Lynred breaks ground on new €85m site for infrared technologies

This is the biggest construction investment that the company has undertaken since it began manufacturing in 1986.

The project is financed by loans from the CIC bank and Bpifrance.

Lynred will double its current cleanroom footprint, totalling 8,200m² (88,264 ft²), primarily to meet two strategic objectives:

• Obtain an optimal cleanroom cleanliness classification for its new high-performance products (hybrid detectors)
• Increase the production capacity for its more compact industrial products (bolometers) used in multiple fields, including the automotive industry

This substantial investment will consolidate Lynred's positioning as European market leader in infrared detection. It enables the company to play a key role within the European defence industrial and technological base, innately woven into strengthening French and European forces, for whom infrared detection is hugely important. With this, Lynred takes a step up in responding to the French government's call to reorient European industry towards a 'rearmament economy' (FR). 

To mark the ground breaking on May 10^th, Jean-François Delepau, chairman of Lynred, planted a holm oak tree.

"I am delighted to see our state-of-the-art industrial site come to life, consolidating our position as the second largest infrared detector manufacturer in the world. This will enable us to respond to growing market demand for next-generation infrared technologies, including in the automotive sector. It will allow us to contribute to bolstering France's industrial sovereignty and, more generally, to improve our overall industrial performance. Above all, I wish to thank the Lynred teams involved in this major undertaking, as well as all our partners who have supported us, in particular our shareholders, Thales and Safran. Lynred is embarking on a new strategic pathway, both in terms of technology and dynamic growth," said Mr Delepau.

The buildings are due for completion in the first trimester of 2025 and the site will be fully operational by the following October. This state-of-the-art industrial facility will comprise 8,200 m² (88,264 ft²) of interconnected cleanrooms (twice the current surface area), 3,400 m² (36,600ft²) of laboratories, a 2,300 m² (24,756 ft²) logistics area, and a tertiary and technical area measuring 10,800 m² (11,625 ft²).

Lynred is looking to increase its production capacity by 50% by 2025, in particular for its bolometer products, with a view to doubling capacity by 2030.

With these new cleanrooms the company will house all of its French production lines in  a single location. This will enable synergies amongst core competencies and optimise production flows.

The new buildings will be located on the current Lynred site in Veurey-Voroize, situated within the Grenoble area. They have been designed to ensure optimised energy management and environmental performance: even with 13,600 m² (146,400 ft²) under construction, the volume of permeable surface will increase. The company will decrease its carbon footprint by 33% and will install 1,800 m² (19,375 ft²) of solar panels. Moreover, the site will accommodate an additional 320 trees and more than 100 charging stations for electric vehicles (cars and bicycles) will be put in place, with more cycle parkin