EC6 is thriving at the east Lyon healthcare centre (Pôle Santé Est)

september 2017

Specialising in food services and nutrition in hospital and medical-social environments, the EC6 Group chose the Lyon metropolitan area to set up its headquarters and consolidate its teams. This proved to be a winning choice for the company, which is now set up right at the centre of "Lyon’s hospital district". Éric Commelin, Managing Director, tells us more.

Consolidating the headquarters and growing the business

When EC6 decided to consolidate its headquarters in Lyon, the Mermoz quarter seemed to be the natural choice for Éric Commelin and his staff. In addition to its pleasant living conditions and many local businesses, the quarter is ideally located close to the Grange-Blanche area, in Lyon’s 8th district.

It’s a strategic location for French biomedical training and research, especially favourable to the Group’s development, focusing on projects in hospital and medical-social settings (geriatric and disability).

"For our research programmes, training courses and partnerships, the high density of health-related institutions and companies offers us an extremely promising environment", explains Éric Commelin.

Close to the key healthcare players in Lyon

By consolidating all of its skills at the East Lyon Healthcare Centre (Pôle Santé Est), EC6 has moved closer to the local area’s big players in the healthcare sector, such as Saint-Jean-de-Dieu Hospital, the Léon Bérard Cancer Research Centre, major corporations such as Merck-Lipha, as well as Bioparc, a technology park devoted to the life sciences.

"Being based at the East Lyon Healthcare Centre enables us to work hand-in-hand with key players. For example, with the University of Lyon 3, we are creating university courses such as the Master’s Degree in Healthcare Food Service Engineering. Being at the centre of this ecosystem is a great showcase for EC6", observes Éric Commelin.

Another big advantage of the Mermoz area is its connection to the Part-Dieu train station (10 minutes by subway), as well as to Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport by the A43 motorway (a 20 minute drive). A decisive advantage for the director: "With employees located in Bordeaux and Paris and lots of business trips, being able to arrive by high-speed train or plane at Lyon-Saint Exupéry and get to our offices in 20 minutes is a real time saver."

The East Lyon Healthcare Centre in numbers

• 1,100 biomedical researchers
• 15 units of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM)
• 12,000 students enrolled in the medical curriculum
• 14,500 employees in 171 companies in the healthcare sector

Customised support, to set up for business successfully

To set up its business, the Group received customised support from Aderly.

The specialists helped the company find a location that was compatible with its activities, and put it in touch with the stakeholders of the sector in the Lyon region.

All of these services helped the Group set up successfully in the healthcare ecosystem of Lyon. Now that it's located near its customers, EC6 can focus completely on "managing the changing nutrition needs of people in vulnerable circumstances, imagine the future of this sector and develop unique expertise to serve numerous healthcare institutions", enthuses Éric Commelin.