Since 1985, the Club Laser et Procédés (CLP) has brought together key players in the laser industry in France and abroad. As an independent non-profit association (law 1901), it now brings together around sixty active members: manufacturers of laser sources and machines, distributors, suppliers of consumables and components, technology centers, photonics clusters, and research laboratories. Its mission is clear: to promote laser technologies and processes, foster innovation, and give visibility to its members.
Through a series of interviews, CLP highlights its board members to better understand their background, vision, and ambitions for the laser industry.
Today, we meet Emric Verwaerde, CEO of Laser Cheval and member of the CLP Board of Directors. He shares with us his experience and his perspective on the future of laser technology and the network.
What has been your career path and your first encounter with laser technology?
"I trained as a mechanical engineer, so my first encounter with lasers was during my studies, with a rather 'basic' vision limited to cutting! When I arrived at Laser Cheval, I discovered a fascinating world with almost infinite possibilities in laser–material interaction."
What motivated you to get involved in the CLP Board of Directors?
"The laser world in France is quite small, and CLP is the only place that brings us all together. This way, we gain more visibility in France and abroad, we share information on markets and technologies… CLP is what its members make of it, so it was natural for me to join the Board and contribute to its development, to ensure it continues to serve its members better."
What are your ambitions for the development of CLP and the laser industry in France?
"In my view, there are two main areas for CLP to develop:
- Give visibility to the sector and its members
By joining forces, we can pool our resources to participate in trade fairs, organize conferences, and communicate across different media and sectors, from academia to high-end industry.
- Provide technology watch for members
By bringing together members from different horizons, we must continue fostering exchanges to maintain the most complete overview of the photonics industry. That means continuing to grow our network by recruiting new members, and organizing opportunities for exchange such as the PLI Conferences and other trade shows and events."*
Why would you recommend that a company join CLP?
"Joining CLP means not being alone in a fast-changing sector that constantly requires investment in innovation.
With CLP, we benefit from the community to:
- Support our technology watch
- Be more effective in innovation
- Identify new partners
- Gain visibility in France and abroad
- Recruit new talents"
In your opinion, what are the future development directions for laser technology?
"Laser technology has been in industry for about 50 years, which is still 'young,' and innovation remains significant at many levels.
At Laser Cheval, as a manufacturer of laser machines, we focus our strategy on two axes:*
- Designing simple and reliable machines
We carry out ongoing monitoring of photonics and laser technologies. In our lab, we test a wide range of equipment to select the ones best suited to our customers’ needs, integrating them into turnkey machines. Our next development priorities aim to increase the autonomy of our machines, with solutions such as the 'GEODE' palletizer we have just released, as well as automatic loading systems and automatic vision systems.
- Making laser technology as accessible as possible
Laser technology requires many high-level technical skills (optics, mechanics, automation, computing…), but our clients must remain focused on their own businesses. For more than 20 years, we have worked to simplify the operation of our machines as much as possible. With the arrival of new technologies such as femtosecond lasers and the integration of new functions into machines, major R&D efforts have been undertaken to further automate certain functions and adapt the interface to customer needs. In future versions of our control software, there will no longer be programs with fixed parameter settings, but fully customizable user environments."
Through his testimony, Emric Verwaerde perfectly illustrates the dynamic spirit that drives CLP: uniting the strengths of the industry, increasing the visibility of its members, fostering exchanges, and supporting innovation.
His commitment to the Board of Directors reflects the Club’s collective spirit: an organization where actions are defined by and for its members, with the aim of strengthening the attractiveness and competitiveness of the French and international laser industry.
By emphasizing the importance of technology watch, experience-sharing, and pooling of resources, Emric reminds us that CLP is above all a living network, powered by the involvement of its members.
We warmly thank Emric Verwaerde for his testimony and dedication, which have helped make CLP a key player in the laser industry for nearly 40 years.
