By Etienne BALMER
Lambres-Lez-Douai, France (AFP) Dec 10, 2025
France is creating home manufacturing of electrical automobile batteries with a watch on industrial independence however Asian specialists are proving key in launching operations.
Within the Verkor manufacturing unit outdoors the northern metropolis of Dunkirk, which can be inaugurated on Thursday, international specialists, notably from South Korea and Malaysia, are coaching the native employees.
Verkor is the third battery gigafactory to open in northern France in a area that has change into often called “Battery Valley”.
On the AESC manufacturing unit close to town of Douai, the place manufacturing has been underway for a number of months, Chinese language engineers and technicians supervise French recruits.
“They’re those who practice us on the tools, how you can function it, how you can repair issues,” stated Ericka Redjimi, 39.
Redjimi arrived at AESC in Might with none expertise within the sector.
“I bought garments at open-air markets,” she stated.
Communication can show difficult.
“We use Google Translate usually.”
“I nonetheless want them, a lot lower than originally,” however “it is reassuring that they’re nonetheless right here,” stated Redjimi, who works within the part of the manufacturing unit that makes battery cells.
As soon as completed, autonomous robotic sleds transport the cells to a different part of the manufacturing unit the place they’re assembled into battery modules which are used to energy Renault’s R4 and R5 fashions, in addition to the Nissan Micra.
– Expertise switch –
By the tip to the primary quarter of 2026 the manufacturing unit ought to be operating at full pace, turning out batteries to equip 150,000 to 200,000 autos per yr, stated Ayumi Kurose, who heads up operations at AESC France.
He stated the primary few months of manufacturing had gone just about as anticipated.
“What’s all the time difficult is gaining mastery of the tools” which frequently comes from Asia, and the coaching of employees, Kurose stated.
Based in Japan however now owned by China’s Envision, AESC has been manufacturing electrical automotive batteries in Asia for 15 years.
The group can depend on its in-house know-how to make sure “good practices from starting” at its new factories elsewhere on the earth, stated Kurose.
He stated there are presently practically 150 Chinese language specialists working on the Douai directing 800 native employees.
These embody specialists in vision-based management of commercial equipment and cutting-edge soldering strategies.
“The purpose is basically the switch of abilities,” stated Kurose.
The specialists “come for between six months and two years, however they don’t seem to be meant to remain,” he added.
The Douai manufacturing unit ought to be able to function by itself by the tip of 2026, he estimated.
One of many Chinese language engineers additionally expressed confidence.
“I’ve to say, my French colleagues, they’re all the time working laborious,” stated He Xiaoming, 36.
In the event that they purchase the mandatory information and acquire extra expertise “they’ll go fairly quick”, he added.
– Chinese language associate –
The close by ACC manufacturing unit, the primary battery gigafactory to open in France in 2024, can be scaling up manufacturing after a troublesome begin.
“What we manufacture in a day now took us a month to do originally of the yr,” stated ACC’s chief government Yann Vincent.
“We’re not but the place we need to be”, however when it comes to the speed of faulty cells and volumes “we have made vital enchancment.”
A three way partnership of carmakers Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz plus vitality agency TotalEnergies, ACC earlier this yr struck a brief partnership with a Chinese language battery producer.
The corporate, the identify of which ACC hasn’t disclosed, will handle considered one of its three manufacturing strains from A to Z till mid-2026.
Vincent stated the Chinese language have discovered an unlimited quantity in 20 years of producing electrical automobile batteries, whereas France started from zero 5 years in the past.
So “it is higher to depend on the individuals who know greatest” to hurry up studying a “actually delicate” manufacturing course of.
ACC, which presently employs 1,200 individuals at its Billy-Berclau manufacturing unit, goals to fabricate batteries for 250,000 electrical autos subsequent yr, in opposition to 10,000 thus far.
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