Flins-sur-Seine, November 30th, 2021. #renault Group is today presenting the concrete progress of the Refactory project launched a year ago to transform the #flins plant into the first European factory dedicated to the circular economy of mobility. On this occasion, the Group is inaugurating its first used car factory (Factory VO) to refurbish vehicles on an industrial scale. This conversion is part of the Group's global transformation plan focused on value creation and sustainable development.
Jean-Dominique Senard, Chairman of the Board of Directors of #renault, declared: I am very proud of the work done by our teams to create Europe's largest circular economy factory dedicated to mobility in record time. With the Refactory, we are demonstrating that a positive conversion and transformation of the industry is possible in France. This is just one example of the Group's dynamic approach to the ecological transition, the transformation of skills, and the invention of new forms of mobility.
We are keeping our promise: one year after its launch, the Refactory embodies an innovative and ambitious project for the #flins plant, a new source of economic, social and environmental value. The Refactory is emblematic of the Renaulution project, which commits the Group to a profound, rapid and sustainable transformation, driven by value creation. At the heart of this project, our first used car factory demonstrates our ability to industrialize our businesses linked to the circular economy. This used car factory positions us at the top level of the growing used car market, with a unique industrial tool capable of reconditioning up to 45,000 vehicles per year, added Luca de Meo, CEO of #renault Group.
Refactory in #flins: achievements and prospects
The Refactory is based on a whole ecosystem, structured around 4 activity centres :
By the end of 2021, 700 #flins employees will have joined the Refactory's activities. By 2030, the site plans to employ more than 3,000 people.
Factory VO : leadtime, cost and quality at the highest level
To preserve the value of the product as much as possible and to respond to the growth of the used car market, the #flins used car factory is based on a unique model, designed to offer the best level of service on the market in terms of leadtime, cost and quality. The Factory VO is a 100% digitalized, which ensures traceability and real-time monitoring of the refurbishment stages. Designed to recondition all types of vehicles, of all brands, it relies mainly on 4 main assets:
Spread over an area of 11,000 m2, the Factory VO in #flins represents the largest reconditioning site in Europe. Organized into three teams, it can recondition 180 used vehicles per day, i.e. 45,000 vehicles per year by 2023, with the potential to double this number in the medium term.
The site derives its competitiveness from a high productivity rate, drawn from an organization in lines and optimized new vehicle production systems. The Factory VO benefits from short loops of parts and materials from the Group’ subsidiaries such as Gaia, Indra, and Choisy in order to limit the replacement of parts as much as possible in favor of repairs. The pooling of logistic flows with new vehicles also makes it possible to cut costs and reduce the impact on the environment.
Equipped with 4 production lines, the Factory VO is organized in such a way that there is no turning back. Carried out by SGS #automotive Services, the technical control is integrated on the line in order to increase efficiency and reduce delays. The site is equipped with a photo and video studio installed on a turntable to generate automated shots (up to 10 vehicles per hour). This high-resolution scanner gives access to a 360-degree virtual inspection (interior, exterior, underbody and tires). Designed by the specialist Twinner, this tool allows the vehicle to be put back on the market immediately, without waiting for it to return to the dealership. On average, the Factory VO reconditions a vehicle in 8 days instead of 21 days.
The reconditioned vehicles benefit from the same quality standards as the production of new vehicles. An independent quality control system is integrated into the system, as well as a battery qualification system for electric vehicles. By 2022, 200 employees will have joined the Factory VO. These internal recruitments at the #flins plant are accompanied by a certified training program, consisting of a common core curriculum (after-sales strategy, sustainability of materials, recycling, etc.) and training courses more specific to the Factory VO (electromechanics, smart repair).
The Refactory project is at the heart of the Group's sustainable development strategy. It is a global industrial project, which is intended to be deployed more widely, as it was recently the case at the Seville plant in Spain. These activities are contributing, on their own scale, to the decarbonization trajectory to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040.
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