O GRUPO RENAULT CRIA EM FLINS
A PRIMEIRA FÁBRICA EUROPEIA
DEDICADA À ECONOMIA CIRCULAR DA MOBILIDADE
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Working to reduce emissions, to be more reasonable in the use of resources or energy, to eliminate
the most polluting materials or processes, are already daily missions that must be pursued. Reduction is not enough, however. Tomorrow’s economy will only be resilient if a new paradigm is promoted, that of the circular economy, based on use rather than possession and on more efficient
and sustainable management of resources.
In addition to the ecological imperative, the impact of digital technology, electrification, and new
uses of mobility are already transforming the value chain of our industry. Vehicles because they
need to last longer and have several lives – as mobility objects, materials or uses - have a strong
potential for value creation linked to the new circular economy models.
To convert this source of value into a growth lever, Groupe Renault has created the REFACTORY in
Flins, the first European circular economy site dedicated to mobility. By 2030, it will employ more
than 3,000 people in dedicated professions
The implementation of this industrial and commercial ecosystem will take place gradually between 2021 and 2024, replacing the production of new vehicles. It will be based on a wide network
of partners from all sectors and will revolve around 4 poles of activity, putting into practice the
principles of the circular economy at each stage of the vehicle life cycle and mobility.
In line with the definition generally given (see the Ellen MacArthur Foundation), the circular economy model implemented in Flins will be based on a set of complementary and convergent loops,
aimed at encouraging the use of a vehicle instead of its ownership, extending its life through maintenance, reusing it or reusing its components for other uses, when other solutions are no longer
possible.
To support this approach, the ReFactory will also include an incubator, open to start-ups, academic
partners, large groups, local authorities and intrapreneurship, as well as a training centre, backed
by a university centre, to promote know-how and accelerate research in the circular economy.
Thanks to this ecosystem of activities that can make a positive contribution to the decarbonisation
of mobility, the ReFactory aims to achieve a negative carbon balance by 2030. An objective in line
with the Group’s ambition to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2050.
Through this transformation plan, Groupe Renault intends to carry out a sustainable and responsible industrial reconversion, a source of new sources of growth and competitiveness.
3 Communication department - Groupe Renault
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GROUPE RENAULT, PIONNEER OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
06
PRESENTATION OF THE REFACTORY & ITS 4 DIVISIONS
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PRESENTATION OF THE RE-TROFIT DIVISION
09
PRESENTATION OF THE RE-ENERGY DIVISION
11
PRESENTATION OF THE RE-CYCLE DIVISION
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PRESENTATION OF THE RE-START DIVISION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4 Communication department - Groupe Renault
GROUPE RENAULT, PIONNEER OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
A PIONEERING AND ONGOING COMMITMENT TO
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Although it predates the concept of the circular
economy, the remanufacturing of mechanical
components at the Choisy-le-Roi site (France)
has been integrating sustainability and added
value since 1949. The know-how developed
there has been contributing for more than
70 years to extending the service life of a
vehicle, in the interests of saving energy and
resources, by making it possible to carry out a
repair on a part, to offer a service life consistent
with that of the repaired vehicle
A UNIQUE CAPITALISTIC AND INDUSTRIAL APPROACH
The creation in 2008 of the subsidiary Renault
Environnement is fully in line with this pioneering dynamic. Groupe Renault is the only player
in the automotive industry to have invested -
through partnerships and shareholdings - in the
development of recycling channels, stemming
from the dismantling of end-of-life vehicles,
maintenance and parts production, to secure
supplies of materials and reduce the impact
on resources.
Through Indra, a joint subsidiary with Suez,
Groupe Renault processes end-of-life vehicles
(ELVs) to extract materials for recycling and
reintegrate them into the production of new
vehicles and parts for subsequent reuse in the
after-sales network. Boone Comenor Metalimpex, a joint venture with Suez, specialises in the
recovery of scrap metal from the Group’s plants.
