2026 has got off to a flying start for the teams at nke Instrumentation. On 7 January, the entire company marked a milestone moment by welcoming Florence Bessy, Deputy Prefect of Lorient, alongside Pascal Le Liboux (AudéLor) and representatives of Lorient Agglomeration, for the presentation of the Rebond Industriel trophy.
An industrial and territorial ambition
Organised under the national Rebond Industriel programme, the visit formally recognised the industrial and scientific expertise of the company’s employees and shone a spotlight on a project that is both highly strategic and truly exceptional: the creation of five test shafts — unique in France — dedicated to its range of profiling floats.
France 2030 and Rebond Industriel: a structuring form of support
This recognition took concrete form with nke Instrumentation being selected as a Rebond Industriel laureate, a scheme aligned with the France 2030 investment plan and the Territoires d’Industrie programme. Rebond Industriel supports high-impact industrial investment projects in regions affected by economic change, particularly within long-established industrial sectors.
Leading the delegation during the 7 January visit to present the programme’s blue rooster trophy, Florence Bessy explained:
“By combining territorial engineering support with financial backing for industrial projects, the Rebond Industriel call for expressions of interest helps structure coherent, sustainable and job-creating development pathways. This project embodies a collective commitment to the future. It is an industrial revival by and for the territories.”
A testing facility unprecedented in the region
Very few industrial facilities are able to reproduce conditions close to those encountered by instruments deployed at sea. Until now, nke Instrumentation had to book and rent Ifremer’s test tank in Brest, then organise the transport of both equipment and staff — a heavy logistical burden with a far-from-ideal carbon footprint.
Thanks to Rebond Industriel and the grant awarded to laureates, the company has been able to build its own testing tanks. Today, it is fully autonomous, both for testing and for research and development on new equipment. This has radically transformed its production process and strengthened its competitiveness, particularly in relation to US competitors.
“Bringing profiling floats testing in-house at our Hennebont site will allow us to respond more quickly to the needs of our customers across all the world’s oceans and seas,” said Alain Boschet, CEO of the nke Group.
Excavated and built within a new 300 m² extension to the Hennebont premises, the five tanks match the scale of the company’s ambitions. At 12 metres deep and 1.2 metres in diameter, they can be filled with either fresh or salt water and were designed to meet operational requirements as closely as possible.
Un projet au bénéfice de l’emploi et du territoire
Beyond technological performance, this major investment—unique in the region—highlights the central role of industry in local development. Lorient Agglomeration, AudéLor and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) supported the company at every stage, convinced that industrial innovation is a key driver of skilled employment and regional attractiveness.
As Fabrice Loher, President of Lorient Agglomeration and Mayor of Lorient, stated:
“With nke Instrumentation, our region is demonstrating that industry can combine technological excellence, skilled jobs and practical responses to the challenges of the ecological transition. By supporting, alongside the State, innovative industrial projects under France 2030 and Territoires d’Industrie, we are affirming a clear ambition: to make the Lorient area a recognised hub of the blue economy, notably through the deployment of the ‘Lorient Embedded Intelligence’ cluster.”
Pascal Le Liboux, President of AudéLor and Vice-President of Lorient Agglomeration in charge of economic development, added:
“Local industry is at the heart of our priorities. Through the Territoires d’Industrie programme and the Rebond Industriel scheme, public action, in partnership with the State, provides concrete support for projects that structure the region, create jobs and drive transitions. By supporting our companies in their ambitions, we are building the industrial future of our agglomeration together.”
Collective pride
and shared recognition
For the teams at nke Instrumentation, the official visit above all represents recognition of the work accomplished. Behind these five test tanks lie years of research, engineering, testing and collective commitment in the service of science and the environment.
The sense of pride is all the greater because the project forms part of a long-term vision: manufacturing in France, innovating locally, while operating on a global scale. Every profiler tested in these Hennebont shafts is destined for deployment in all four corners of the world.
Local industrial expertise with global recognition
Our expertise is built on full control of the entire value chain: design, production, calibration, and now testing. Our headquarters in Hennebont already housed a fully equipped engineering department, a high-performance production workshop and its own metrology laboratory, ensuring the reliability and scientific accuracy of every instrument before deployment.
With this testing tanks, we are equipping ourselves to secure and accelerate the production of our floats, while strengthening our position as a strategic supplier to major international scientific institutions such as Ifremer and the Argo program, a global benchmark in oceanographic observation.
At the heart of this industrial momentum lies the study of our oceans and the continuous collection of essential data on temperature, salinity, and increasingly, on the ocean’s biogeochemical parameters.
An industry focused on the future
With the support of the French government, Lorient Agglomération, AudéLor, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), we have reinforced our role as a key player in global oceanographic observation, while actively contributing to the region’s economic vitality and positioning it as a recognized center of expertise.
The five test wells in Hennebont are not merely a technical facility: they embody an industrial ambition, a capacity for innovation, and a collective commitment to building an industry that is useful, sustainable and sovereign.