Discovering Viry: the department of purchasing, logistics and quality control.
In the shadows of the factory lies a department whose role is essential to the facility at Viry. Passion and rigorous attention to detail are the top priorities. The factory at Viry-Châtillon has one peculiarity. “The factory actually doesn’t make any of the parts that go into making a Formula One race engine,” says Philippe Carrier, head of the department of purchasing, logistics and quality control.
Delivery to Viry is made through carefully selected suppliers: 100 companies send close to 1.5 million parts to the factory every year! For the production of engines for the Renault F1 Team, the organisation must be rigorous at all times. “We must always ensure that the parts are manufactured to the highest quality and exactly to specification, that the pieces arrive on time, and that we maintain the high level of production by constantly looking for potential new suppliers, plus we must always monitor the quality of the parts that we receive,” continues Philippe. “Of the 1.5 million parts that we buy in every year, about 600,000 of them come directly from the design office drawings. The rest, we buy straight off the shelf. They are mostly joints and screws.”
The purchasing department applies the policies agreed by the quality control department at the Renault F1 Team. Of the 20 or so people who work in the department on a full time basis, 11 are buyers and 9 are logistic and quality control specialists. The planning is very similar to Enstone and, like there, it is of primary importance. The ordered parts must arrive on time and be dispatched between the different areas: development, advanced studies, and race engine assembly. Each of these departments have their own priorities however, and will need to juggle their time. “It’s not rare for us to be waiting directly by the machines at the manufacturers while they finish the parts,” laughs Philippe Carrier. “Also, we organise special transportation, or call certain quality control specialists at 21:00 because an important part has arrived half an hour early and must be fitted straight away.” Reaction time is one of the department’s keys to its success. “Before I arrived at the Renault F1 Team, I worked with engine prototypes on Renault road cars,” Philippe continues. “It used similar processes, but in Formula One it is so much faster.”
For the past two years, a strong French dominance in suppliers has not been the reality it once was. “Thanks to Bernard Dudot and Rob White, we have decided to deal with international specialists and our suppliers are now based all over Europe. Certain specific parts are made in America though.” Each of these suppliers is permanently judged on strict criteria: quality of the parts, respect of our deadlines, and price. There is no room for sentiment or emotion. “We are a purchasing service,” confirms Philippe. “And as such, we have to negotiate the best price.”
The 2005 season was lived with intensity. “The two titles were a just recompense for the work we’ve all done,” concludes the engineer. “For the past four years, we have worked very hard to become the best, and we have done it. Sure we work behind closed doors and we cant always live the results on track, but our satisfaction is just as intense as those who go to the races. We are all very passionate about what we do.”
