The ceremony was attended by all Lyon employees, together with Martin Lundstedt (CEO of the Volvo Group) and Bruno Blin (CEO of Renault Trucks), and was the culmination of a year of celebrations.
The brainchild of Marius Berliet, who bought several plots of land to the east of Lyon in 1915, today the site houses the nerve centre of Renault Trucks and is a key component of the industrial and global engineering facilities of the Volvo Group, which the Renault Trucks brand joined in 2001.
More than 4,000 people work on the 180 hectare site straddling the municipalities of Vénissieux and Saint-Priest. The site is home to an engine assembly plant, a bridge and axle assembly plant, a swaging centre and a parts logistics centre.
There is also a research facility with a staff of 1,300, focusing on the development of medium-duty trucks and engines, as well as transport solutions for urban areas.
The celebrations have included visits for employees’ families, who tour the site in a 1968 Berliet bus; a photo exhibition of the site through the years; and a commemorative illustration (pictured) by French graffiti artist ‘Impackt’ on an 80-metre wall.
Also, until 23 November, the Lyon factory is running demonstrations of the NAVYA ARMA – a fully-electric, autonomous public transport vehicle. This driverless shuttle can carry up to 15 passengers and travel at speeds of up to 45kph.