NDI, the Northern Defence Industry forum, is organizing its annual conference in Bristol (in south-western England) from 13 to 14 March 2012. Leading figures from the government, the Ministry of Defence and industry, from France and the UK, will meet to share their expert advice and knowledge, both as part of the conference and in the Meet the Buyer part of the event. In addition to developing their knowledge of the UK’s market in the sectors of defence, aerospace, security and space, this conference will enable participating companies to explore opportunities arising from co-operation between France and the UK following the 2010 Defence and Security Co-operation Treaty . The French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London is assisting in the recruitment of French companies attending the event. Company representatives will also be able to meet prime contractors and qualified contacts through the Meet the Buyer event. With 50 buyers attending and speakers from industry and government covering the four sectors, this is a unique opportunity to learn and network with key buyers in order to, ultimately, win business. More information on this event can be found at: http://www.ndiconference.com

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For the sixth year running, UBIFRANCE, the French export-support agency, will be running a French Pavilion at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona (Spain). The trade show, which takes place from 27 February to 1 March 2012, is the world’s foremost event for the mobile-telecoms industry, covering equipment, services and content. The French Pavilion will host almost 130 companies, representing the largest national pavilion at the event. Made up of two islands (2F49 and 2E47) in Hall 2, the French Pavilion will stretch across 521m². It will display a huge range of products and services involved in the mobile-telecommunications industry, including mobile applications, mobile commerce (m-commerce), games published for smartphones, microchips, middleware, content, wireless telecoms networks, and tablets. According to a study co-written in 2011 by GSMA, organisers of MWC, and AT KEARNEY, a global management-consultancy firm, the European mobile-telephone market is currently a key industry of a size equivalent to that of aerospace. The mobile-telecoms market boasts overall revenues that were estimated at €174 billion in 2010.    Market growth is primarily driven by the smartphone segment, which rose by close to 50% in 2011 on the previous year. The mobile-telephone penetration rate in Europe stands at 128% (against 100% in Japan and 104% in the United States). There are 656 million active SIM cards in use by 456 million Europeans, which represents 89% of the overall European population.   Five French regional authorities (Brittany, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur), as well as hi-tech clusters of excellence such as SYSTEMATIC (for Paris and its region) and Solutions Communicantes Sécurisées (based in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur), have j oined UBIFRANCE in promoting France’s mobile-telecoms industry at MWC 2012. This partnership will facilitate co-operation among industry players, by bringing together a large number of businesses from each organisation’s respective industry field.   The region of Burgundy and groups such as Silicon Sentier and the Mobile Marketing Association France, organisers of the Mobile Monday France programme, are also associated with the Pavilion. They will be promoting innovative companies that specialise in novel digital technologies.   For the first time at MWC, representatives from UBIFRANCE offices established in Canada, Israel, Italy, Singapore, South Korea and Spain will organise business meetings between industry players from their respective countries and French-based exhibitors.   Additionally, the trade show will be interspersed by a series of events organised on the French Pavilion, including several product and services demonstrations, as well as networking cocktail parties, such as the annual France Cocktail .   The programme of events and the full listing of French exhibitors on the French Pavilion can be seen at: http://mwc.ubifrance-events.com     About UBIFRANCE   UBIFRANCE is the French export-support agency. As the partner of reference for French companies wishing to export, UBIFRANCE offers a complete range of services based on the provision of information on export markets, legal issues and regulations, as well as international finance and tenders, while also supplying sectorial data.    In addition, UBIFRANCE offers export advice and targeted support to companies’ commercial activities, such as exploratory visits, partnership meetings, foreign exhibitions and international press communication.    Finally, UBIFRANCE runs the International Postgraduate Programme (VIE) for employing qualified personnel and young graduates outside France.    UBIFRANCE is organising the French Pavilion at the Mobile World Congress, which will take place in Barcelona (Spain) from 27 February to 1 March 2012. The 521m² French Pavilion will consist of two islands (2F49 and 2E47) in Hall 2.    The France Cocktail drinks reception will be held on the French Pavilion at 6.00pm on 28 February.   For further information about the Mobile World Congress, please got to: www.mobileworldcongress.com/   For further information about the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK, please go to: www.ubifrance.com/uk/