Finally, Gaia, a 100% Renault subsidiary, is at
the interface of the various players in the circular economy who intervene during the life of
the vehicle, for the collection and processing of
parts and materials for a second life.
A LEVER FOR SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS
These three activities (Indra, Gaia and Bonne
Comenor Metalimpex) that are grouped together within Renault Environnement, have generated a turnover of 562 million in 2019, and
each of these three activities recorded positive
net income in 2019. The standard exchange activities described above generated revenues of
nearly €120 million in 2019.
The circular economy activities of Groupe
Renault and its subsidiary Renault Environnement (the repair and second-life reuse of electric vehicle batteries, the recycling of materials,
and the reuse of parts) created or preserved
€219.8 million in technical and economic value
during the 2019 financial year, an increase of
€45.7 million compared to 2016.
5 Communication department - Groupe Renault
A COLLABORATIVE AND PROACTIVE APPROACH
To widely deploy this integrated ecosystem of
circular economy, Groupe Renault participates
in collaborative research projects on the circular
economy and contributes to organize a network
of partners from the automotive industry, other
economic sectors, as well as from the world of
recycling, research and education.
In 2018, Groupe Renault took part in the European Commission’s Action Plan for the Circular
Economy by contributing its experience of the
electric vehicle to identify regulatory obstacles
to the deployment of second-life applications
of electric vehicle batteries (stationary storage,
vehicle-to-grid, etc.).
A strategic partner since 2009, Groupe Renault
has been working alongside the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, working with companies,
academics and decision-makers to demonstrate the economic viability of the circular
economy model, in addition to its environmental relevance. As part of this collaboration, the
Group contributes to the work and events coordinated by the Foundation (annual reports, case
studies, business network).
6 Communication department - Groupe Renault
PRESENTATION OF THE REFACTORY & ITS 4 DIVISIONS
Between 2021 and 2024, the REFACTORY will be
gradually rolled out around four divisions of activity - Re-Trofit, Re-Energy, Re-Cycle and Re-Start
- whose expertise will make it possible to support the entire life of the vehicle by acting on
the main components of the circular economy
(supply, eco-design, economy of functionality,
maintenance, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling).
To ensure its competitiveness, this integrated
circular economy ecosystem will rely on several assets at the Flins plant, which was created
in 1952. The stamping, injection and sheet metal activities, but also the available surface area
(237 hectares, 67 of which are currently built),
the network of suppliers, accessibility via road
connections, and above all the excellence of the
industrial operational system (standardisation,
manufacturing 4.0, ISO 14 001 and ISO 9 001
certifications, logistics hub, etc.) are all strategic levers for the implementation of the reconversion project.
The performance of the ReFactory will also relate
to the ability to generate closed-loop supply
flows with controlled costs (reuse, recycling for
repair), and to develop new value-added skills
(retrofitting, dismantling, fleet maintenance,
preparation of batteries for the second life, etc.)
based on the integration of the company’s
areas of technical expertise (reconditioning of
second-hand vehicles, remanufacturing, recycling, batteries).
The strength of this ecosystem will therefore be
based on the synergy of skills, the efficiency of
industrial processes, as well as the sharing of
innovation and research resources grouped together in the same place.
The transformation plan will be deployed
gradually in stages between 2021 and 2024,
starting in 2021 with the establishment of the
Factory VO, (Used Car Factory) the transfer of
Choisy-Le Roi’s remanufacturing activities, and
the integration of an incubator dedicated to
start-ups, partners and intrapreneurship.
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01
01. RE-TROFIT
TO EXTEND SIGNIFICANTLY THE LIFE OF VEHICLES
In a growing second-hand market, driven by the emergence of new modes of consumption that
favour use rather than possession, Groupe Renault wants to bring together the expertise needed to extend the lifespan of vehicles and their uses, while preserving resources through efficient management of the flow of used parts and materials within the same site.
