The Netherlands – In order to hit a €4.3 billion ($6.0 billion) synergy target by 2016, the partnership will focus on achieving closer integration in four key areas: R&D, Manufacturing and Logistics, Purchasing and HR.
In Manufacturing and Logistics, projects will be aimed at improving plant performance through “more rigorous” benchmarking. Teams will review how to optimise capital expenditure through standardisation, better capacity utilisation and logistical efficiency. Leading the convergence project will be Shouhei Kimura, corporate vice-president for Vehicle Production Engineering at Nissan.
Purchasing will see additional convergence projects despite a considerable level of integration over the past decade. Led by Christian Vandenhende, managing director of Renault-Nissan Purchasing Organisation, this campaign will deliver more economies of scale for the OEMs and their suppliers worldwide.
