Renault Trucks’ Used Parts Factory will supposedly be a great example of circular economy
Renault Trucks has announced its plans to recycle end-of-life trucks and reuse their spare parts by opening the Used Parts Factory in Lyon-Vénissieux. Here, the brand’s trucks will be dismantled, and their parts reused. The initiative was backed by a preliminary feasibility study conducted in 2020 by Renault Trucks in tandem with the specialist Indra Automobile Recyclingand ADEME, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency.
This 3,000 square meters plant, built as close as possible to the logistics centre, 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 kilometres.
What will happen at Renault Trucks’ Used Parts Factory
In Lyon-Vénissieux, 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.
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 50-60% cheaper, on average, than new parts.