DEVELOPING THE RECONDITIONING AND
RETROFITTING OF USED VEHICLES AND FLEETS
Groupe Renault plans to set up an 8,500 m2
Factory VO (Used Car Factory) in Flins, with the
capacity to refurbish more than 45,000 secondhand vehicles per year, from September
2021. This entity will offer a simple, fast and
cost-optimised logistics scheme thanks to
industrial management in the factory, for the
Ile-de-France commercial network (RRG,
dealerships, Renault Occasions/RVO). From
2022 onwards, an extension will be envisaged
over a wider geographical area within the Group
and externally.
The creation of this Factory VO also aims to
improve the quality of services and significantly
reduce the turnaround time for second-hand
vehicles (from 21 days on average to 6 days),
between entry into stock and resale. The
objective: to preserve the value of the product
as much as possible and reduce the time the
car is out of service.
The entity will thus offer a turnkey service for
the sales network: optimised transport of
vehicles, supply of spare parts (Re-Cycle Centre),
renovation, storage, production of photos
and videos and their online availability. The
service will include real-time monitoring of the
renovation stages for the sales managers of the
sales network.
Against a backdrop of tighter environmental regulations in cities (low emission zones, ban on
diesel vehicles in 2024, then on petrol vehicles
in 2030 in Paris, for example), the Re-Trofit division wishes to capitalise on Groupe Renault’s
industrial structure and expertise in electric
and gas technologies to develop an attractive
retrofit offer (conversion of combustion engine
vehicles to other less carbon-based energies).
Through the sales network, these conversions
will primarily target professional customers
(commercial vehicles) dependent on access to
the urban centre for the continuity of their activities. The parts and materials resulting from
this activity will also enrich the activities of Factory VO, as well as Re-Energy and Re-Cycle.
8 Communication department - Groupe Renault
In the operation of mobility services, the ability to constantly maintain a fleet of vehicles in
good condition is a determining factor in meeting customer expectations and avoiding an
accelerated deterioration of the fleet. To meet
this demand the division will work on developing new services (renewal, heavy repairs, etc.)
to vehicle fleets and shared mobility players,
such as the ZITY electric car-sharing service.
Following on from the manufacture of protective visors initiated as part of the health crisis,
the division will also offer an additive manufacturing service using 3D printers already
present on the site, for example, for parts that
have become unavailable, for garages, private
individuals or collectors of vintage cars.
To support the development of new solutions
aimed at increasing the useful life of vehicles
and to draw useful lessons from them, the
Group will set up a test and prototyping centre
for the durability and repairability of vehicles
and materials, to enrich the design of future
products and facilitate the improvement of
vehicles during their life cycle.
9 Communication department - Groupe Renault
01
02. RE-ENERGY
TO OFFER SOLUTIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION, STORAGE
AND MANAGEMENT OF GREEN ENERGIESS
Electric vehicles batteries are at the heart of the transformation of the automotive industry
because of their potential applications. Optimising the battery’s life cycle is a crucial issue for
the development of the sector and limiting its impact on the environment.
Between 2021 and 2030 alone, the second-life batteries sold by Groupe Renault will represent a
capacity of more than 200 MWh per year, the equivalent of 4,000 full charges of a Renault ZOE.
The ambition of the Re-Energy division is to bring the ecosystem of applications resulting from
the electric battery and new energies to an industrial scale, and to strengthen Groupe Renault’s
position as a key player in the energy transition.
EXTENDING FIRST BATTERY LIFE
As the fleet of electric vehicles continues to
grow and hybrids and rechargeable hybrids
make their way into the range, Groupe Renault
has developed expertise in the repair of firstlife batteries at a very early stage. At the heart
of this expertise is the Flins plant, where a set
of techniques and industrial processes for the
repair of Renault electric vehicle batteries has
been developed since 2011, before being distributed to some 20 battery repair centres in 17
countries.
While battery repairs will continue to be handled as close as possible to the customer, the
Flins centre aims to reach a capacity of 20,000
repairs by 2030, thanks to the development of
an industrial structure, keeping this expertise
on the site for the long term.
