Are machine builders and machine users receptive to the sovereignty argument? Does Made in France have other strengths to put forward? To find out, we spoke with Romain Brigand, Managing Director of FBB. The company is one of the two French manufacturers of servo motor and encoder cables.

On the first question, his answer leaves no doubt: “Today, the issue is not really one of sovereignty. The size of the French distribution network suggests that supply is plentiful, whereas very few of us actually manufacture this kind of product. What I generally see in the market is procurement split into two categories: on one side, standard cables that are stocked in large quantities and mostly come from Asia or Eastern Europe; on the other, customised cables that are needed quickly, which are mainly French.”

Urgency, then, would be what tips the balance in favour of Made in France, which tends to justify keeping this production in the country. “The cost-benefit ratio of local production is huge for this type of component, given the financial losses caused by every hour of machine downtime,” he explains. “Being able to deliver a ready-to-connect cable within 24 hours, whatever the connectors, takes real expertise and a local network.”

This expertise is also reflected in the ability of French suppliers, including FBB, to support the retrofitting of older machines. Romain Brigand adds: “our added value also comes from our ability to manage the upgrade of obsolete systems with custom cables. Take the example of a machine whose mechanics are in good condition and whose motors work, but whose drives are obsolete and regularly cause production stoppages: we can create a cabling solution that allows the old motors to run with the new drives, even if these come from another manufacturer.”

One last point worth highlighting: innovation. Cabling solutions also contribute to the evolution of machines. Romain Brigand gives the example of “OCT hybrid cables, which appeared about fifteen years ago and which not only saved space in control cabinets, but also reduced the number of failures and made troubleshooting easier.” That makes at least three good reasons to stop regarding cables as mundane components, and to hope that they continue to be manufactured in France.