IRELEC was founded in 1985 in the Grenoble basin in the electron beam irradiation technology sector.

In collaboration with its first customers: French Alternative Energies and the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), IRELEC was able to develop a distinguished high-technology know-how in manufacturing complex equipment fully adapted to customers’ very specific and high levels of requirements.

As the manufacture of such equipment is very demanding in terms of risk management, IRELEC puts forward unwavering levels of requirements together with a complete mastery of key technical skills such as high precision mechanics and ultra-high vacuum technology.

Using the same approach, in the early 90’s, IRELEC designed and produced mirror systems for Synchrotron beamlines for the European Synchrotron Radiation Facilities (ESRF) in Grenoble. It was the beginning of a long and active collaboration with ESRF experts in Synchrotron science and technology. This first experience allowed IRELEC to be acknowledged as a reliable and long-term partner for the production of high-level performance components and individual systems for the Synchrotron community worldwide from Stanford to Pohang.

Last generation light sources (Petra III, NLSL II, MAX IV and European XFEL) trusted IRELEC engineering capabilities to produce on-demand opto-mechanical systems and instrumentation.

In 1995, IRELEC joined ALCEN, a French industrial group which had about 2000 employees in 26 subsidiaries in 2018.

While maintaining the reactivity and dynamism of a small company, IRELEC acquired the ability to manage bigger and more complex projects, thanks to higher innovation capability, better financial stability and synergies with highly skilled sister-companies.

In 2007, IRELEC increased its skill range by developing robotic systems intended for Synchrotron beamline experimental stations. IRELEC supplied the Swiss Light Source with a robotic sample changer for Protein Crystallography beamlines.

In less than 10 years, the IRELEC sample changer has become the leading solution for the Synchroton community worldwide.

In 2016, following the success and the experience acquired, IRELEC initiated an ambitious R&D program for the development of robotic cryogenic biobank systems.

In 2018, the first IRELEC automated system was commissioned by the Grenoble Hospital biorepository.