Outreach
Industry really can be "extraordinaire"
18 Nov 2019
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Tomomi Yokoyama
"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." This quote, attributed to the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, could have been the perfect slogan of this weekend's Extraordinary Factories (L'Usine Extraordinaire) event in Marseille. ITER was there.
Presentations, videos, mockups, demonstrations, virtual reality, knowledgeable volunteers ... everything was in place at the ITER stand to transmit enthusiasm about how ITER science is pushing industry to ever greater levels of innovation and accomplishment.
Today, the industries that drove the industrial revolutions in the 18th and 19th centuries are reinventing themselves to keep pace with the world of innovation and ever-evolving technologies.
L'Usine Extraordinaire, a major exhibit that took place from 14 to 16 November in Marseille, France, offered members of the general public the opportunity to encounter close to 80 industry actors in just a few hours, each of them showcasing the ways in which "big industry" is a source of innovation ... and exciting careers.
Inaugurated by Bruno Le Maire (French Minister of Economy and Finance) and Bernard Bigot (ITER Director-General and L'Usine Extraordinaire president), the three-day event attracted over 20,000 people. © F. Moura / L'Usine Extraordinaire Marseille 2019
Digitalization, the internet, big data, virtual reality ... these techniques are already revolutionizing production. A fourth industrial revolution is underway, and Industry 4.0 will require new resources to take on the jobs of the future. By showing that factories of today are nothing like factories of the past, the three-day L'Usine Extraordinaire event aimed its messaging at middle and high school students—the employees of the future—with hands-on displays, robotics, connectivity, simulations, mockups, conferences and videos all designed to stimulate interest in the wide variety of careers made possible by industry.
At the ITER stand, a constant stream of visitors was welcomed by volunteer guides from the ITER Organization as well as representatives from three French companies with large contracts at ITER: CNIM, Daher and Air Liquide.
La pose des raccordements est en cours pour l'eau potable, l'électricité, etc. — autant de services indispensables au bon fonctionnement de la zone d'entreprises CA2. Photo : F4E
Dans la nouvelle zone entreprise sur le site, une cantine pour 1 500 prend forme, assemblée à partir de 70 préfabriqués. Photo: F4E
Le nouveau centre d'accueil des visiteurs, qui offre une vue imprenable sur la plateforme ITER, ouvre ses portes au mois de septembre 2008. Il est équipé de panneaux d'information, de maquettes et d'une salle de conférence d'une capacité de 30 personnes. Tous ces aménagements ont été conçus pour informer le public sur l'état d'avancement et les enjeux du projet ITER.
Tronçon par tronçon, on pose les canalisations souterraines qui évacueront les eaux pluviales. Photo : F4E
Une météo exceptionnelle pour la région provençale : la tempête de neige de janvier 2009 a rendu le site ITER difficile d'accès pendant trois jours.
The 2019 L'Usine Extraordinaire, organized in Marseille, followed on the heels of a successful inaugural event held in Paris last year. A made-to-order tent, large exhibit space on the esplanade, and round table discussions on board Corsica Linea's "Le Méditerranée" were all part of the event. © F. Moura / L'Usine Extraordinaire Marseille 2019
Difficile de travailler les jours où il neige en Provence ... c'est tellement rare!
La deuxième réunion du Conseil intérimaire d'ITER (CII) se tient à Tokyo les 11 et 12 juillet 2007 sous la présidence de Sir Christopher Llewellyn-Smith, six mois après la signature de l'Accord ITER à Paris, le 21 novembre 2006.