Acquisition of the engineering services activities of Ponant Technologies
ADVANS Group (ELSYS Design, AViSTO, MECAGINE) announces the acquisition of the engineering services activities of Ponant Technologies, a design office renowned for its expertise in industrial and embedded software.
Located in Valence, this new 30-strong team joins ELSYS Design, which specializes in the design of embedded electronic systems. This operation enables ADVANS Group to establish a new design center in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, alongside its historic sites in Grenoble and Lyon. This is ADVANS Group’s third acquisition in the last twelve months. Press release.
Valence, France, July 8, 2025 – With the opening of the Valence site, ADVANS Group is actively pursuing its regional development strategy. This new facility is part of an ambitious growth plan which aims to reach 300 engineers locally over the next few years, drawing on both its current bases and new facilities to be set up in Annecy, Saint-Étienne and Clermont-Ferrand.
According to Olivier Kuntz, Regional Director of ADVANS Group: “The acquisition of Ponant Technologies’ engineering services business is fully in line with our development plan, which is in line with the Group’s national and international dynamic. It marks an important step in our drive to achieve sustainable growth in the major electronics and software centers of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Customer complementarity and local continuity
This integration consolidates commercial synergies: it opens up new customer accounts while strengthening existing ADVANS Group partnerships based in Valence. The engineering team will continue to operate from its current premises at 21 rue Pierre Mechain, 26000 Valence.
A shared DNA focused on technical expertise and people
In addition to shared technical skills, this acquisition is based on strong shared values: a passion for engineering and an emphasis on the human dimension. These are the factors that have encouraged the convergence of the two structures.
Antoine Dessales, Deputy Managing Director of Ponant Technologies, is now in charge of the ELSYS Design Valence Business Unit: “I would like to warmly thank Christophe Barthélemy for the support and responsibilities he has entrusted to me over the last nine years.
I’m also grateful to the ADVANS Group teams for the opportunity to join this wonderful human and technological adventure.
It’s a source of great pride for me to continue to develop our business alongside our customers and our teams, capitalizing on our expertise in product development, embedded software and applications, serving major accounts, startups and SMEs.
We are fully committed to building a premium service offering, which will eventually integrate electronics and mechanics, while maintaining our local roots on the Plateau de Lautagne site in Valence.”
A natural link with the local ecosystem
ADVANS Group is also strengthening its ties with the local ecosystem. The Valence site benefits from its geographical proximity to Grenoble INP – ESISAR, a renowned engineering school specializing in embedded systems, from which nearly 10% of ADVANS Group’s workforce in the Rhône-Alpes region already originates, not counting those of Ponant Technologies.
A new stage in ADVANS Group’s growth
This is ADVANS Group’s third acquisition, following those of La Chouette Co and Niri in 2024, confirming its sustained growth momentum, both in terms of headcount and geographical reach. Other acquisition projects are underway.