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 extensive network 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 story
Production at the plant will begin with two new Entry models: the new family car, Lodgy, and a small van which 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 which 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 which are acclaimed for their unprecedented value for money.
A competitive production facility
Along 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) which 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 plant
Designed 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 which represents an annual saving of 135,000 tonnes of CO2. The factory won’t 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 work was recently recognised by the European Union which awarded Renault at its fifth Sustainable Energy Europe Awards in 2011 (‘Production’ category).
Renault in Morocco
Renault 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.
Renault and Dacia sales in Morocco
Creation of the Renault-Nissan plant in Morocco
The Renault-Nissan Alliance
The Renault-Nissan Alliance is a strategic partnership between Paris-based Renault and Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan, which together sell one in 10 cars worldwide. The companies, which have been strategic partners since 1999, sold 8.03 million cars in 2011, including those from Russian partner AvtoVAZ. Since its founding 12 years ago, the cross-cultural Renault-Nissan Alliance has expanded significantly, particularly into emerging markets.
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