The French group Icare, specialized in the control of contamination in the field of industrial health, has opened a subsidiary in Switzerland with the support of the GGBa. The choice of La Chaux-de-Fonds, a city known for its UNESCO status, meets the company's need to be close to its growing number of local customers, American research centers and the micromechanics-health axis.
At the heart of the canton's industrial know-how
The new subsidiary is located in Microcity, the innovation hub of the canton of Neuchâtel. In addition to start-ups and industrial SMEs, the site in La-Chaux-de-Fonds also hosts part of the Haute École Arc's applied research and development activities in the fields of medical devices, micro and nano systems and surface engineering. More than 50 students, professors and employees of the institute visit the premises daily. As a result, the site is a permanent point of contact and synergy between research, industrial know-how and innovation.
International ambitions
Icare intervenes when a company implements a process involving contamination risks. The services offered range from product analysis to installation qualification, marketing and manufacturing of tailor-made products. The group mainly works for the pharmaceutical, veterinary and medical device industries. An independent laboratory created in 1995 in Clermont-Ferrand, Icare now has 160 employees and an annual turnover of 15 million euros, of which 15% from export. After investing in Brazil and Switzerland, the group intends to continue its expansion in Europe.
