Renault’s Maubeuge Factory – Excellence as a Trademark.
The Maubeuge plant is a factory where a range of models from various brands make their journey along the production lines: the Renault Kangoo, Mercedes Citan, and the more recent Nissan Townstar.
Renowned for producing the Renault Kangoo for the past 25 years, the Maubeuge factory in northern France has become the Alliance’s centre of excellence for light commercial vehicles. It is a perfect illustration of the mutually beneficial collaboration between Alliance members and partners. In this specific case, Renault, Nissan, and Daimler all share the same production lines. Through working together, the factory becomes far more efficient and competitive, which is beneficial for the customers. Jean-Philippe Daveau, Director of the Maubeuge factory, explains more in detail.
Excellence and expertise are trademarks of the Maubeuge factory, proof of the trust shown by partners, Daimler and Nissan. Producing more than 6 million vehicles since 1971, the Maubeuge factory is an icon in the French automotive industry. For 50 years, vehicles have been sent to the four corners of the globe, meeting the needs of each market.
“The Maubeuge factory has become the Alliance’s centre of excellence for commercial vehicles, having been in operation for half a century, fostering 25 years of experience manufacturing Kangoo, and honing expertise in electric vehicles for the past 10 years
Jean-Philippe Daveau, Director of the Maubeuge factory.
From SUC to MCA, iconic models that have left their mark.
The history of the Maubeuge factory began in 1969. The Société des Usines Chausson (SUC), then a major automotive contractor in France, bought land on the outskirts of the city where it set about building a factory. It started out entirely devoted to operating with a stamping shop and a body shop. Painting, assembly, and finishing units were later created in 1971. In the same year, the R15 and R17 left the factory for the first time.
Renault then bought out the remaining stake in SUC. On 1 July 1981, the Maubeuge plant became Maubeuge Construction Automobile (MCA). More than 20 models have left their mark on the factory’s history, including the iconic Renault 12, Renault 18, Fuego, Renault 21 Medallion, and Nevada.
The Kangoo revolution.
A major turning point came in 1993, with the launch of the MCA 2000 Plan that aimed to ensure the sustainability of the factory thanks to an organisational overhaul and considerable investment. Implementation of the plan gave rise to the decision to produce Kangoo – an MCA-exclusive light-duty van also available as a non-commercial mini-van – from 1997 onwards.
Kangoo, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year, quickly became an iconic vehicle sold around the world. Kangoo won the hearts of all, from private owners to tradespeople and fleet operators. Kangoo has since become a benchmark in its segment, with nearly 4 million units manufactured, 70,000 of which are electric models. It continues to be a success with customers and other manufacturers around the world.
Daimler and Nissan join the show at Maubeuge.
Recognition of the Maubeuge factory as a centre of excellence for LCVs came in 2012 when the Alliance and Daimler decided to pool resources. The goal was to expand the range of products, optimise available resources, and develop innovative technology that would be essential for present-day and future products. This is how the Mercedes Citan joined the production line alongside Kangoo. The partnership benefited from the site’s large production capacity and in-house expertise – two assets that have helped preserve the cultural heritage and identity of each brand.
This partnership is also a story of people and machines, of skill sets that seamlessly match, and unique tools designed by teams from both companies to continually improve the quality work stations. For example, the Maubeuge factory installed a light booth that was inspired by German production lines and has since been used to check for faultless body colour paint finishes. Quality control and approval processes have been optimised. Years of passion and renewed confidence all came to a head recently: Daimler confirmed that the Mercedes Citan would be part of its range and entrusted production to the Maubeuge factory that will use the all-new Kangoo as a base.
Alongside this, an Alliance brand has also joined the Maubeuge factory story. In 2019, a new strategic partnership, one that reflected the ever-vibrant collaboration within the Alliance, was signed with Nissan for production of the NV250 that was based on the Kangoo model at the time. The collaboration was renewed with the all-new Kangoo, which now rubs shoulders on the production line with its cousin, the Nissan Townstar.
As Jean-Philippe Daveau explains, “as of this year, we have renewed the entire range. We have invested €450 million to transform the factory and to accommodate all versions across all brands, including electric models. As such, we have carried out work to boost capacity, but we have primarily trained and helped employees embrace modifications made to each workstation.”
XXL industrial equipment and an electrical transformation.
To make room for the three brands’ latest models, the factory has transformed its manufacturing shops while improving the ergonomics and quality of each workstation. An impressive XXL press line, the largest of all Alliance plants, was installed in order to produce large-format parts. Over in the body shop, more than 630 new robots have been added to assemble bodies of the newest models, with numerous aids to facilitate parts handling. The paint shop finishing line is now more modern, more ergonomic, and more connected than ever.
Production lines and facilities also required adaptive measures to directly incorporate the electric versions of Kangoo, Townstar, and Citan. To that extent, the factory built a battery assembly workshop and integrated battery installation directly onto assembly lines. The transformation showcases the drive at the Maubeuge factory to constantly strive for excellence. Be it Renault, Mercedes, or Nissan, being ‘made in Maubeuge’ is a source of pride for its 2,500 employees, but also for the Alliance as a whole.
