The Workshop of Elegance

In a pristine facility outside Lyon, Fatima Benali carefully adjusts the alignment of carbon fiber components that will soon become part of an Airbus A350 wing. Her precision work continues a tradition of French manufacturing excellence that stretches back centuries, even as the materials and methods represent the cutting edge of 21st-century technology. This juxtaposition—ancient craftsmanship meeting modern innovation—defines French manufacturing, a sector that contributes €280 billion annually to the economy and employs 3.1 million people directly.

French manufacturing tells a story of reinvention. The workshops that once produced silk and textiles now create semiconductors and satellites. The expertise that crafted horse-drawn carriages now designs high-speed trains and electric vehicles. This chapter explores how French manufacturing has evolved from its artisanal roots through industrial revolution to its current position in global value chains, examining both spectacular successes and painful adjustments along the way.