- Aerospace & Defense
- Corporate
- Sustainability
- Engagement
- Event
A resilient industry in action: sovereignty, cooperation, and transformation
Reading time: 2 minutes
On June 9, at the Cité des Congrès in Nantes, the 2026 Sustainable and Eco‑Responsible Industry Meetings (RIDE) brought together industrial leaders, experts, and public stakeholders to discuss the major transformations shaping the sector. One message stood out: industrial sovereignty is built through action, at the heart of value chains.
For Nicolas Orance, Executive Senior VP Aerospace, Defense & Industry at Hutchinson and sponsor of this edition:
“Sovereignty is not a concept. It is our ability to produce, to make decisions, to master our expertise and our value chains”.
In an increasingly demanding environment - marked by supply tensions, accelerating technological transitions, and growing pressure on performance - this challenge takes on a very concrete dimension: maintaining the ability to innovate, produce, and deliver over the long term.
Hutchinson, a committed player at the heart of ecosystems
These discussions also highlighted a fundamental reality: industrial performance is collective. It is built at the scale of entire ecosystems.
Working closely with its partners, clients, and industry sectors, Hutchinson actively contributes to this dynamic. Hélène Moreau-Leroy’s involvement within GEADS illustrates this role: structuring dialogue between industrial players, aligning priorities, and supporting transformations across the entire value chain.
It is through this ability to collaborate, to listen to its environment, and to integrate ecosystem changes that the robustness of industrial models - and their capacity for sustainable transformation - truly takes shape.
Innovating, passing on knowledge, transforming
Industrial sovereignty also relies on the ability to prepare for the future.
During a roundtable with students, Nicolas Orance emphasized the importance of passing on know-how and evolving skills to support ongoing transformations.
These discussions also shed light on changes within industrial professions, notably their increasing feminization. The testimony of a student - the first woman in her workshop in a welding trade - provided a concrete illustration of these shifts.
Through its technological innovations and its commitment to industry sectors, Hutchinson is helping to drive change in the industry by combining performance, resilience, and attractiveness.
Building for the long term
On a daily basis, this dynamic translates into industrial choices, technological investments, and skills development.
It is driven by a committed collective, capable of innovating, adapting, and taking a long-term perspective.
As Nicolas Orance summarizes:
“A united collective does not simply endure the world—it builds its own sovereignty” .
