzerland, Italy, England) and offers access by road to the main European capitals in a matter of hours. It is connected to the two biggest French markets, being situated halfway between Paris and Lyon, with Paris only 45 minutes away from the north of the region, and Lyon from the south of the region. The Burgundy region is situated close to the international airports of Paris, Lyon and Geneva and has its own regional airport, which facilitates international exchanges. Upstream from the port of Marseille, the Saône river is a broad waterway that provides a connection to the Mediterranean and direct access to the Asian and American markets.
Burgundy offers competitive industrial and commercial facilities that are adapted to the technical and safety requirements of the industrial and logistics sectors. Commercial facilities that are specifically adapted for call centers, Data centers, and start-ups are also available.
Burgundy also offers a pool of qualified industrial manpower, over one quarter of which is made up of qualified blue collar workers and technicians. The region is traditionally specialized in the manufacturing industry, the ratio of management staff recruited for industry being twice as high as the national average, and the young workforce is well qualified.
Another advantage for companies setting up in the region is the fact that Burgundy offers manpower, real estate and general costs that are lower than in many other regions of France, particularly compared to the Paris region. Burgundy offers some of the most favorable local tax rates in France.
Private and public research is particularly active in sectors such as the pharmaceutical, chemical, material sciences, taste and nutritional sciences, virtual reality, environment, biology and healthcare industries. In Burgundy, 50% of business creations are linked to innovation.
Burgundy is an international region with an exterior trade surplus, and over 250 industrial establishments employing 30 000 people are run by international companies.