To reduce natural resource usage and its trucks’ environmental impact, Renault Trucks, part of the Volvo Group, announced it is taking steps to transitioning its industrial operations to a circular-economy approach.
Renault Trucks’ Used Parts Factory is the logical next step after the used trucks repurposing and remanufacturing operations conducted respectively in its Used Trucks Factory in Bourg-en-Bresse and its plant in Limoges, France. At this industrial facility located in Vénissieux, the brand’s trucks will be dismantled, and their parts reused, the company says.
Over the past five years, Renault Trucks has invested in the circular economy, applying a three-pronged approach that consists in regenerating, repurposing and recycling used trucks.
Renault Trucks is conducting numerous initiatives to extend the lifetime of the vehicles it sells. For example, used trucks are remanufactured according to strict industrial processes at the Used Trucks Factory, vehicles are updated with the latest technologies in the reconditioning centre in Lyon, and there are also used special-series models for sale.
Pushing on with its plan, the manufacturer has announced the creation of its Used Parts Factory, an industrial site devoted entirely to recycling trucks and reusing the parts and raw materials recovered from them. The initiative was backed by a preliminary feasibility study conducted in 2020 by Renault Trucks in tandem with the specialist Indra Automobile Recycling and ADEME, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency.
Renault Trucks, which has announced its plans to recycle end-of-life trucks and reuse their spare parts, is opening a dedicated plant in the heart of its manufacturing facility in Lyon–Vénissieux. This 3,000-sq-meter plant, built as close as possible to the logistics center, will handle used Renault Trucks vehicles with high mileages, along with some parts that still have substantial potential for reuse. Renault Trucks vehicles and their components are in fact designed to last for over 1.5 million kilometers.
End-of-life Renault Trucks will enter the Used Parts Factory to be dismantled. Operators will remove the components previously identified as suitable for reuse (engine, gearbox, cabin, fuel tank, bumpers, deflectors, etc.).
Once the parts intended for reuse have been removed, the other components will be recycled. The rails, for example, will be cut up then sent to the nearby foundry. The metal extracted from the parts will be used to manufacture a new vehicle.
The components intended for re-use will then be checked, cleaned and labeled for listing and traceability purposes. These used spare parts will then be sent to the nearby Renault Trucks spare parts store, just like new spare parts.
Like new spare parts, the used spare parts marketed under the label “Used Parts by Renault Trucks” will be made available to dealers on the manufacturer’s online spare parts marketplace. These used spare parts will be covered by a manufacturer’s warranty and their cost will be significantly lower compared to new spare parts.
Regarding used parts for its old vehicle ranges, Renault Trucks is continuing to work with Indra Automobile Recycling and will offer its dealership network a range of parts obtained through dismantling operations carried out by the recycling specialist.
With this new offer, Renault Trucks is continuing its progression towards carbon neutrality. It is also addressing the shortage of components and raw materials that is impacting the industry.
