The AutoChannel.com
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PARIS – Feb 10, 2012: His Majesty King Mohammed VI today inaugurated the new Renault-Nissan Alliance plant in Tangier, Morocco, at a special ceremony attended by Carlos Ghosn, Chairman of Renault and Nissan.
The new Renault-Nissan plant in Tangier represents an investment of €1 billion. The new plant’s annual production capacity of 400,000 vehicles will play a part in ensuring the continued success of the Entry range across the world. The Tangier factory is the world’s first zero carbon and zero effluent automotive plant. It is the southern Mediterranean basin’s biggest automotive plant, with an estimated total staff of more than 6,000 by 2015.Renault’s presence in Morocco dates back more than 80 years. Today, its geographical location is situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea at the heart of the Tangier Med Port area which benefits not only from an extensivenetwork of competitive suppliers, but also from a pool of highly qualified staff with trained to modern automotive production techniques.”Renault and Nissan share the Kingdom of Morocco’s high ambitions for industrial development,” said Carlos Ghosn at the inauguration ceremony. “Thanks to the mobilisation of Renault and its partners, as well as to the unfailing support of the Moroccan government, our plant in Tangier sets a new global standard for the automobile industry.”Production capacity geared to continuing the Entry range’s success storyProduction at the plant will begin with two new Entry models: the new family car, Lodgy, and a small van that will also be available in passenger car form. In addition to permitting higher production volumes, the new factory will enable the Entry range to expand, along with the models manufactured at the existing Pitesti (Romania) and SOMACA (Casablanca, Morocco) plants that are currently running to maximum capacity. It will ensure that the Renault Group is in a position to meet its customers’ growing demand for entry-level vehicles that are acclaimed for their unprecedented value for money.A competitive production facilityAlong with the Chennai plant, in India, the new factory in Tangier will make a key contribution to the global growth of both groups. Although controlled by Renault, it will apply the Alliance Production Way (APW) that is a fusion of the best manufacturing practices employed by Renault and Nissan.An ambitious staff training programme has been put into place to ensure the highest possible standards with regard to quality and performance. To provide training for factory staff and suppliers alike, Renault and Morocco jointly founded the IFMIA (Institut de Formation aux Métiers de l’Automobile) which is funded entirely by the Moroccan state. Meanwhile, Renault’s Global Training Center (GTC) in Flins, France, has provided training for 168 people involved with the project (training, management and technical staff).Impact on the environment reduced to unprecedented levels for a body assembly plantDesigned from the start to meet the standards of the Renault Group’s environmental policy, the facility is the fruit of a unique partnership between the Kingdom of Morocco, Renault and Veolia Environnement.CO2 emissions have been slashed by 98 percent compared to an equivalent factory with a production capacity of 400,000 vehicles per year, a feat that represents an annual saving of 135,000 tonnes of CO2. The factory will not discharge any industrial wastewater into the environment, either while the total amount of water necessary for manufacturing has been reduced by 70 percent. This result was achieved thanks not only to innovative production processes, but also to the employment of renewable energies and optimised water recycling management. This workwas recently recognised by the European Union which awarded Renault at its fifth Sustainable Energy Europe Awards in 2011 (‘Production’ category).Renault in MoroccoRenault has marketed vehicles in Morocco since 1928 and is today the country’s leading carmaker. In 2011, the Renault Group enjoyed a market share of 37 percent with two brands, namely Dacia (market leader) and Renault (number two). The group also owns the biggest automotive sales network in Morocco, with 64 sales outlets, while 97.4 percent of customers report that they are satisfied with the quality of Renault and Dacia’s sales service, and 92.4 percent state they are satisfied with the brands’ after-sales service. Renault also has a factory in Casablanca (SOMACA, an 80 percent Renault-owned subsidiary) which manufactures Kangoo (cars and vans), Logan and Sandero.
