The story sounds familiar. A region that was once centered on a thriving textile market is now depressed because the work has moved off to China and other places where labor is cheaper. Local officials are urgently looking for new industries to revive the local economy.

It could be the story of any one of a number of manufacturing communities in the Bay State, but this one comes from the other side of the world. The city is Troyes, a quaint historic village an hour and a half outside Paris.