"You have to know how to interpret the reality of each factory at any given moment”

The Renault Group's industrial network in Spain is in the midst of a major transformation, a revolution of its own within Renaulution, led by José Martín Vega, General Manager of Renault Group's Iberia Vehicle Division and AutoRevista 2023's Director of The Year OEM Award.

AutoRevista - Looking at the cascade of new model announcements for Renault Group's Polo Iberia in Spain, it could be said that the Palencia and Valladolid plants are making their own revolution within the Renaulution.

José Martín Vega - The Renault Group is currently involved in the Renaulution Strategic Plan from 2021, a plan developed in three phases. The Resurrection phase was dedicated to improving the Group's profitability; the Renewal phase reorganised it by brand, aligning the Group with customer needs; and the Revolution phase, which we are currently in, transforms the company into a Next-Gen company.

In this context, Renault Group's factories in Spain were awarded five models as part of what we call the Renaulution Spain Strategic Plan, making them the Renault Group's hybridisation hub. The three Spanish factories and the Valladolid R&D Centre were transformed to produce hybrid and hyperconnected vehicles, with the latest technologies on board. Today, we are already producing two of these vehicles in series production, Austral and Nueva Espace. The Palencia Factory is preparing for the series production of the Rafale and two models are yet to be unveiled from the Valladolid Factory.

The Palencia factory is preparing for Rafale series production and two models are yet to be unveiled from the Valladolid factory

Indeed, it is quite a revolution, of which we are very proud because we have managed to take on this challenge while meeting all our quality and deadline requirements and maintaining the historical competitiveness of our plants.

AR.- What does it mean to lead the industrial strategy for hybrid models for Renault Group in Europe and how are you working with your team on this mission?

J.M.V.- Renault was the first European manufacturer to commit to 100% electric vehicles and current European regulations are pushing the European market towards this technology. But as in any transition process, the steps must follow an orderly sequence. Here, the hybrid vehicle plays a key role.

The charging infrastructure is insufficient and we are a long way from meeting the Fit for 55 targets: by 2025, we need to multiply our charging points by a factor of five. Moreover, only 22% of the public charging infrastructure is more than 22 kW, which is insufficient for fast-track charging. The hybrid vehicle is a strategic solution as long as the charging network is not operational and the customer does not opt unequivocally for a 100% electric solution. It is therefore the best response in this orderly ecological transition to electric vehicles, and this is the opportunity for Renault Group's factories in Spain. The teams have transformed the factories and increased their skills to produce hybrid vehicles with the largest amount of on-board technology in history.

The teams have transformed the factories and increased their skills to produce hybrid vehicles with the largest amount of on-board technology in history

AR.- After the launch of the "most Spanish" Renault, the Austral, the Espace, Palencia will take on a real surprise such as the Rafale, how does this range of models position the Villamuriel de Cerrato factory? 

J.M.V.- The factory in Palencia has adapted its industrial facilities to produce these three models, which reflect a real transformation within the Group, turning this factory into the vanguard of innovation, with a highly trained team, very demanding quality processes and also producing in a very environmentally friendly way.

The production of these vehicles has meant very important innovations for the factory, such as the use of a new CMF-CD platform, aluminium production, new painting processes such as two-tone or satin paint, new ADAS benches to check the quality of hyperconnected vehicles or the integration of more than 400 new welding robots. All this to produce three vehicles of the new era of connectivity with the highest quality.

Without a doubt, the production of a vehicle like the Rafale, which is set to become one of the brand's flagships, is a real challenge and a source of pride for the staff at Renault Spain's factories. The fact that these vehicles have been awarded to the Palencia plant demonstrates the level of the Palencia plant within the Group.

AR.- The Renault Group's R&D Centre in Valladolid is not often mentioned, but what are its synergies with the Spanish plants?

J.M.V.- The R&D+i Centre now has a modern, collaborative building where more than 1,000 engineers work every day on the series production of the products manufactured at Renault Group's Spanish plants, i.e. Captur, Megane, Austral, Espace and Rafale. 

The vehicles assigned under the Renault Spain Plan have strengthened the role of this centre, which has acquired new skills and new challenges, such as, among other things, everything related to ADAS, i.e. the driving aids that will be incorporated into the new products. Its engineers are the architects of the transformation the sector is undergoing, as they work on electrification, connectivity, batteries, hydrogen, mobility services, etc.

AR.- Another key to outstanding management lies in the management of the extended value chain. How do you interact with and value the involvement of the industrial fabric with which Renault works in Castilla y León and Spain?

J.M.V.- Renault plays a vital role in the economy of Castilla y León and in the Spanish automotive sector. At present, we have a wide range of suppliers based in Spain, given that our country is one of the main centres of automotive production. And, several of them have a presence in Castilla y León. This is a necessary condition for competitiveness in the automotive sector; the logistics cost, the carbon footprint and the possibility of having synchronous flows generate competitive opportunities that are only possible thanks to an industrial network of suppliers close to our production plants.

AR.- Speaking of Castilla y León, the Renault Group's industrial base is one of the main assets of the region's economy, what are the keys to new developments and growth in the future?

J.M.V.- As I was saying, we are fortunate to have the Renault Group's hybridisation centre in the world in Castilla y León, which allows us to produce the bulk of the company's mechanical components and hybrid vehicles. This is very fortunate because right now the volume is in this type of vehicle.

The Electric Pole is in France, Electricity. However, Renault Group has a plan to produce one million electric vehicles and Electricity has the capacity for 600,000. The remaining 400,000 will have to be produced in other Group plants and the Spanish factories have to prepare themselves well in order to be able to be possible awardees in the future. 

AR.- What are the greatest contributions in your career as a result of your work in the TecnoCentro and in the Maubeuge Factory?

J.M.V.- In 2013 I was appointed director of the Maubeuge factory. A factory located in the north of France that specialised in the production of vans (Kangoo for Renault and Citan for Mercedes). It was a different country, a different culture, a different industrial plant to the ones I had known before.

But even so, thanks to a close and effective relationship with the teams, we were able to significantly improve the factory's competitiveness, making it the French reference factory in just two years. To ensure success, I relied, of course, on the experience accumulated over 13 years at the Renault plant in Palencia.

My time at the Maubeuge plant helped me to understand that there is no single "miracle" solution. Rather, you have to know how to interpret the reality of each factory at any given time, and from there, you have to know how to adapt a good solution, with proven results, already applied in a factory, to the particular context of that new factory.

And in all this challenge, never forget that people are the main value of an industrial activity. Without them, without close collaboration and understanding with people, no challenge is credible.

AR.- How would you define your management style? 

J.M.V.- My management style is based on being close to the workplace, seeing, listening, touching the problems or opportunities for improvement, listening and empathising with those who experience the difficulties most closely, knowing how to prioritise, resolving in teams and being simple in management. Of course, if things are done well, and the results are good, we must never forget that successes must be shared with the teams.

My managerial style is based on being close to the workplace, seeing, listening, touching the problems or opportunities for improvement, listening and empathising with those who are closest to the difficulties

In our daily dynamics, we favour the personalised delegation of activities that require a plan of action. The professional development of our teams depends on their knowledge and skills, but also on their experience. In this sense, we challenge our professionals so that - beyond their classic responsibilities associated with their function - they are capable of managing and leading the resolution and treatment of problems or opportunities for improvement. This allows us to make it easier for each person and each professional to grow in managerial attitudes and skills as they face the responsibility of managing tasks and teams beyond their predetermined perimeter.

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Interview published in AutoRevista 2.385