VÉNISSIEUX, France—Renault Trucks has opened a new Used Parts Factory here with a dedicated disassembly line for its heavy-duty vehicles sold in Europe.
The new factory will disassemble Renault trucks that have reached their end of life. The major parts pulled by the disassembly plant include the engine, gearbox, cabin, fuel tank, bumpers and wind deflectors. Parts that still have some life left in them will be checked, cleaned, refurbished and labelled for listing and traceability purposes. 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 will be 50 to 60 percent cheaper, on average, than new parts.
Parts and materials that cannot be reused will be recycled as much as possible. For example, truck rails will be cut up and sent to a local foundry, which will extract the metal and send it back to make new vehicles.
To reduce natural resource usage and the environmental impact of its products, Renault Trucks is transitioning its manfuacturing operations to a circular-economy approach. For example, used trucks are remanufactured and updated with the latest technologies at the company’s Used Trucks Factory in Bourg-en-Bresse, France.
The Used Parts Factory, which spans 3,000 square meters, is the next step in the company’s plans. The initiative was backed by a preliminary feasibility study conducted in 2020 by Renault Trucks in tandem with Indra Automobile Recycling and ADEME, the French environment and energy management agency.