Sandouville Renault Factory
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Founder | Renault Group |
| Headquarters | Sandouville , France |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Renault Trafic, Nissan Primastar |
| Owner | Renault Group |
Number of employees | 4650 (2006) |
| Parent | Renault Group |
The Sandouville Renault Factory is an automobile manufacturing facility under the ownership of the Renault Group. It was founded in 1964 in the town of Sandouville, situated close to the Le Havre port. The construction phase started in July 1963 and was mostly finalized by December 1964.
History
The factory was initially constructed to assemble the Renault 16, which debuted in March 1965. At the outset, its primary role was final assembly, utilizing sub-assemblies and parts supplied by other Renault sites along the River Seine. Early components such as running gear and suspension were sourced from the Billancourt plant, powertrains came from Cléon, while stamped and chrome elements originated from the Flins Renault Factory.
As time progressed, Sandouville became dedicated to producing larger Renault models including the Renault 17, Renault 20, Renault 30, Renault 18, Renault 21, Renault 25, Renault Safrane, Renault Laguna, and Renault Vel Satis. Since 2003, the facility has been responsible for manufacturing the Renault Espace, transitioning from composite materials to pressed steel body shells.
At its height, the workforce numbered around 12,000 employees; however, by 2006 this figure had fallen to approximately 4,650 due to difficulties in maintaining market share for Renault’s medium and large vehicles. The introduction of the Renault Laguna III at the end of 2007 was viewed as a vital step toward revitalizing production. Despite this, with plant utilization at only 40%, Renault issued warnings about possible repercussions if sales did not improve.
Due to sluggish demand for Laguna III, staff reductions followed; in July 2008, one of two work shifts was eliminated, impacting roughly 1,000 workers.
Currently, the Sandouville factory manufactures: