Successful local milieux and the Lisbon process
Good practice case study
Plastics Vallée, Oyonnax, France
Plastics Vallée is located in a valley in the département of Ain, the nearest large city being Lyon. It has a history of manufacturing going back 150 years. But the beginning of the 19th century signalled the transition from a cottage-based production process to a major manufacturing centre. The advent of celluloid further transformed Oyonnax’s key industry: comb manufacturing, making Oyonnax famous for its product. After the Second World War, another transformation of local industry occurred; the plastics industry took off and was able to establish itself on the local, national and international markets. This expansion and this competence are such that the Oyonnax area is now known as ‘Plastics Vallée’.
Now there are over 1,500 companies which are responsible for all stages of the plastic industry including: design, mould production, machinery manufacture, polymer processing, finishing, decoration, recycling. And this cluster is a classic example of an enterprise milieu constantly adapting and evolving to meet the challenges of market change and competitiveness demands. Local industries and business leaders possess exceptional entrepreneurial skills and the concentration of continuously innovative specialist plastics firms has allowed Oyonnax successfully to maintain its leading position for research and development in the plastics sector.
Case study
Plastics Vallée [pdf, en, 20kb]
Further information
Plastics Vallée : la vallée spécialisées dans le plastique, la plasturgie