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The VEGEPOLYS competitiveness cluster, the organisers of the SIVAL trade show, and fresh-produce magazine Réussir Fruits et Légumes of France have launched a major Europe-wide competition with the goal of encouraging varietal innovation in fresh produce. Open to all breeders of fruit and vegetables in Europe, the 2012 competition has rewarded Fleuron d’Anjou with the Gold Prize for its Melkior organically certified shallot seedlings. Melkior shallots will be exhibited on the VEGEPOLYS stand at Fruit Logistica in Berlin, between 8 and 10 February 2012.   VEGEPOLYS is the cluster of technological excellence in the plants sector that is based in Angers, in Western France. Its role is to promote innovation among businesses, research centres and training facilities in the plant market both in France and internationally, especially in terms of varietal innovation.   The Melkior shallot will be displayed on the VEGEPOLYS stand at the Fruit Logistica trade show, the world’s leading trade fair for fresh fruit and vegetables, which will take place in Berlin (Germany) from 8 to 10 February 2012.   Melkior shallots represent a genuine innovation in the vegetable species. The variety, which has been certified as organic, was created by Agri-Obtentions, a producer of innovative plant varieties. Melkior is the first shallot to be resistant to mildew, which is the main fungal parasite to attack leafy plants. This resistance to mildew is of importance both to amateur gardeners, who are wary of using pesticides due to their harmful effects, and to professional farmers, such as organic-shallot producers, who frequently experience severe problems as a result of mildew.   Seeking to satisfy gardening enthusiasts, Fleuron d’Anjou intends to multiply the initial Melkior seedlings, while remaining within the specifications of the AB guarantee (i.e. the French organic-farming certification), therefore moving the shallot further along the path to sustainable development.   The Melkior variety’s bulb is of the round, mid-length variety. It is firm, with a fairly dark colour and a shiny appearance. In terms of cultivation, it is planted in late February or early March, for an early July harvest. Its vegetation is quite powerful, which is conducive to good ripeness. Finally, the Melkior variety has a high dry-matter content and will keep until April or May, while remaining free of any preservatives, since it is organic.   The product is available to users as of 2012 in 500g string bags, bearing a tag indicating that is was grown organically and carrying the blue label from the Groupement National Interprofessionnel des Semences et Plants (or GNIS, the French Inter-professional Seed and Plant Association), which guarantees its varietal purity and its hygiene quality.   About Fleuron d’Anjou   Fleuron d’Anjou is one of the leading French companies specialising in the production and commercialisation of fruit and vegetables, along with flowers and plants.   The company will attend the Fruit Logistica trade show in Berlin (Germany) between 8 and 10 February 2012 (Hall 22, Booth C-13).   About VEGEPOLYS   VEGEPOLYS is a cluster of excellence that regroups plant companies and leading expert organisations from Pays-de-la-Loire (in Western France), such as INRA (the French National Institute for Agricultural Research), Agrocampus Ouest INHP (the Institute for Life, Food, Horticultural Sciences and Landscaping), and Angers University. As part of VEGEPOLYS, lead agencies play an important role, including the Angers CPVO (Community Plant Variety Office), for registering varieties onto the European catalogue.   VEGEPOLYS develops projects that take into account current and expected changes in society worldwide, which means that it favours the development of environmentally friendly plant varieties that contribute towards human wellbeing. More particularly, VEGEPOLYS covers issues such as plant-variety innovation; the sanitary quality of seeds and plants; and, also, the design and development of urban and suburban landscapes.   VEGEPOLYS will be present at the Fruit Logistica trade show in Berlin (Germany) from 8 to 10 February 2012. It will showcase the Melkior shallot on its stand (Hall 22, Booth B-06) at the event.   For further information about Réussir Fruits et Légumes, please go to: http://www.reussirfl.com/     For further information about SIVAL, please go to: http://www.sival-angers.com/     For further information about Fruit Logistica, please go to: http://www.fruitlogistica.de/en/   For further information about Fleuron d’Anjou, please go to: http://www.fleurondanjou.fr/     For further information about VEGEPOLYS, please go to: www.vegepolys.eu  

