Renault Group is working with Siemens to modernise the production and assembly lines for new vehicles at two of its production sites. Through the cooperation between the two groups, Siemens Digital Industries is working on the digitalisation of industrial processes for the electrification of the Renault Group’s vehicle fleet, thereby contributing to the development of e-mobility.

Building on a long-standing collaboration dating back to 2007, the two companies are now setting new standards in the production and assembly of Renault’s next electric vehicles. A major player in the fields of automation and industrial software, Siemens has already confirmed its competence and expertise on several occasions with the Renault brand, notably by developing the engine for the Zoé, one of the very first French cars to be built around the aspiration to go 100% electric.

Cléon and Douai, two sites to be adapted for the production of electric vehicles

“The successful collaboration between our two entities is an important step in the development of the European electric vehicle”, said Dominique Thibot, Corporate Account Manager for PSA and Renault at Siemens. Dominique Thibot, Corporate Account Manager for PSA and Renault at Siemens, said he was proud to support the Renault Group in the digitalisation of its production and assembly lines for electric vehicles.

“We are thus contributing to the ongoing transformation towards clean mobility: thanks to Siemens Digital Industries‘ cutting-edge technologies and the mobilisation of our teams, we are providing Renault Group with real know-how,” he added.

The main production site for the carmaker’s engines and gearboxes, the huge Cléon site in Normandy (Seine-Maritime) currently employs nearly 3,600 people and began its transition to the production of electric vehicles in 2015, in line with Renault’s conversion to electric vehicles in 2012.

“The Cléon site is a perfect example of the group’s industrial transformation towards electric vehicles,” says Renault Group industrial director Jose Vicente de los Mozos. Siemens is supporting the manufacturer in the digitalisation of production lines dedicated to the new “ePT2020” engine, which powers the flagship of the brand’s electric fleet, the 100% electric Mégane E-Tech

Siemens Scube V4: the standard for the future at Renault Group

Located in the Hauts-de-France region, the Douai bodywork assembly site is the first of the carmaker’s sites to use the new Scube V4 standard designed by Siemens: based on the latest generation of Simatic S7-1500 PLCs, it has been active on the site since 2021.

“These are references from the Siemens catalogue, but dedicated to Renault projects,” explains Edouard Schweda, the Siemens engineer in charge of the operational validation of the concept. More efficient than the previous standard, it consists of new models of MOP and SOP V4 cabinets, which already control the assembly processes of electric vehicles on the site, with the Mégane E-Tech still at the top of the list.

In the long term and as part of this more than fruitful collaboration, Renault Group plans to gradually deploy the Siemens Scube V4 standard on all the other assembly sites, hence the interest in an industrial partner, which ensures global system responsibility and worldwide coverage.

A partnership that seems to ensure Siemens a leading role in the development of 100% electric mobility, not only with the French automotive giant but also on a global scale, due to the very important influence exerted by the diamond-shaped brand in the world today.