Renault embraces the metaverse

Remote industrial monitoring on a global scale is already reaping significant rewards

-  JIM HOLDER

Inside an anonymous building in Vélizy, northern I France, is a remarkable room, more 'mission control' than the mainstream warehouse its surroundings suggest, in which a team of engineers sweeps from desk to desk with intensity, monitoring walls of screens constantly updating with real-time data. An alarm sounds. Something is wrong. 

Busan, south-east Korea, 5778 miles away: just another day as far as the workers are concerned - until they take the call. A robotic arm is using more energy than it should, its spot welds sticking, soaking up power and risking mechanical failure. The previously unknowing workforce hurriedly shut it down and get to work on repairs. Crisis averted.

This is just one small example of what Renault - never short of a catchy title these days, under the guidance of CEO and marketing ace Luca de Meo calls its Industrial Metaverse, a company-wide plan to unify and link its global operations in a quest to improve reliability, efficiency and quality, and thereby save money and reduce energy use and emissions.