The mechanical subcontracting market - France

The main industries served by mechanical subcontracting are: machinery and equipment, automotive, aerospace, construction and energy. The subcontracting market is therefore directly impacted by what's going on for the players in these industries, and by the dynamism of their orders. There are two main types of subcontracting[INSEE]:

Capacity subcontracting: Subcontracting is said to be capacity subcontracting when the client, equipped to produce a product himself, has recourse to a third party:

either occasionally, due to a temporary peak in activity or a technical incident. or because they wish to maintain their own in-house production capacity.

Specialty subcontracting : Specialty subcontracting is when the client calls on a "specialist" who has the equipment, materials and skills suited to the client's needs.rials and skills adapted to its needs, because it cannot or does not wish to acquire them for reasons related to its own strategy.

In industrial mechanics, for example, subcontracting is often specialized: manufacturers need companies with certain machine tools, know-how concerning specific technical processes, and so on The French market had been growing for some ten years, but was hit by the pandemic in 2020, so despite a certain rebound in 2021, pre-crisis levels have not been regained. Another major feature of the market is that it is highly fragmented, with a multiplicity of regional players. The main players are : Mecachrome, Alcen, WeAre, Linamar, Figeac...