“We are more optimistic today, we know that it will succeed,” assures entrepreneur Olivier Six

Olivier Six submitted a plan to take over the factory on Friday November 28, with Séverine Dejoux, former union representative of the company.

“We are more optimistic today, we know that it will succeed”ensures this Monday on HERE Isère the entrepreneur Olivier Six who wants to relaunch part of the activity of the chemical company Vencorex in Pont-de-Claix, near Grenoble, with his ‘Exalia’ project. The takeover offer was filed on Friday November 28 with the Economic Affairs Court (TAE) of Lyon. The liquidation of Vencorex in April 2025 led to the elimination of 400 of the site’s 450 jobs. The takeover of the chemical factory had been attributed to the Chinese Wanhua, which had therefore only taken over a fraction of the employees, the Lyon commercial court having ruled inadmissible a cooperative takeover project by employees, who wanted in particular to keep this flagship of chemicals in the French fold.

The new project aims to employ 250 people within two years, including some former Vencorex employees. “We worked a lot, we started with a project which was to take over the entire platform”explains Olivier Six, but it was unsuccessful. “There, we are not at all on the same scope. We have been working on the subject for eight months now, we realized that there was everything we needed to make it work,” he continues. “The project is now much more mature than the first.”

The bearers of projectSéverine Dejoux, former union representative of Vencorex and Olivier Six, a local entrepreneur, want to develop a chemistry “carbon-free and sovereign” which will notably produce hydrochloric acid, soda and liquid chlorine for local industries. “There is a marketassures Olivier Six. The products that we are going to manufacture, everyone needs them, particularly to treat water. So these are products that are expected by the market.”. They are “complicated to manufacture, dangerous to transport. And today, we no longer have any in production within 600 kilometers around”affirms the entrepreneur, who thus wants to avoid importing these products from Germany, Italy, Spain, or Belgium. “There is a real wait”he insists.

Previously, Vencorex manufactured “complex chemical products. We will focus on simple, easy products that everyone needs from water treatment to industry, including the food industry”. They will be “totally decarbonized”thanks to the rehabilitation of the factory so that it is “one of the most efficient in Europe, we will irrigate the regional economy with products which will allow everyone to be much more competitive”.

The Exalia project will initially require 60 million euros of investment, via “very firm promises which will be implemented in the coming weeks”announces Olivier Six. “The metropolis has deliberated, the region provides its support, the minister also provided the support of the State”explains the entrepreneur. He adds that he also has support “from the simplest citizen to the top of the state. We have the support of left and right, we have the support of parliamentarians, we have unanimous support for this project”he assures. At the same time, “private funds and banks follow”he adds. The response from the Lyon commercial court is expected by the end of January.