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AUTOMOTIVE
A region at the heart of a large European market
The Nord Pas-de-Calais region is the 2nd automotive region in France, with a total work force of 55,000 employees (of which 22,000 for the manufacturing sites).
Car Manufacturers4 car manufacturers (Toyota, Peugeot/Citroën/Fiat, 2 Renault)Nearly two thirds of the European car manufacturers and many equipment suppliers are located less than a day’s transport away from the region.
Equipment suppliersMore than 200 rank-1, 2 or 3 equipment manufacturers.Thanks to the size of the automotive industry in the Euro-Region (made up of Nord-Pas de Calais, Belgium and Kent in the UK), automotive manufacturers have an easy access to a large variety of subcontractors and related services.
Manufacturing Manufacturing in 2007:
- 922,000 vehicles
- 1,7 million gearboxes
- 1,9 million enginesEach year, 10 million passenger cars (PCs) and commercial vehicles (CVs), i.e. over 80% of the total production of North-Western Europe, are assembled within a 700-km radius.
Education & Training Hourly lab or cost in the region: 5% lower than the French average.A great variety of training schemes tailored to each study level.
Research & DevelopmentTop quality research laboratoriesResearch groups to meet the companies' needsEfficient technical centers at the companies' disposal Private R&D at automotive equipment manufacturers
Competitiveness clusterToday, I-Trans regroups 80 companies - totalling 15,000 jobs, 23 research and training institutions - with 1800 public researchers- and more than 2,000 students who are directly involved.
Toyota Boshoku moves into Somain
Japanese automotive equipment manufacturer invests €40 million and recruits 50
Once again, Toyota chose the site of Onnaing
In 2012, the Japanese manufacturer will produce a small hybrid vehicle
Renault backs electric vehicles
Subsidiary MCA in Maubeuge pioneers large-scale production of electric vans
Bridgestone
Japan’s Bridgestone, the world’s leading tire manufacturer, has been an established presence for almost 50 years in the North Pas de Calais, where it continues to operate the company’s only factory in France. Managing Director, BrunoCapron, looks at what the region has to offer foreign manufacturers.
