Communiqué de presse
Communiqué de presse

Renault hosts Arnaud Montebourg, French Minister of industrial renewal, at its Cléon plant

Arnaud Montebourg, France’s Minister of Industrial Renewal, visited Renault’s Cléon plant on September 26, 2012. 

Presenting the Cléon plant to Arnaud Montebourg, the Renault group talked about its strategy in powertrain production, stressing the Group’s excellence both in internal-combustion and electric vehicles.

26 September 2012  15:00

The Minister began with a tour of the assembly line of the Energy dCi 130 engine. He then visited private and confidential installations for the future electric motor, where he enjoyed a sneak preview of the assembly lines for ZOE components.

Commenting, Mendi Ammad, Director of the Cléon site, said:  “On behalf of Renault, I am extremely pleased that the Minister chose to visit the Cléon site, giving the Group an opportunity to demonstrate the powertrain excellence of its engines and the strategic importance of the Alliance.”

The Minister congratulated Renault on the work on innovation and intelligence that have made Cléon a global player renowned for its engines.


Cléon, a French pillar of Renault’s industrial strategy

Renault is to invest €300 million in Cléon, proof of the site’s strategic importance. A pillar of Renault’s powertrain strategy, Cléon is a concentrate of advanced technology, expertise, know-how and quality. It is also a symbol of Group innovation, with the Energy dCi 130 engine and the electric motor to be produced from 2013.

The engines produced at Cléon demonstrate the powertrain excellence of the Renault group, long recognized around the world. The Energy dCi 130, the flagship of the range, is a real-life illustration of the beneficial links with Formula 1, where Renault has notched up ten wins as an engine supplier. Boasting unrivalled technological content at this range level, the Energy dCi 130 reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20% while providing driving pleasure and quality at all levels.

The Renault group’s high value-added powertrain production remains firmly anchored in France and at Cléon in particular. More than 65% of Cléon production is exported, not just for Renault group brands (ESM and Dacia) but also for the Alliance (Nissan and Infiniti) and other partners (Suzuki and Opel). Daimler may also soon benefit from Cléon’s powertrain expertise.

Skills handed down over generations

To transmit this know-how and maintain skills from one generation to the next, Renault has set up an international manufacturing school, the Global Training Center, the powertrain hub of which is based in Cléon. The “critical” professions that the company needs to prepare for the future are identified here and the corresponding training courses provided. The lengthy and demanding courses – for example lasting from eight to ten months for electrical mechanics – are divided between classroom sessions, hands-on workshops and on-job experience at sites.

Involvement in local economic fabric

- Professional integration

Renault since 1992 has led an active partnership with the French Ministry of Employment and Social Cohesion aimed at developing employment, qualifications and professional integration for young people without qualifications in the manufacturing sector.

A framework agreement to that end was signed in 1992 and renewed in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2005, followed by a new agreement signed in 2010. Under the agreement, Renault Cléon committed to opening up capacities intended to support and develop the professional skills of young people identified by local missions, as well as job seekers and those experiencing difficulties entering the professional world.


- Apprenticeships:
In 2011, the site took on 67 apprentices and 28 people on professional training contracts for apprenticeship periods of between one and three years. In 2011, all professions and diplomas combined, 95% of the young apprentices passed their exams.

- Organization of visits to manufacturing sites for schools.

- Revitalization of labor market areas : transmission of quality expertise to other companies

CLÉON:

Over 50 years of know-how and expertise: founded in 1958
- More than 4,000 employees
- 155 hectares, of which 40 constructed
- 137 production lines
- 355 suppliers

ISO 14001 (environment) and ISO 9001 (quality) certification

Departments: Casting, Engine Machining, Engine Assembly, Gearing, Gearbox Housing Assembly, Logistics, Quality, Maintenance, Powertrain Engineering

2011 production

- 1.3 million gearboxes and engines produce
- 12,000 metric tons of aluminum parts casted (casting of aluminum gearbox housings)

Medium-term investment of €300 million to:

- produce electric motors
- increase capacity for the Energy dCi 130 diesel engine
- produce the new-generation engine for Alliance light commercial vehicles, including Master (2.3 l dCi with 100, 125 and 150 hp)
- install casting and machining for components of the 0.9 l and 1.2 l direct-injection gasoline engines

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Renault hosts Arnaud Montebourg, French Minister of industrial renewal, at its Cléon plant

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Renault hosts Arnaud Montebourg, French Minister of industrial renewal, at its Cléon plant
Renault hosts Arnaud Montebourg, French Minister of industrial renewal, at its Cléon plant