DEVELOPING APPLICATIONS IN SECOND LIFE
At the end of its first life in the vehicle and well
before recycling, the battery provides an indispensable solution for the development of renewable and intermittent energies: electricity
storage. New operating opportunities such as
stationary storage make it possible to perpetuate the service that the battery offers. In
this case, the battery makes it possible to integrate electricity from solar or wind power, on the
scale of an individual house, a building, a recharging station or an industrial site, for example.
Groupe Renault has already set up several experiments that concretely illustrate the benefits of this approach:
- In Porto Santo, thanks to second-life Renault
ZOE batteries stationary storage reduces the
island’s dependence on fossil fuels, while encouraging the use of renewable energies;
- As part of the European ELSA (Energy Local
Storage Advanced system) project, the Group
offers storage solutions for industrial and
tertiary buildings in collaboration with other
players;
10 Communication department - Groupe Renault
- Two very large-scale energy storage projects -
Advanced Battery Storage in France and Germany and Smart Hubs in the United Kingdom
- have also been initiated with the aim of reducing the gap between electricity consumption and production and increasing the share
of renewable energies in the energy mix.
- The Group is also developing mobile energy
storage applications. Reconditioned batteries have begun a second life on board cruise
ships on the Seine in Paris (electrification of
the Paris Yacht Marina fleet) and soon on
board sailing cargo ships for transoceanic journeys (Neoline project). Second-life batteries
are also used to operate refrigeration units on
converted versions of Kangoo Z.E. and ZOE.
The second life market is booming today with
the demand now greater than the supply as they
are more affordable than new batteries. In this
buoyant market, the Re-Energy division aims to:
- strengthen the battery collection system
within Groupe Renault and the sector;
- capitalize on skills to prepare batteries for
a second life;
- develop and manufacture portable or
mobile storage systems from second life
batteries, in conjunction with partners.
Finally, from 2021, Groupe Renault will install a
stationary energy storage device in Flins from
electric vehicle batteries with a capacity of
15.5 MWh.
TO MANAGE BATTERY END OF LIFE
When they are at the end of their life, the batteries are systematically recycled. With the
support of its subsidiary Indra for the collection
and disposal of the battery, the Group has been
relying since 2013 on a historic partnership
with Veolia for the recycling of batteries. After
their dismantling, mechanical and hydrometallurgical processes are combined to extract and
recover the metals contained in the battery.
To accelerate the development of this sector,
Groupe Renault has encouraged the collaboration of Veolia with the chemicals group Solvay. The two companies thus announced on
September 9, the creation of a circular economy
consortium aiming to mobilize the best technologies and mechanical and chemical skills, to
transform metals into high purity raw materials
directly usable in the production of new batteries. [See here to learn more about battery recycling.]
Putting the lithium-ion battery into a circular
economy scheme also helps make the electric
vehicle more competitive. The battery gains additional value, thereby lowering the cost passed
on to the buyer of an electric car.
Within this division, Groupe Renault will also
work on the development of maintenance and
recharging services, the development of technical and supply solutions, dedicated to new
energies (NGV, hydrogen), intended for individuals or local partners.
11 Communication department - Groupe Renault
01
03. RE-CYCLE
TO OPTIMIZE THE MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE ECOSYSTEM
The Re-Cycle pole will bring together activities allowing efficient management of the resource
and its flows. Compared to other sectors, the automotive industry in Europe has high recycling
and recovery rates for End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs), as well as a high proportion of recycled materials in its new products.
Thanks to this new entity, the Group - which already incorporates an average of 30% recycled
materials in its vehicles produced in Europe - wishes to go further, by continuing to increase the
proportion of recycled materials incorporated in the production of new vehicles, while reducing
procurement costs and the impact on resources.
