Creating a network of productive third places
Practical notebook 16: (Re)developing productive activities in metropolitan areas
Thierry Petit, noviembre 2024
Re-industrialisation must be able to rely on a network of places whose purpose is to disseminate the culture of ‘making’ to the public and to support craftsmen and SMEs in adopting new technologies and more sustainable production methods. The third-party production centres meet these two objectives. Their deployment across the country is supported by public authorities at both national and regional level.
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In its latest report, France Tiers-Lieux points out that 49% of third places in France offer an activity directly involved in manufacturing and production. These include shared craft workshops (19%), digital fabrication workshops, fablabs and makerspaces. These third places offer services that enable the development of local manufacturing with small series production.
In 87% of cases, these places are primarily dedicated to the transmission and dissemination of know-how, and to a lesser extent to manufacturing to meet local needs. What these production methods have in common is that they are on an urban scale, and make it possible to rethink manufacturing around a model of proximity, open to all, which tends to reduce the logistical constraints of supply or distribution, with a view to reducing ecological impact; a new model offering an alternative to the major industrial centres, the break-up of production chains or globalisation, which aims to rethink the relationship between each individual and the manufacture of objects, their use and their consumption.
The public who frequent these places are mainly amateurs (75%), associations, self-employed workers and, to a lesser extent, local craftspeople (according to 48% of third-party centres) and local businesses (according to 33% of third-party centres). These third-party production sites are particularly popular in the arts and culture sectors, as well as in the social economy, from which many third-party sites originate. So these sites are primarily involved in disseminating technical culture to the general public and to professional audiences. The training component is therefore essential for this type of project, in which those involved in training are partners.
What can be found in third places?
Eighty-three per cent of third-party production centres offer 3D printing tools, 53% offer repair and re-use activities (with material libraries) and 38% offer services and equipment related to carpentry and crafts in general (laser cutting, sewing workshop, digital embroidery machine, etc.).
Networked production, the distributed manufacturing model
Third-party production facilities can also play a part in the re-emergence of distributed manufacturing systems. These production systems are based on networking and sharing resources, skills and production capacity.
The aim is to enable products to be designed, manufactured and distributed on a local scale, as close as possible to where they are needed, while benefiting from the knowledge and expertise of a wider network. The health crisis has revealed the capacity of large ecosystems of players, third places and makers, and their agility in producing goods locally, quickly, to meet urgent needs for medical products. They were able to organise themselves to create local production solidarity chains between healthcare professionals, fablabs or workshops equipped with digital machines. In this way, they have been able to supply almost 5 million units, masks, visors, valves, syringe pumps, etc.
The government is continuing its policy of supporting third-party facilities, with the aim of developing or certifying 500 ‘local factories’, with an average subsidy of €250,000 per project. Operated by ANCT, the scheme launched in 2021 began with an initial prefiguration phase entrusted to France Tiers-Lieux to draw inspiration from existing or developing models. By 2022, following three calls for expressions of interest, there will be 160 local factories, 61 of which will be winners in 2022.
The programme provides project engineering support (selection of key players, involvement of economic stakeholders, structuring of the economic and legal model, physical investment and governance). Project leaders also benefit from a training programme.
In Île-de-France, the regional policy to support third-party workplaces set out the ambition of creating 1,000 third-party workplaces by 2021, the majority in rural and peri-urban areas. By 2022, there will be 1,030 third places, of which 125 (12%) will be productive (excluding incubators). The Region has supported 161 start-ups since 2016. The Region gives priority to places where the economy is recovering, and provides support through annual calls for projects. Regional support is available to all types of project leaders (associations, businesses, local authorities, training centres, etc.). It takes the form of a contribution of up to 40% of capital expenditure (fitting out and refurbishment of premises, furniture, machinery and industrial equipment, IT equipment and software, study costs) up to a maximum of €200,000. These amounts are much higher in economic regeneration zones.
Points to watch
The limitations of third-party production centres lie in their ability to offer industrial-level equipment and skills. This makes it more difficult for them to meet demand from industrial SMEs. The emergence and viability of projects outside the dense urban area remain complex.