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The French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London will present six innovative packaging-technology companies on the French pavilion at Packaging Innovations 2012. The trade show will take place at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), in Birmingham (England), from 29 February to 1 March 2012. The French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK will showcase six of the best French-based packaging specialists, who will exhibit their innovative products and advanced technological solutions on the French pavilion (Stand E20) at Packaging Innovations 2012, in Birmingham, at the end of February.   The companies due to attend are listed below. More information is available upon request.   APPLIC’ETAINS   APPLIC’ETAINS is a manufacturer of self-adhesive pewter labels that are available in a range of standard or bespoke models. It has already exported its products to approximately 50 countries across five continents.   www.applicetains.com/en/     CEISA PACKAGING   Established in 1962, CEISA PACKAGING is a market leader in printed shrink film for multipacks, shrink-and-stretch sleeves, and wrap-around labels. The key to CEISA PACKAGING’s success is continuous innovation. Currently present in 50 countries worldwide, the company has a global reach.   www.ceisa-packaging.com     COL DE CYGNE   A dynamic company specialising in making collars for packaging machines, COL DE CYGNE has more than 17 years’ experience. Its expertise enables it to design and manufacture forming collars that are customised to meet the specific needs of every customer. COL DE CYGNE is market leader in France, in this sector.   www.col-de-cygne.fr     LEYGATECH   LEYGATECH develops and produces blown co-extruded films for packaging to meet its clients’ specifications. The company’s wide range of products is mainly for the food market: barrier films, lamination liners and industrial packaging. LEYGATECH uses numerous materials such as PE, PS, EVOH, PP, PETG, and PA, which are applied to the multi-layer extrusion process — a technology that the company masters perfectly.   www.leygatech.fr/en/     MANUPLAST   A plastics specialist since 1957, MANUPLAST has established itself thanks to its expertise and its dynamic approach to progress. The company is ISO 9001- and ISO TS-certified. MANUPLAST has mastered transformation technologies through extrusion, blow moulding and injection. It supports its customers from the design through to the production of both technical and packaging parts.   www.manuplast.com       POSSON PACKAGING SAS   POSSON PACKAGING SAS is a company specialising in cardboard conversion and offset printing, with expertise in flat and corrugated packaging. It produces 18 million packaging boxes per month, and works with large multinational companies.   www.possonpackaging.fr     About The French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE   The French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London facilitates trade development between France and the UK. UBIFRANCE offers a wide range of services to French-based companies, so as to assist them in their business activities within the UK. As such, it organises B2B events in the form of conferences and networking opportunities, mainly in London.   The French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London is organising a French pavilion at Packaging Innovations 2012 from 29 February to 1 March 2012. The pavilion will be in Hall 9 (Stand E20) at the NEC, Birmingham (England).   Journalists wishing to attend should contact Ms Katherine Woods, Press Officer of the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London.   For further information about Packaging Innovations 2012, please go to:   http://www.easyfairs.com/fr/events_216/packaging-innovations2012_20111/packaging-innovations-2012_20115/     For further information about UBIFRANCE in the UK, please go to: www.ubifrance.com/uk/

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YOUPIG, the international piglet pre-starter feed that is made in France by InVivo NSA, is moving further into the international arena. The product, which is manufactured by one of the leading players in the premix and specialties industry, has already gained strong market positions in France, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Spain. YOUPIG will be showcased at Eurotier 2012 and Space 2012. The YOUPIG range is produced by InVivo NSA (where NSA stands for Nutrition et Santé Animales, which translates as animal nutrition and health). It consists of three main products adapted to the needs of small and large piglets: YOUPIG Baby is a creep diet (i.e. a solid diet for the suckling animal) for all piglets before weaning; YOUPIG 21 is for small, weaned piglets; and, finally, YOUPIG 28 is for pigs that at the weaning stage but already large.    To improve pig-farm performances, YOUPIG pre-starter feeds have been formulated to stimulate feed intake, maintain regular feeding, improve growth, avoid diarrhoea problems, and increase homogeneity across each animal batch. The excellence of YOUPIG pre-starter feeds is guaranteed due to the diversity of the specific raw materials that are used, the high — yet stable — quality of feed, and the dedicated feed plants that come into the product’s development.   