La Sim - Société de l'industrie minérale

What La Sim - Société de l'industrie minérale does

La Sim - Société de l'industrie minérale is a French non-profit professional association (association loi 1901 reconnue d'utilité publique) founded on April 29, 1855 in Saint-Étienne and headquartered at 17 rue Saint Séverin, 75005 Paris since 1990. The association serves as the central professional body for France's extractive mineral industry, covering the full value chain from geological prospection and exploration through mining and quarrying operations to mineral processing, recycling, and valorization of mineral materials. La Sim operates without a software product; its core deliverables are content assets (the monthly mines & carrières journal, the quarterly Recyclage & Valorisation review, technical books, mémentos, dictionaries, and cartographic maps of French mineral resources), in-person events (an annual rotating congress-exposition with 385+ exhibitor stands, regional technical days, and the Forum Jeunes), and structured expert networks (12 expert groups organized under two technical sections — Exploitation and Valorisation — and 10 regional districts plus a Belgian cross-border group GMB-Sim).

Revenue is generated through a diversified membership model (€16-€305 per year depending on tier: youth, student/teacher/unemployed/retired, individual professional, or company), publication and journal subscription sales, event registration fees, and exhibition stand rentals at the annual congress-exposition. The association has a small permanent staff of 1-10 employees organized into Direction, Rédaction (editorial), Communication, and Administrative poles. Governance is exercised by a Board of Directors comprising district and section presidents plus members elected by the general assembly; the current president is Christian Polak (Orano Mining). Notable historical presidents include Louis Grüner (founder, 1855-1858), Michel Sindzingre, Gilles Roch, and Thierry Meilland-Rey. Member companies span the major French mineral industry players — Orano Mining, Imerys, Vicat, Colas Group, Titanobel — alongside equipment manufacturers, geologists, researchers, teachers, and students.

Name

La Sim - Société de l'industrie minérale

Legal name

La Sim - Société de l'industrie minérale

Website

https://www.lasim.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1855

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

La Sim is a French non-profit professional association, founded in 1855 and recognized as being of public utility, that serves France's extractive mineral industry through publications (mines & carrières, Recyclage & Valorisation), an annual congress-exposition, technical days, 12 expert groups, and 10 regional districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mineral Industry Professional Association

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Mining industry publications
• Mineral industry association
• Professional networking events
• Quarrying technical journals
• Mineral resources events

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from individual members, company members, teachers, students, unemployed, retired persons, and student members engaged in Sim Cap Avenir youth group. Provides access to publications, events, job board, and professional networking.
2. Publications Sales: Sale of technical books, guides, mémentos, dictionaries, and subscriptions to mines & carrières and Recyclage & Valorisation journals. Members receive 20% discount.
3. Event Revenue: Registration fees for annual congress-exposition, technical days, and workshops. Includes exhibition visitor access, restaurant lunches, and daily packages.
4. Job Board Service: Employment exchange service for member companies to post and relay job offers (member companies only).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

La Sim is a French non-profit professional association that publishes the monthly reference journal "mines & carrières" and the quarterly review "Recyclage & Valorisation," along with technical books and mémentos. It organizes an annual congress-exposition (with over 385 exhibitor stands), regional technical days, expert working groups across 12 specialized domains, and operates a job exchange service for the French mineral extractive industry.

Product overview

La Sim - Société de l'industrie minérale is a French non-profit association recognized as being of public utility that serves as a professional organization for the mineral raw materials industry. Rather than offering a unified software product, the association provides a portfolio of publications (mines & carrières monthly and Recyclage & Valorisation quarterly), technical/scientific books and mémentos, and organizes annual events including the congrès-exposition (with over 385 exhibition stands), technical days, and awards programs (Prix Start-up, Prix Innovation Recyclage, Prix Jeunes). The association also operates Sim Cap Avenir, a youth group for students and young professionals. The organization's primary value proposition lies in information dissemination, professional networking, and technical knowledge sharing across the mineral industry sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• mines & carrières: The monthly reference journal dedicated to technical current affairs in the mining and quarrying profession. Targets quarry operators, material processing equipment manufacturers, and material transport specialists.
• Recyclage & Valorisation
• Sim Cap Avenir

Products and services

• mines & carrières (monthly journal) Monthly reference review dedicated to technical current affairs in the mining and quarrying profession, covering evolution of techniques, experience feedback, supplier directory, and mineral industry news. Targeted at quarry operators, material processing equipment manufacturers, and material transport specialists.
• Recyclage & Valorisation (quarterly journal) Quarterly review presenting dense news on recycling and valorization of mineral materials, covering various aspects of construction waste (BTP) recycling, metals, and glass. Primarily aimed at the industrial world and operators engaged in circular economy activities.
• Ouvrages techniques et scientifiques Technical and scientific publications including memoirs, notebooks, guides, and mémentos elaborated by working groups of the technical sections, providing comprehensive syntheses on specific subjects related to mineral extraction and processing. Includes mémentos and dictionaries published by La Sim.
• Congrès-exposition annuel Annual congress-exhibition bringing together mineral industry professionals with plenary sessions, technical workshops, site visits, Forum Jeunes for students and young professionals, and exhibition with over 385 stands of suppliers and service providers. The next event is scheduled for Châlons-en-Champagne, October 6-9, 2026.
• Journées Techniques (Technical Days) Regular technical days organized by districts and technical sections featuring site visits, conferences, and roundtables open to a broad public. These events address specialized mineral industry topics and provide networking and educational opportunities for professionals, researchers, and institutional partners.
• La Sim Association Membership Annual membership in the non-profit association available in four tiers: Company membership (€305/year) including 20% discount on publications and events plus job exchange access; Individual professional membership (€54/year); Teacher/student/unemployed/retired membership (€32/year); and Young student member in Sim Cap Avenir (€16/year). Members receive access to publications, events, the job exchange service, and website member areas.
• Bourse à l'emploi (Job Exchange Service) Employment exchange service for member companies to post and relay job offers. Available to member companies only, enabling recruitment of mineral industry professionals and providing visibility to job seekers across the French extractive sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• 385+ exhibitor stands at annual congress-exposition
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Société Géologique de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partnership with the Société Géologique de France (Geological Society of France). Collaborative organization of events and knowledge sharing in geological sciences relevant to the mineral industry.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Sim - Société de l'industrie minérale