The engineering and consulting company Fortil expands in Provence

A combined HR & sales strategy is ensuring growth and impact

Founded by Olivier Remini in 2009 in La Seyne-sur-Mer near Toulon where the company is still headquartered, Fortil is undergoing rapid and wide-ranging expansion. This engineering and consulting company employs more than 2100 people and operates in two major sectors: industry and IT. Fortil has enhanced its presence in the South of France by expanding into Aix-en-Provence with the support of the Provence Promotion and Pays d’Aix Développement economic development agencies. The company has also recently launched projects to diversify into the oil and chemical sectors that operate around the Fos-sur-Mer basin.

Thanks to key strategic decisions over the past 15 years and new market opportunities, Fortil is now active in diverse industrial sectors, including mechanical design, electricity, automation, and instrumentation. “Over time, the company has developed the skills and expertise required to build a factory from the ground up,” says Jean Audibert, the company’s Director of Operations.

Beginning in 2015, Fortil began expanding into IT engineering. This new direction has enabled the company to develop highly sought-after expertise in the design of applications, software, embedded solutions, and digital infrastructure. This growth trend continued in 2022 when Fortil took over the facilities management business previously operated by the CNIM industrial systems company.

In the health sector, Fortil has built up a team of 400 specialists, including a design office dedicated to process engineering for improving or setting up production facilities. To respond more effectively to environmental challenges, in 2020, Fortil absorbed Numtech, which is the French leader in air quality monitoring systems. This strengthened the company’s capabilities in relation to the environmental impact sector.

A strategic location in Aix-en-Provence

With the aim of getting closer to its clients and offering its employees a more central location, Fortil opened new offices in a 300-meter-square villa in Aix-en-Provence in 2021.

“Our engineers are often on secondment to partner companies, such as Airbus Helicopters or ITER… This new workspace offers everyone a central place to come together,” explains Jean Audibert, who believes that a sense of community and belonging is essential to a company’s well-being.

Provence Promotion worked with Pays d’Aix Développement to help identify potential sites for the company’s new offices. Thanks to this strategic location, Fortil has been able to integrate commercial functions and grow its local business. Today, the office is used by 150 people, around 30 of whom work full-time at the site.

Fortil stands out for its strong social and community commitments. This was a priority for the founder, who created a socially responsible business model that is reflected in all the company’s activities. Fortil emphasises the transmission of values, knowledge, and the sharing of wealth through various initiatives: financing local community projects, opening up capital to employees (including the 51% of the 202 associate employees who hold technical positions), and the creation of an endowment fund to support projects linked to employment, education, and the environment.

Diversification into the chemicals and oil industries

In the Bouches-du-Rhône department, which includes the cities of Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, and Arles, Fortil has diversified by moving into the aeronautics sector. The company also plans to expand further by strengthening its presence around the Étang de Berre industrial zone. Its aim is to target the chemical and oil industries by setting up a team dedicated to these sectors. Provence Promotion will support Fortil in these efforts by providing networking opportunities and business information that can accelerate their success in these new avenues of activity.

With 25 branches in France and an international presence in 13 countries, Fortil is continuing to grow. The company expects to achieve sales of €190 million in 2024, and is seeking to increase its global workforce to 3000 people by 2025.