SOM makes Lille a strategic choice as a base for its operations

The ORTEC Group, headquartered in Aix-en-Provence, is a French company with an international reach, employing 14,000 people. Founded 30 years ago, the group initially evolved within French industrial basins, then gradually extended its influence on a global scale. Its customers include major players in a wide range of sectors: petrochemicals, nuclear power, healthcare, aerospace, railways, infrastructure, etc.

Structured around four main divisions – Engineering, Contracting, Global Services and Energy – the group offers a wide range of skills and services. At the heart of its engineering division, SOM offers a wide range of services, from design office to project management, including industrial risk management with a strong operational presence in the field.

SOM Nord’s teams combine technical expertise and innovation to take on and monitor even the most demanding large-scale projects. Backed by a corporate culture rooted in in-depth knowledge of the industrial sector and a sustained focus on the safety and security of installations, SOM now employs more than 1,800 people.

SOM’s arrival in Lille in May 2023, the result of prospecting by Nord France Invest, the economic development agency for the Hauts-de-France region, is a significant step forward, aimed primarily at strengthening its proximity to existing and potential customers. It also offers its consultants, who are often on assignment, an additional base in Northern France. Among the key players in the project, Dominique BENOIT, Northern Area Manager, and Emmanuel BAILLY, SOM Normandy Branch Manager, are playing a leading role.

Lille was the obvious choice for a number of reasons:

• A central location in the Hauts-de-France region, giving us easy access to major customers,
• A dynamic ecosystem with major contracts such as the SNCF,
• Easy access to the company’s head office in Aix-en-Provence and to the French capital.

The Pôle Invest in Hello Lille facilitated relations with key players, particularly in the field of employment, and Hello Lille made it much easier for the company to set up.

For 2024, SOM Nord has an ambitious development plan, which includes the recruitment of around ten professionals in the region, with the prospect of increasing this number depending on future opportunities. The Lille office is committed to recruiting highly specialised profiles, in particular engineers and technicians in planning, project management, works coordination and maintenance.