Robotics, automation, and investment choices were at the heart of this Big Media panel hosted by Sibylle Aoudjhane, a journalist at B Smart. It was broadcast on the occasion of the Blue Day, March 31, during the Global Industrie trade show.
Date: April 9, 2026 Reading Time: 2 min
Moment of the Global Industrie trade show, the Blue Day on March 31 organized by the French Fab highlighted the major transformations in the industrial sector, between innovation and environmental transition. On the Big Media panel, hosted by Sibylle Aoudjhane from B Smart, Marc-Henri Frouin, co-founder of Niryo, Matthieu Dussud, partner at McKinsey & Company, and Vincent Charlet, general manager of La Fabrique de l’Industrie, shared their insights on the concrete levers of reindustrialization.
Robotics, automation, productivity, and investment decisions shaped the discussions. Marc-Henri Frouin shared a field experience, showing how robotics becomes an accessible tool for industrial SMEs when integrated into usage and production processes, beyond simple technological demonstration.
Matthieu Dussud provided a strategic and economic analysis of the ongoing transformations. While the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies is well underway, the real challenge now lies in scaling up. Without organizational evolution and skills development within teams, technological investment struggles to generate lasting productivity gains.
Vincent Charlet added to the analysis by noting that French SMEs and ETIs are not lagging behind their German or Italian counterparts in initial adoption. The challenge lies more in the density of equipment and the intensity of technology usage, essential conditions to remain competitive in a demanding international context.
All speakers emphasized the importance of relying on practical use cases to overcome cultural barriers and make robotics and artificial intelligence tools in service to humans. A central issue for successful reindustrialization and preparing the factory of the future.