InVivo NSA has partnerships with powerful R&D centres in France and elsewhere, with numerous private- and public-sector research institutes, and with an international network of trial farms. This means that YOUPIG pre-starter-feed formulas are produced in line with local requirements and regulations, including those that concern raw materials, targets and sanitary conditions, among others.   This R&D capacity in place with YOUPIG also enables the individual traceability of pigs from birth to slaughter, providing individual body-weight and feed-intake weighing, as well as nutritional-effe ct measurement.   The choice of pre-starter feeds plays a key role in pig production. The success of the pre-starter period has significant effects on slaughter and, thus, on pig-farm profitability. For example, two weeks of a pig’s life represents 2% of the total feed consumption. In addition, a 1.80kg difference in a pig’s weight at 39 days can result in a 7kg difference at slaughter. At the pre-starter stage, an average daily gain (ADG) of 100 additional grams can represent a reduction amounting to 3.50 days at the fattening stage.   To illustrate the point, YOUPIG’s motto is, “What we gain at the start is still there at the end! What we lose at the beginning, we never catch up!”   About InVivo NSA   InVivo NSA has more than 60 years of expertise in its field and is a leading and global player in the feed, premix and specialties sector, as well as the health industry.   Thanks, in part, to the premix made by InVivo NSA, over 20 million tons of animal feed are produced worldwide each year. The company is already strongly placed in the French market, where it generates 52% of its turnover, and is following a strategy of business development across markets worldwide.   InVivo NSA currently serves customers in over 50 countries in Africa, America, Asia and Europe through both local subsidiaries and export channels. With 5,250 employees (67% of whom are based outside France) and 75 production units worldwide, InVivo NSA has an annual turnover of €1.3 billion.   In 2012 InVivo NSA will take its YOUPIG pre-starter feeds to various trade shows, including Space 2012, which will take place in Rennes, in Brittany (western France), from 11 to 14 September, and Eurotier 2012, which will take place in Hanover (northern Germany), from 13 to 16 November.   For further information about Eurotier 2012, please go to: http://www.eurotier.com/home-en.html     For further information about Space, please go to: http://uk.space.fr/     For further information about InVivo NSA, please go to: www.invivo-nsa.com

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ARIANE is a unique variety of apple that is resistant to apple scab, which enables growers to reduce the use of chemical products in the apple orchard by half. The ARIANE apple, developed by French company Pomalia, will be available for tasting at Fruit Logistica 2012, the international fresh-produce trade show to be held in Berlin (Germany) from 8 to 10 February.  “Creating a new variety of apple is crucial, but it is not enough. It is also necessary to make it known and to establish its legitimacy within a sustainable economic approach. As the outcome of a truly progress-oriented approach, the ARIANE apple finds its strength in a network involving 15 nurserymen, 250 producers and six distributors,” explains Philippe Massardier, Chairman of Pomalia. ARIANE will be showcased at the Fruit Logistica 2012 trade fair in Berlin (Germany) between 8 and 10 February 2012 (in Hall 22, Stand F-05). It is distributed by Blue Whale, Castang, Edenys, Sicodis, BVL and Loire ALIA. The ARIANE apple was created in 2001 at the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique of Angers (the National Institute of Agronomic Research, in western France), as a result of 65 years of R&D; it was obtained by natural crossbreeding.  Since the start of its commercialisation in 2003, ARIANE has increasingly gained the favour of consumers, with consumption rising year on year. In 2011, 20,000 tons of ARIANE apples were produced and distributed.  ARIANE is now grown by 250 producers across six key production areas in France: the Berry region (in central France), the Loire Valley (in western France), the Monts du Lyonnais (to the east of central France), the Périgord and Tarn & Garonne (in south-western France), and Provence (in south-eastern France).   