The PLI Conferences 2025 will take place on September 24 and 25 at the CCI Campus Alsace in Strasbourg. This major event dedicated to industrial laser processes brings together experts, researchers, manufacturers, and users each year to explore the latest technological innovations.
Organized by the CLUB LASER ET PROCÉDÉS, this high-profile event is co-developed with several key partners, including ICUBE, IPG PHOTONICS, IREPA LASER, PRECITEC, and the PHOTONICS INSTITUTE.
In this news, we invite you to meet those who bring this event to life. Today, let’s focus on IREPA LASER, a key player in the sector, through an interview with its President, Jean-Paul Gaufillet.
Can you briefly introduce your organization?
IREPA LASER is a research and development company that designs innovative manufacturing processes using laser technology and implements them in industry in a safe and secure way.
What motivated you to get involved in co-organizing this event?
Our mission is to democratize innovative processes such as laser technologies. The PLI Conferences are a great opportunity for IREPA LASER to help disseminate a wealth of know-how for the benefit of our entire community. It’s also a fantastic way to demonstrate our real and tangible impact on the socio-economic world, and to showcase the maturity of laser technology. It’s further proof—if needed—that our 40-year contribution to the laser sector is valuable and holds strong potential for the future of our region.
In your view, what makes the PLI Conferences unique among industrial events?
With modest means, we manage to create an outstanding, inclusive 3-day event where future clients can truly recharge and connect. A unity of space, time, commercial offerings, and innovation—each edition radiates an incredible energy.
How do you see the role of conferences like PLI in spreading laser innovations?
The laser will turn 65 on May 16. For some, that’s retirement age. For lasers, it’s just emerging from adolescence. Conferences play a strategic role in spreading a technology that is only beginning to gain wide adoption, with a staggering number of applications yet to be discovered.
Any memorable moments or anecdotes from past editions?
At an edition in the late 1990s, Professor Poperave declared that the 21st century would be the century of optics—and therefore the century of the laser. That prediction is clearly coming true!
A final word to encourage professionals to attend this edition?
The laser community – great!
More seriously, the laser is about ten years younger than computing. It’s following a similar path of development and is now a mature technology. Ignoring a tool like the laser would not only be a professional misstep—it would risk the disapproval of future generations.
Through this interview, Jean-Paul Gaufillet reminds us of the strategic importance of the PLI Conferences in fostering knowledge-sharing, accelerating the adoption of laser technologies, and supporting industrial innovation in France and across Europe.
Join this unique momentum—come meet industry leaders, discover the latest advancements, and exchange ideas at the heart of a dynamic ecosystem.
See you on September 24 and 25, 2025, in Strasbourg for two days filled with insights, networking, and future opportunities!
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