CREATION OF A DISMANTLING LINE
Suez and Groupe Renault co-own Indra, whose
activity of recycling end-of-life vehicles (ELV)
makes it possible to extract materials from
them for recycling and reintegrate them into
the production of new vehicles as well as parts
for reuse by the continued in the after-sales
network. A key player in the recycling of ELVs in
France, Indra relies on a network of 400 demolition workers. In 2019, nearly 400,000 ELVs were
treated in this way.
In addition to this activity, the conversion plan
for the Flins site provides for the installation
of a dismantling line from 2024, to capture
additional volumes and increase the Group’s
capacity to source parts and materials in short
loops. With an objective of 10,000 vehicles per
year on average, this pole aims to be one of the
main deconstruction sites in France and to develop expertise in the deconstruction of electric vehicles.
DEVELOPMENT OF SORTING, REUSE AND RECYCLING
95% of the mass of vehicles and their batteries can be recycled or recovered: this European regulatory requirement was anticipated
in 2007 and is applied by Groupe Renault to all
vehicles sold worldwide. To achieve this Groupe
Renault relies on an ecosystem of subsidiaries and partners in the field of recycling and
recovery, which it intends to strengthen. Thus,
the parts and materials that compose end-oflife vehicles once dismantled can go through
the stage of reuse, remanufacturing or recycling, to be reintroduced into vehicle maintenance and production (closed loop) or in other
industries (open loop).
A pioneer in reuse, since 2012 Groupe Renault
has offered a range of used parts (bonnet, fenders, optics, etc.) in its sales network in France,
collected and selected from the Indra network.
Developed for more than 70 years by the Choisyle-Roi (France) plant, remanufacturing supplies the after-sales circuit with components
and more recently with electronic elements
12 Communication department - Groupe Renault
such as R-LINK tablets. This activity follows a
strict industrial process: collection of used parts
and components within the sales network, dismantling, cleaning, sorting, renovation and replacement of defective and wearing parts, reassembly and finally control.
Marketed under the name ‘Renault Standard
Exchange’, these refurbished spare parts are
offered at an average price 40% lower than that
of a new part, while maintaining the same quality requirements. Far from being marginal, the
standard exchange offer covers almost 70% of
powertrain part numbers, up to 50% for ground
link parts and is regularly extended to new families of parts. This is the only offer available
on the market when serial production of the
part has been discontinued.
Already established in Flins, Gaia, a Renault
subsidiary, is responsible for qualifying and
upgrading vehicles, parts and materials
through recycling, repair and reuse channels.
The material loops put in place by this subsidiary now allow the recycling of several closedloop resources such as copper from electrical
wiring, platinoid metals from catalytic converters or polypropylene from shields.
Groupe Renault has also more recently developed with partners, the recycling of textile
fibres from automotive fabric and seat belt
production scraps, in order to produce a textile
intended for the interior trim of Renault ZOEs.
The short loop organization (manufacturing
and supply) reduces CO2 emissions by more
than 60% compared to the fabric of the old ZOE
from a standard manufacturing process. Traditionally reserved for crankcases and other protective elements of the car, recycled synthetic
materials were incorporated for the first time
in the composition of interior components and
exposed injection plastic parts. Renault ZOE is
thus made up of 22.5 kg of recycled synthetic materials, an increase compared to the previous generation.
The strengthened coordination of these activities and their extension to other areas
(ELVs, test or reformed vehicles, heavy goods
vehicles, shared vehicle fleets, micro-mobility, etc.), will make it possible to capitalize on
greater flows to supply the other divisions of
the ReFactory (Factory VO, battery repair, etc.),
and continue to increase the proportion of
recycled or reused materials in new or used
vehicles. This development will be supported
by a logistics (physical and virtual) and commercial (‘digital marketplace’) platform for efficient flow management.
ZOE 22,5 kg
17,5 kg
3,3kg
1,7 kg
recycled synthetic
materials
recycled polymer parts
injected plastic
textiles
non-woven fibres
13 Communication department - Groupe Renault
04
04. RE-START
PROMOTE INNOVATION AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING
The Re-Start division aims to promote and develop industrial know-how, but also to accelerate
research and innovation in the circular economy.
