PSA invests €90M

in its Valenciennes site

What does PSA’s €90M investment mean for the Hauts-de-France?

Business is booming for the automotive industry in the region. Following a €300M investment and the creation of 700 jobs at Toyota (Valenciennes), the PSA plant has just announced a €90M investment in its Trith-Saint-Léger site. This will enable PSA Valenciennes to produce AET6 gearboxes under licence from the Japanese equipment manufacturer Aisin. These new-generation automatic gearboxes are fitted in a number of Peugeot, Citroën (including DS), Opel and Vauxhall models and are currently imported from China and Japan. “This is the first time AISIN has entered into a partnership like this with a European company, which is proof of their great confidence in us,” said Vincent Baron, Director of the PSA Valenciennes plant. Working at full capacity, the plant is expected to produce 300,000 automatic gearboxes a year. A new workshop employing 250 people will be built to carry out the work.

Why is the PSA group bringing the production of its gearboxes in-house in Valenciennes?

By modernising its production methods, PSA wants to position itself for the development of automatic gearboxes in Europe, where demand is expected to grow. Moving the production of automotive components in-house, closer to the assembly plants, means the group can be more agile and responsive to fluctuations in demand and can therefore keep production costs down.

The Hauts-de-France, the number one region for French automotive manufacturing

These investments by PSA and Toyota cement the Hauts-de-France region’s position as a leader in the automotive sector. With more than 50,000 jobs and three global manufacturers (Toyota, PSA, Renault), the region accounts for 31% of national car production in France. Learn more about the automotive sector in the region.