In a recent interview with Les Affiches de Grenoble et du Dauphiné, Mathieu Janin, Chairman of SLS Actiparc, opened up about the development of his company, his future aspirations and the projects currently underway. This discussion offers a privileged insight into the strategic initiatives and values that drive SLS Actiparc under Mathieu Janin’s leadership.
We are comfortably seated in the hall of SLS Actiparc Sillon Alpin, in the middle of the comings and goings. So why did you choose this location for the interview, and what does all this excitement mean to you?
M.J. We’re right here in the heart of the business park, where I meet entrepreneurs, prospective customers, employees and so on. Being in the middle of the ecosystem means you can be as close as possible to your customers. That’s where I can spot any problems very quickly so that I can resolve them as quickly as possible, and respond to customers’ needs by adjusting just as quickly, even if it’s a long way off.
anticipating them. Fifty companies and 350 employees are currently housed in the 40,000 m2 of logistics and industrial space that we have renovated and brought up to standard, and which we are now renting out to companies. It’s an incubator that’s bursting at the seams! (laughs)
This site, on which you’ve invested €30 million since 2017, has a total surface area of around 60,000 m2. Will you also be building on the remaining20,000 m2?
M.J. Of course, we’re going to continue to invest. This project is going to cost 100 million euros overall, in property andprocesses. The banks and our customers have confidence in me, because I keep my promises. And we’re making faster progress than the others. Thanks to my network and my partners, with whom I’ve been working for 25 years, we’re able to deliver turnkey plants in 8 to 10 months, compared with 18 to 24 months for this type of property project. My ambition is that, within three years, we will have created 500 jobs, 200 of which will be through social reintegration.
Is this one of the key values of your project?
M.J. Yes, in its ability to create industrial, craft and service jobs. We also have strong social values, including the integration of people with disabilities. The park’s DNA is built around a family spirit and a caring atmosphere among tenants. And its strength lies in its ability to mix generations, profiles and all sizes of company.
What are the latest arrivals?
M. J. Among the freelancers is Alex B, a video editor who works for youtubers. It’s fun, it adds pizzazz, it’s great! The start-up Heliup, which manufactures lightweight photovoltaic panels, is finalising the construction of a new production line for next September. And the Lhyfe group is going to set up a green hydrogen production plant here, under contract for mid-2025, with the company Hympulsion, a creator of clean mobility throughout the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
What is it that attracts companies to SLS, despite its location more than 30 minutes from Grenoble and Chambéry?
M.J. They’re interested in our project. We’re the first positive energy business park. We produce 1.6 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity, which is more than we consume. And we’re doing it all by mixing green energy sources: we have a wind turbine, soon to be two, photovoltaic panels on the roofs of the buildings, others on the car park shades, and we’re going to be connected to a local hydroelectric power station.
And what about logistics?
M.J. The site also has two kilometres of railway line connected to the Grenoble-Chambéry axis, via a usage agreement signed with SNCF Réseau. It was the rehabilitation of this rail infrastructure that convinced the giant Alstom to locate its new rail equipment modernisation and retrofit centre here in 2021, where several tramways have already been brought up to date. We’re putting our faith in rail. After all, why continue to send 300 polluting lorries by road when we can use freight trains? The idea is also to bring together craftspeople, manufacturers and logistics providers to produce and buy locally, and thus recreate short distribution channels. We are also anticipating tomorrow’s needs, by supporting the development of the hydrogen sector. Once again, it’s common sense.
Why did you choose the Ascométal site at Le Cheylas?
M.J. For the history of this emblematic site. As the cradle of hard coal, it is the former site of the Hauts Fourneaux and Forges d’Allevard, where more than half a dozen pieces of hydraulic equipment were used to work ore and metal. I haven’t invented anything. I’m just using new tools to produce green energy.
You’ve climbed the ladder in your sector, the construction industry. What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs?
M.J. That you need to add situational intelligence to common sense. And that you can have 299 failures and 1 success after three years in business, that’s life, that’s learning: let’s go! Let’s get to work!
And who inspires you?
M.J. Other entrepreneurs, but also the disabled athletes we sponsor who help us with our mind-set: Hyacinthe Deleplace, alpine paraskier and Ludovic Lemoine Ply, wheelchair fencer, who we will be supporting at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games!
To read the article in Les Affiches de Grenoble et du Dauphiné, click here .
SLS Actiparc