It will host an incubator, as well as a training centre and a university hub to strengthen the
specialization of the ReFactory teams.
The Flins ReFactory will integrate an incubator
open to external partners (start-ups, academic
partners, large groups, local authorities, etc.)
to develop or co-develop innovative projects
around the circular economy. As a member of
the Greentech National Incubator Network,
this incubator has entered into discussions
with the University Paris Sciences Lettres (PSL),
which includes Mines Paris - PSL, Ecole Normale Supérieure - PSL, Chimie Paris - PSL, and
Dauphine – PSL.
To that end, it will include an ‘in vivo’ experimentation area on industrial facilities (sheet
metal islands, plastic injection, etc.), in collaboration with experts from different fields (vehicle
architecture, materials, electric vehicle, energy,
recycling, lean manufacturing …).
It will also host the Centre of Excellence for
Advanced Manufacturing, for the prototyping
of vehicles and the conduct of experiments
around Industry 4.0 subjects such as 3D printing, predictive maintenance, retrofitting of
production resources, or even automatic guided
vehicles (AGV), and 5G.
DEDICATED TRAININGS
To support employees in this transformation
plan, the project plans to develop a centre
for the development of knowledge and skills,
around 3 axes:
- The international vocational training centre
(Global Training Centre) created in 2010 in
Flins, which until now has been dedicated to
industrial techniques (stamping, sheet metal, painting, assembly, etc.), will be entrusted
with the development of new training modules applied to meet training needs within
the ReFactory, the Group, as well as outside the
company.
14 Communication department - Groupe Renault
- At the level of the automotive sector and industry, the ReFactory also intends to contribute
to the creation of academic training, such as a
Certificate of Trades and Qualifications (CMQ),
in order to share more widely know-how and
design training courses that meet the needs
of the industry of the future.
- Finally, in the field of applied research, the
entity will set up partnerships with groups of
schools and universities to boost innovation in
the field of the circular economy. By promoting concrete experimentation and direct
immersion in an industrial field, the Group
wishes to encourage research on a scientific
(technology, chemistry, engineering, etc.) and
sociological level (study of mobility and new
uses, the transformation of work organization, etc.).
The project will also study how to integrate inclusion within this development pole, pursuing
the objective of promoting access to employment.
RE-trofit RE-energy
RE-start RE-cycle
parts & materials
for R&D
Used or defective
batteries/second-hand
guaranteed batteries
Used/
refurbished cars
after-sales network
(RRG, dealerships,
Renault Occasions/RVO)
Companies, coachbuilders,
New mobility players
Reconditionning
& Retrofitting
(commercial vehicles/fleets)
Batteries preparation
for a second life
Alications for
second life baeries
(maritime sector,
stationary storage)
Individuals,
public entities
Baery recycling
chaels
Battery end of life
management
Production scraps/
discontinued parts
Materials to be recycled
(copper, aluminium, plastics,
precious metals)
Recycled
materials
Recycling
partners
Incubator/Partners
network
(start-ups, big companies,
local communities)
Training centre
& university hub
Renault
enginring
Enginring,
coectors,
dealers
Renault factories
& suliers
Supply/technocal
solutions to new energies
(Gaz, hydrogen)
battery components
for R&D/start-ups
Used batteries
(EV dismantling line)
Innovation
& skills sharing
development of
recycled materials
3D printing
of parts
Co-innovation
& skills development
for the ecosystem
Defective parts/
renovated & reused parts
15 Communication department - Groupe Renault
4 interconnected divisions within an ecosystem of material,
services and skills flows
Illustrations and layout : Cartoonbase
Estamos sempre na busca da melhor informação, tentamos sempre prevalecer a imagem e a informação escrita, tornando a leitura mais rápida e acessível a todos os leitores.
João Raposo
+351 913 353 070
jraposo-air@portugalmail.pt
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