In the world of fruit-tree cultivation, ARIANE is considered by many to constitute the most important technical advance of the last 20 years. Its high quality of presentation, taste and preservation differentiates it markedly from the other red and two-coloured apples on the market. Picked from the end of September, it is the first large-consumption apple to possess a natural resistance to apple scab, i.e. to the Venturia inaequalis fungus. Apple scab is one of the principal diseases of the apple tree, to which all commercial apple varieties are susceptible, and the reason for around half of phytosanitary orchard treatments. Therefore, ARIANE’s natural resistance to the fungus makes possible a 50% cut in the use of chemicals for orchard treatments. Cultivating an apple that requires a considerably reduced use of pesticides is an important advance from the consumer’s standpoint. Reconciling food safety and environmental concerns, the producers of ARIANE are among the first to be engaged in a voluntary approach to sustainable and efficient apple production. Less treated and with recognised gustatory qualities, the ARIANE apple is particularly appreciated by the public. Having conquered the hearts of the French, it is now landing on the shelves of retail outlets across Britain, and will certainly not leave the consumers indifferent. The ARIANE apple is described as a gourmet product. It is sweet, acidic, firm, crunchy and juicy, leaving a sparkling taste in the mouth that defines an authentic flavour. It is a two-coloured fruit, which combines a deep, bright red skin with yellow lenticels. The ARIANE apple marries elegance with rusticity: a recognised champion at tastings, it has charmed consumers, who appreciate its indisputable quality. Another attractive feature of ARIANE is the fact that the apple preserves very well, retaining the same fresh taste from October to May. “Through Pomalia, all have chosen to master the development and promotion of this variety with recognised qualities. Behind ARIANE, above all, there are territories, men and women who are participating in the development of this apple of the future and who have made the choice of a demanding variety, and of a real commitment to a better form of production. With good gustatory and innovative qualities, ARIANE is an alternative to the other varieties present on our shelves. It must become a qualitative line for the consumer,” explains Philippe Massardier. About ARIANE The ARIANE apple was developed by natural crossbreeding in 2001 at the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique of Angers (the National Institute of Agronomic Research in Angers, in western France), as a result of 65 years of R&D. In 2011 20,000 tons of ARIANE apples were produced. The ARIANE apple is marketed by Blue Whale, Castang, Edenys, Sicodis, BVL and Loire ALIA. ARIANE will be present at the Fruit Logistica 2012 trade fair in Berlin (Germany) between 8 and 10 February 2012 (in Hall 22, Stand F-05). For further information about Fruit Logistica, please go to: http://www.fruitlogistica.de/en/ For further information about ARIANE, please go to: http://www.pomme-ariane.com/en/

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First of all, here at the press office of the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London, we hope that you had an enjoyable end-of-year break and that the new year has started in positive fashion for you.  Despite the widely reported travails affecting the British and European economy right now, more particularly in matters monetary, fiscal and financial, we are finding that, as in previous years, January is a busy period with many clients — existing and potential — contacting us in order to finalize their blueprints (and budgets) for PR campaigns extending into 2012.  Among our existing clients, Ports of Normandy Authority (PNA), which manages and owns the French ports of Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg, has renewed its contract with us for 2012. There will be a lot to talk about in relation to PNA in coming months, if only because the port of Cherbourg has won a big contract from transport-and-engineering group Alstom , in connection with the construction of wind turbines. The wind turbines in question are due to be assembled in the region with a view to being deployed in the Channel, where several large offshore wind farms are being planned by the French and the British authorities.  Another of our key clients, CIV Corse , the syndicate of Corsican winegrowers, has also renewed its contract with us, so that we will continue to promote a range of quality Corsican wines throughout 2012. We have pledged not to miss a single wine tasting that CIV Corse may organise in the UK this year... Among our new clients, ARIANE commercialises a unique variety of apple under the same name, whose origins can be traced back to the orchards of Central Asia.  Thanks to the fact the ARIANE apple is naturally resistant to apple scab — a fungus ( Ventura inaequalis ) that attacks apple trees — the amount of chemicals needed to treat ARIANE apples can be cut by 50%, as compared to ordinary varieties. Besides, ARIANE apples, which have been on the market since 2003, are particularly tasty and keep very well. All this makes ARIANE apples very attractive to consumers.  ARIANE will attend the Fruit Logistica trade show in Berlin (in February, from 8 to 10), and the press office is going to issue a press release very shortly about the ARIANE apple, so as to alert the British media to its unique health and environmental benefits, apart from its intrinsic quality.  