On 18 December 2025, Fives AddUp and the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) brought together nearly 100 key industrial stakeholders from the defense, aeronautics and space sectors for a full day dedicated to metal additive manufacturing – a technology increasingly recognized worldwide for strengthening supply chain agility and industrial resilience. 

This landmark event united the French additive manufacturing ecosystem around a shared ambition: to build a strong national AM supply chain capable of accelerating adoption across strategic sectors such as Defense and Aerospace. This momentum marks a turning point for the industry and will drive the next phases of development. 

Watch the event highlights video 

A Day Focused on Innovation, Industrial Transformation and Technological Leadership 

With the participation of Benoît Laroche de Roussane, Director of Defense Industry at the DGA, as well as representatives from leading companies including Safran, Naval Group, MBDA and Sirius Space Services, the event represented a key milestone for the French additive manufacturing landscape. 

Throughout the day, speakers and participants emphasized a shared belief: metal additive manufacturing is no longer just an innovation; it is a strategic shift redefining the future of industrial production. 

Across defense and aerospace applications, demand for large, high performance metal components continues to grow. In this context, additive manufacturing emerges as a critical enabler to secure supply chains, enhance production flexibility and support long term industrial autonomy – challenges faced by manufacturers worldwide. 

MASSIF Project: Advancing Large Scale Metal Additive Manufacturing 

One of the major highlights of the event was the presentation of the MASSIF Project, an ambitious initiative supported by Bpifrance and France 2030. 

Developed in response to clear and urgent industrial needs, MASSIF aims to deliver a nextgeneration metal additive manufacturing system capable of producing very large parts, with a build volume of up to 1.5 m × 1.5 m × 2 m. 

During their visit to AddUp’s facilities, participants discovered: 

  • The first test benches developed for MASSIF 
  • Advancements on the FormUp 750, the first machine born from the project 
  • Demonstrations of AddUp’s existing AM solutions, including FormUp 350 (LPBF) and Modulo 400 (DED) machines, showcasing their benefits in terms of productivity, safety and digitalization. 

Keynotes, Roundtables and Strategic Insights 

The programme featured a series of highlevel keynotes and panel discussions from leaders in the defence and aerospace industries: 

  • Benoît Laroche de Roussane (DGA) opened the event with a strategic address highlighting the growing importance of metal additive manufacturing for strengthening defense readiness, enhancing industrial responsiveness, and supporting long term technological autonomy. 
  • FrançoisXavier Foubert (Safran) delivered a keynote addressing the growing demand for largeformat additive manufacturing systems. 
  • Florian Galliano (MBDA), JeanFrançois Sabre (Naval Group), Antoine Fourcade (Sirius Space Services) and Julien Marcilly (AddUp) shared operational feedback and longterm perspectives during a roundtable on “The Adoption of Additive Manufacturing.” 
  • Frédéric Sanchez, President of the Fives Group, reaffirmed the Group’s commitment to strengthening industrial competitiveness and technological leadership. 
  • JeanDominique Senard, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Fives, attended the event and expressed his strong support for the industry’s strategic direction. 

These contributions reinforced a shared conclusion: collaboration between institutions, industrial players and technology partners is essential to build a strong, future ready additive manufacturing ecosystem.