Industry and manufacturing in Calais, France

Situated in the Hauts-de-France, France’s northernmost region, Calais is strategically located in the north-west of Europe.

Greater Calais local authority has developed several structures to facilitate industrial companies’ growth and to make it easier for them to set up their industrial business in Calais.

Calais, a strong, traditionally industrial region in northern France

Greater Calais, France, is home to several notable industrial companies such as:

• Schaeffler: automobile distribution chain manufacturing,  

• Graftech: cathode production for batteries (global HQ),

• Meccano: manufacturing of construction toys (global HQ),

• MERCK Santé, Interor: chemical production for the pharmaceutical industry.

Greater Calais local authority helps companies establish partnerships with these multinationals.

Companies from several industrial sectors are present in Calais, including:

• Chemical industry
• Mecanical industry
• Pharmaceuticals
• Automotive 
• Aeronautics

The automobile industry is one of the most important industrial sectors in Calais.

One of Calais’ defining features is that is it close to the UK, and lots of European manufacturers go via Calais when delivering goods to British customers. Specifically, lots of food and beverages as well as automobile components pass through Calais on their way to the UK (over 35% of transported goods). This means that for many companies, it is advantageous to produce directly in Calais so they can be close to the UK (reduced logistic needs and transport costs) whilst remaining in Europe, specifically in order to keep their CE certification.