Renault has extended its circular economy approach with the opening of a truck dismantling factory in Lyon
At Renault Trucks’ new industrial facility located in Vénissieux, on the outskirts of Lyon in France, the brand’s trucks will be dismantled and their parts reused.
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.
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.
This 3,000 square metre plant 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 designed to last for over 1.5 million kilometres.
Plant 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 labelled 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.
These 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 will be 50–60 per cent cheaper, on average, than new parts.