By Jeanne Cridling
Published on
In 2022, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia led to the use of the term “war economy” in France, coined by Emmanuel Macron for the first time that year. The President called on industrialists to produce “faster, stronger” to rebuild stocks of ammunition and equipment.
Located in Bayeux (Calvados), Factem, a small arms company, responded to this call. The company has been supplying the military for many years. Their goal is to facilitate communication in difficult environments with the production of specialized radio equipment used by major companies like Airbus and Thales.
The conflict with Iran and French military interventions have impacted Factem’s orders, leaving them in a delicate situation as they await new orders.
Waiting for Orders
For Factem’s CEO, Alain Dulac, this situation is a real puzzle. Anticipating the demand, he made significant investments to expand their storage capacity in preparation for future orders, which are currently scarce.
Alain Dulac remains positive that the situation will improve as the French army needs to restock on equipment due to upcoming high-intensity actions in France within the next three to four years.
However, managing this uncertainty is a challenge, requiring a high level of adaptability both in production and workforce planning.
The timing must also align with the supply of raw materials.
“Deadlines have become very uncertain since COVID. In 2018, our orders were delivered within three weeks, today we face much longer lead times, up to three or four months.”
Organizing and anticipating the upcoming surge in demand is crucial for Factem, especially as they rely heavily on orders from the French military to sustain their operations amidst the investments made.
Factem is patiently waiting for their turn in the order pipeline, aware of the necessary steps and time involved in processing government orders before reaching them.
Featured in a France TV Documentary
On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, Factem was featured in a documentary on France 5 discussing the cost of defense. The company provided insights and made a brief appearance in the hour-long program.
Upcoming Broadcast: “Question of Money: How much does our defense cost?” Tuesday, April 7, at 9:05 p.m. on France 5.
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