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Renault Opens New International Training Center for the Sales Network


May 2006
 Filed under: RENAULT CORPORATE Car News | RENAULT CORPORATE Headlines
May 30, 2006 -- Within the context of Renault Commitment 2009, Renault inaugurates Renault Academy, its new training center, at the Plessis-Robinson site outside Paris, France. The new center devises and develops technical, sales and behavior-oriented training programs for Renault's entire international sales network.
The Renault Academy was created on December 1, 2005 to support Renault’s objective of becoming one of the top three in terms of service quality and to meet the service requirements of the Renault Excellence Plan. Its goal is to reorganize the training system and reinforce the professionalism of the network functions. The new training center devises and develops technical, sales and behavior-oriented training programs for Renault's entire international sales network. Renault Academy, the Centre de Formation Régionale d'Ile de France and the technical after-sales design unit of Nissan Europe have now moved to a new building inaugurated on April 3, 2006 in Plessis-Robinson (Hauts-de-Seine).

Renault has invested over €25 million in this new training center, €1.2 million of which was used to equip the workshops. The 11,500 m2 building includes 5,000 m2 devoted to the 125 workshop stations, 38 classrooms, 2000 m2 divided into four support function areas and 800 m2 of logistics space.

The training centre has a body shop area and another for mechanics. The body shop section contains a double station prep deck, a spray booth with a hydroflo kit and a paint lab. The mechanics area was designed with a special room to ensure vehicle confidentiality.


Renault Academy, an international training center

Renault Academy was created to harmonize training policy worldwide by offering a single course catalogue for network functions. The center has three main missions: to coordinate network training, guarantee its quality and effectiveness, and optimize investment.

Renault Academy’s network training activity is divided into three sections: the first designs and develops the training modules, the second is in charge of communicating the programs to local instructors, while the third deploys the training standards to all subsidiaries. For the sales functions, Renault Academy prepares training programs for sales advisors, sales managers, delivery advisors and commercial assistants. For after-sales functions, it handles the training of service advisors (shop receptionists), and shop supervisors. It also develops body shop and mechanical workshop training for mechanics, electrical mechanics, Cotechs (technical coordinators) and Cartechs (body shop technicians). (See box p.3)

Behavioral training is one of the new programs that Renault Academy has set up. This type of training is given to employees whose jobs bring them into contact with the customer in both the sales and after-sales functions, including sales, service and delivery advisors, sales managers, and shop supervisors. Its goal is to ensure that in each of these functions, employee behavior is geared to customer satisfaction. The training program has two stages. The first is a presentation of the twenty service essentials for sales and after-sales. This part of the program can be implemented in the sales network itself through e-learning at a computer workstation. It was deployed in 26 countries in May 2005, and will now be offered to the entire Renault network worldwide. The second, complementary stage of the program consists of practical courses held in training centers. Each subsidiary is responsible for training its network in its own country. Deployment of this second part of the training program began in May 2006.


New, highly effective training tools

Renault has created a breakthrough in training program implementation by developing new computer tools for e-learning.

For the mechanics program, the "F2k" tool covers the 27 proficiency modules a workshop must master in order to function correctly. To optimize training time, e-learning tools enable everyone to follow the theoretical part of the program onsite. For example, a "virtual workshop" is available for mechanics to test themselves in real-life situations before taking the practical part of the program in a training center. In 2005, some 10,722 days of training with this tool were given to 5,285 employees in 30 countries.

To cover the other training areas (body shop, sales and behavior training), Renault uses the Learning Management System (LMS). This system is used to handle administrative tasks (registration for on-line training, e-mail alerts), manage content and distribute the e-learning modules. It is geared to all the network functions. Like "F2k", it can be used for distance learning and to tailor programs to the needs of individual employees via pre-testing.


The new after-sales functions

Renault pursues its commitment to quality and customer satisfaction by creating training programs and developing new functions corresponding to the various levels of expertise. In 2005, two new functions were created, the electrical mechanic and the Cartech. Thus, in the domain of mechanics, programs exist for mechanics, electrical mechanics and Cotechs, and in the body shop, for the body repairman and the Cartech.

The electrical mechanic is in charge of performing routine diagnoses so that the Cotech can concentrate on more complex or infrequent repairs. The electrical mechanic receives the same training as technicians/subdealers. However, the Cotech, or technical coordinator, remains the only person in direct contact with the carmaker and the technical assistance platforms. The 2005 selectivity criteria of the new European regulation stipulate that there must be two electrical mechanics for every seven technicians within the network.

In 2005, 600 electrical mechanics were trained in France. By the end of 2006, the dealer network will hire another 1,400 electrical mechanics for its workshops.

The Cartech, or body shop technician, is the dealership's car body expert. Like the Cotech, he is in contact with the carmaker and helps to train his team. His expertise contributes totech improving body shop service quality.


Source: Renault

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