Closer to home, the press office is sending a total of five journalists to Paris to take part in a press trip on the topic of e-health at the end of January. The press trip, at the French end, is organised by ParisRegion , the economic development agency for Paris and its region. Three British journalists will join two Nordic ones (from Denmark and Sweden) in the French capital over two days (26 and 27 January), which will give them the opportunity to learn more about new technologies and electronic systems, as applied to the management of healthcare in the Paris region.  Among the companies that the press delegation will visit is Diabeo , a pioneer in innovative solutions that monitor diabetes, taking advantage of the most advanced web and mobile technologies that are available. Acclaimed by its first users — both doctors and patients — Diabeo aims to optimise the management of diabetes; pharmaceuticals group Sanofi has been instrumental in the deployment of Diabeo . Still in the field of technology, French companies were very much in evidence on the UBIFRANCE Pavilion at the B ETT show, held at Olympia (in London) from 11 to 14 January. The BETT show (formerly known as the British Educational Training and Technology Show) is one of Europe’s biggest trade fairs on technology applied to education, the trend being towards mobile and computerized applications, which enable you to brush up on your conversational Uzbek while on the move. (I have tried it and recommend it — conversational Uzbek, I mean.) Several other, recent trade events have been of direct interest to us at the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London, such as Top Drawer (15 to 17 January), which specialises in gifts, stationery items, and well-being products, or the Independent Winegrowers’ B2B event organised by our colleagues in the Food & Drink Department at Lord’s Cricket Ground on 18 January. Apart from the fantastic venue, it was hard to resist the temptation to try all the fine wines presented by the 80 French participants, whose winemaking expertise more than makes up for their lack of any knowledge of cricket. (Then again, being good at cricket would not necessarily help you produce good wines.) We will have more exciting trade events and press trips to talk to you about in the coming months, and the range of topics and sectors we cover remains broad and varied, even if this bulletin’s crop is skewed towards IT and telecommunications. Be it offshore energy in relation to the Pays de Loire region of Western France or the attractiveness of the Lille region, in Northern France, we have it in stock. Should you be interested in yaw bearings, you can turn to ROLLIX . If it is the combination of gastronomy and computing that tickles your fancy, Unowhy has the answer with its QOOQ touchpad, which can beat any celebrity chef you can think of at the touch of a screen. As for me, I am thinking of purchasing one of Aldebaran Robotics’ near-human robots: I am dreaming of a fully programmable humanoid that can do the cooking, the washing, the ironing, the hoovering, the gardening, and change the odd light-bulb, so that I may have more time to devote to worthier pursuits, such as watching TV. So, NAO Next Gen, as the latest robot is known, is here with us to stay and may soon attend the BETT show in order to brush up on his conversational Uzbek. Last but not least, the press office is proud to announce that it has launched a Twitter feed that will keep all our fans — within the media and without — informed in real time as to what the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London gets up to. Katherine Woods, press officer, herself a bit of a Twitter fanatic, will keep you updated. Indeed, she has been Tweeting non-stop of late, so as to gain ever more followers in the UK and across the globe. We already have a British MP, various interior designers, a champagne importer, and a senior American IT executive among our devoted "followers", and I would strongly encourage you to join this in-crowd: it is all happening as we speak.  The next issue of UBIFRANCE UK will come out towards the end of March. Till then, and if you can’t wait, please log on to https://twitter.com/ and follow us at @UBIFRANCE_UK   in order to be kept informed of the manifold activities of the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in Britain and the companies that we promote. Philip Jolly Manager — Press Office Mission Economique UBIFRANCE, the French Trade Commission in London Business and manufacturing Vialog starts contract-manufacturing revolution out of Normandy Contract-manufacturing specialist Vialog is a collaborative group of 13 companies, based in the region of Dieppe, in Normandy. Providing a combination of industrial services and manufacturing capabilities, while covering related areas such as logistics, Vialog is the partner of choice for any international player keen to subcontract and outsource industrial production at the heart of Europe. For further information, please go to:   www.vialog.fr   To get the full story click here Lille region given thumbs up by 85% of foreign investors International auditing firm KPMG has confirmed the appeal of the Lille region for non-French investors. According to the independent survey conducted by KPMG and published in November 2011, 85% of respondents, representative of the 1,077 subsidiaries of foreign-owned groups established in Northern France, recommend the region.  