Valeo completes 45 million euro maintenance of Angers lighting plant

The Angers investment shows that complex optical manufacturing can be feasible in France; this is a test case for European industrial policy Valeo is completing the €45 million (US$51.75 million) modernization of its Angers lighting plant in France, carried out between 2023 and 2026. The program establishes Angers as the group’s European competence center for heavy goods vehicle (HGV) headlights and supports the Valeo Elevate 2028 strategic plan. With more than 1,200 employees in Angers and Blois, the plant produces 9,000 headlights and 22,000 modules per day for leading global car manufacturers. 25 injection presses, five varnishing lines, 11 assembly lines and 181 robots operate in the modernized facility; Artificial intelligence is used for predictive simulation and real-time verification. The heavy-duty segment is the main driver of growth: its production share is expected to increase from 20% to 40% with the entry into service of two major customers in 2027 and 2028. Six of the seven European road transport leaders are projected to use headlights developed by Angers by 2030. Jean-Luc Terrasse, Chief Executive Officer of Valeo’s Light Division, said in a statement: “Lighting is at the heart of tomorrow’s mobility challenges: safety, design and intelligent interaction. This allows manufacturers to differentiate themselves and offer users increasingly safety and driving comfort. This 45 million euro investment allows the factory to consolidate its industrial excellence and shows that a French factory can design and produce systems of unprecedented optical complexity and be at the forefront of European Industry 4.0.”

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