ECONOMY: Iten chose Grand Chalon for its new production site
The French deep-tech specialist in lithium-ion micro-batteries intends to create a hundred jobs in the SaôneOr industrial zone.
Energy storage is a major challenge for all electronic components. In order to provide all players in the electronics industry with revolutionary micro-batteries, ITEN intends to build a factory in Chalon, relying on the professionalism and determination of the local authorities. For this purpose, initially one hundred jobs will be opened.
ITEN is becoming a major industry player by increasing its production capacity
Micro-batteries produced by ITEN can deliver 1000 times the energy density of basic button cells for the thickness of a blue card. They are compatible with the automated production processes of the electronics industry and are eco-designed. They do not contain heavy metals and pollutants. After more than 8 years of R&D and nearly 300 patents worldwide, the technology is complete. Now we are talking about increasing the production capacity. ITEN already has a small production plant in Dardilly near Lyon.
ITEN finds a site in Chalon that matches its expectations in every way
“We intend to increase our production capacity for our site in Dardilli to around 40 million units by the beginning of 2024 and we will build a new factory in Chalons, France, which I am very proud of. It is planned to increase the production capacity of this area with a modular tranche of 100 million components per year, the first of which will be put into operation in 2026,” explains Fabien Gaben, CEO of ITEN. This new plant will be located in the SaôneOr industrial zone in Chalon-sur-Saône (71), on the former Kodak industrial site. Many constraints had to be taken into account, and the soil stored in the Grand Chalon area meets them point by point. A surface area of at least 5 hectares, connection to the existing electricity grid with significant electricity, definitely located in the main employment zone and, above all, well served by public transport. The selected area is served by a bus every 10 minutes from Chalon-sur-Saône station on weekdays. “This is important for the comfort of our future employees,” says Fabien Gaben. It also indicates that the site will be easily accessed from the Dardilly site.
Local authorities at the meeting of the re-industrialization of the area
“We were very well supported by all the people involved in this project in Grand Chalon, but also in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region,” says Fabien Gaben. Sebastien Martin, president of the Grand Chalon agglomeration community, was very active and attracted the best specialists with great reactivity. Marie-Guite Dufay, president of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, was also involved, offering investment assistance and funding the training of the future technicians we will need to hire. The first earthworks for the exploitation area in 2026 are planned for the spring of 2024.
Sébastien MARTIN, President of Grand Chalon confirms that “this is a high point in the economic history of Grand Chalon. This institution confirms that the economic strategy that we all implement together is aimed at promoting the industrial development of our area, increasing the skills pool in this area through a higher education offer that meets the needs and support of business opening. Usinerie, that’s right.”
Marie-Guite DUFAY, President of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region, states that “The creation of a major industrial player like ITEN is great news for our region, which has relied on its industrial DNA and the strength of its potential for twenty years. on gray matter and its innovation ecosystems. The arrival of ITEN demonstrates that when our communities join forces, our Region is an attractive area with assets to promote. »
About ITEN
In the context of the miniaturization race, power management is a barrier to the development of new electronic products that improve everyday life; therefore, ITEN, a French industrial company, provides revolutionary micro batteries that adapt to all situations, controlling the entire production chain from eco-design to production. ITEN is a French company founded in 2011 by the visionary entrepreneur Fabien Gaben, whose project based on more than 8 years of research and development has led to the creation of this Deeptech, one of the precious gems of the French reindustrialization. ITEN has its first production site in Dardilly, near Lyon, which can produce around 40 million micro-batteries by early 2024. ITEN won the global innovation competition twice in 2015 and 2017.
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