By Jeanne Cridling
Published on
In 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to the term “war economy” being used in France by Emmanuel Macron for the first time that year. The President asked industrialists to produce “faster, stronger” to rebuild stocks of ammunition and equipment.
Located in Bayeux (Calvados), this request resonated with Factem. The arms manufacturing SME has been supplying the armies for many years. Its goal: “Transmission of speech in difficult environments,” summarizes Alain Dulac, the manager. Combos radio, microphones, speakers are manufactured in the heart of Bessin, equipment used by major groups like Airbus or Thales.
The war against Iran and the French army’s intervention have impacted the company’s orders, which currently “treads on eggshells.”
Waiting for Orders
For Alain Dulac, the situation is equivalent to a real puzzle. The CEO has anticipated orders and invested heavily. With this new stock, consisting of raw materials, semi-finished and finished products, a new floor has been built, doubling the storage space to store this production while awaiting orders. The catch: these orders are nowhere to be seen.
According to the businessman, “the situation will unlock at some point because the French army consumes a lot of material and will need to replenish equipment.” A few weeks ago, Fabien Mandon, the French armed forces chief of staff, announced that high-intensity actions could be expected in France within three to four years.
This wait remains difficult to manage because it requires a real adaptation capacity. “To produce, we need equipment and employees. It is necessary to have a production tool capable of dealing with a doubling of production. It is also essential to anticipate the recruitment of employees to handle this future peak of activity that will keep the teams running from 6 am to 8 pm. However, I cannot recruit until I have orders, I cannot hire too early or too late.”
And timing must also coincide with the supply of raw materials.
“Deadlines have become very fluctuating since COVID. In 2018, our orders were delivered in three weeks, today, we are facing very long deadlines, up to three or four months.”
Organizing, anticipating, the preparatory phase in which the company finds itself is delicate. If Factem continues to receive its nominal order flow, those expected for the French army are a necessity given the investments made by the boss who, having no choice, must “make decisions based on assumptions.”
Factem is waiting its turn. “Orders placed by the State go through different ranks before reaching us. It can take several weeks,” explains Alain Dulac, “but if we want to be ready tomorrow, we must at least procure a minimum.”
A Feature in a France TV Documentary
On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, France 5 airs a documentary on the cost of defense. Factem was approached to shed light and made a brief appearance in the over one-hour documentary.
“Money Matters: How much does our defense cost? Tuesday, April 7, at 9:05 pm on France 5.”
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