For further information, please go to:   www.investinnorthernfrance.com To get the full story click here Engineering and robotics Aldebaran Robotics’ latest humanoid robot says ’hello’ Aldebaran Robotics, a world leader in humanoid robotics, has released its latest version of the NAO robot — NAO Next Gen , a new fully programmable humanoid robot that has the most extensive worldwide use. For further information, please go to:   www.aldebaran-robotics.com To get the full story click here ROLLIX finds its bearings with Alstom offshore turbines ROLLIX, a key player in the French offshore wind-turbine sector, has developed pitch and yaw bearings for the new Alstom Haliade 150-6MW offshore wind turbine — the largest offshore wind turbine manufactured to date. For further information, please go to:   www.rollix.com To get the full story click here Pays de la Loire blows away EWEA OFFSHORE 2011 The Pays de la Loire region was present at the EWEA OFFSHORE 2011 trade show in Amsterdam (in The Netherlands), between 29 November and 1 December. The French region’s pavilion provided visitors with the opportunity to better understand its offshore-energy sector. For further information, please go to:   www.offshorewind2011.info/ To get the full story click here Software and IT security WALLIX is €2m better off and joins the big league WALLIX, a European IT-security company, has finalised an increase in share capital of €2 million to be carried out with Thierry Dassault Holding (TDH), the personal holding group of Thierry Dassault, and Auriga Partners, a venture-capital firm. As part of the deal, Thierry Dassault will acquire a stake in software developer WALLIX, which is to become a public-limited company. For further information, please go to: www.systematic-paris-region.org/en   To get the full story click here   WALLIX buttresses Admin Bastion with WAB 3.0 WALLIX has announced the launch of version 3.0 of the Wallix Admin Bastion (WAB) , a security solution for information systems. WAB 3.0 enables companies to conform to the highest of standards, whilst observing the regulations that are in force. For further information, please go to:  www.wallix.com   To get the full story click here CARTES & IDentification attracts 20,000 from 145 countries CARTES & IDentification 2011, held in Paris in mid-November, attracted close to 20,000 visitors, positioning itself as a key global event for digital security and smart technologies. The CARTES team has already announced the dates of the next trade show, i.e. 6 to 8 November 2012 in Paris. For further information, please go to:  www.blogcartes.com To get the full story click here Software and telecommunications France BETTs on its educational know-how For the fifth year running, there was a French pavilion at the British Education and Training Technology (BETT) trade show, a key event for educational technology. The pavilion showcased 10 cutting-edge French players from 11 to 14 January 2012, in London. For further information, please go to:  www.bettshow.com   To get the full story click here Generix Group directs Carrefour’s 60 million Generix Group’s on-demand exchange platform has processed 60 million messages from 20,000 suppliers across 14 countries for the Carrefour Group over the past 12 months, thanks to Carrefour Group’s decision to outsource its international electronic data interchange (EDI) and B2B workflow management on Generix Group’s shared data-exchange platform. For further information, please go to:   www.generixgroup.com To get the full story click here AddOnMail goes for V 3.5 After publishing Microsoft Outlook plug-ins for several years, AddOnMail has announced the arrival of the latest version of its leading product, PSTStation Corporate for Outlook — the PSTStation Corporate 3.5 , which is V.3.5 of the product in Exchange 2010 .  For further information, please go to:   www.addonmail.com To get the full story click here France goes further in Near Field Communication The card-and-identification market is expanding fast in France. Specifically, Near Field Communication (NFC), the technology used for contactless identification and transactions, experienced rapid growth across the sector in 2010-2011. For further information, please go to:  www.investinfrance.org To get the full story click here Target Skills makes planning and scheduling mobile Target Skills is the publisher of PlanningPME ©, a scheduling software suite that is available in seven languages. Target Skills is launching its PlanningPME© mobile application — PlanningPME© Mobile . For further information, please go to:  http://www.planningpme.com To get the full story click here Unowhy unveils QOOQ celebrity chef in Las Vegas QOOQ, the first touchpad of its kind in the field of gastronomy, which has been developed by Unowhy, was launched in the English-language market at the 2012 International CES®.  The trade event, the largest international consumer-technology trade show of its kind, took place from 10 to 13 January in Las Vegas (USA). For further information, please go to:  www.cesweb.org/ To get the full story click here

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