Local industries include car manufacturing and telecommunications. PSA Peugeot Citroën, currently the largest employer of the population of Rennes, opened a manufacturing plant at Rennes La Janais in 1961. Technicolor (ex-Thomson) employs over 1,000, and France Telecom R&D over 1,200.
In few years, Rennes became one of the main centres in high tech industry. Rennes is one of first Techno poles in France that were established in an effort to stimulate the economies of regions other than Paris during the Aménagement du territoire.
Rennes is the 2nd concentration of ITC firms in France after Paris (with well-known companies like Atos, SFR, Orange France Telecom, Technicolor R&D, Canon, Mitsubishi, Alcatel-Lucent, Texas Instruments, NXP, Thales or Logica), and the 3rd innovation potential in agro food French industry
