The German automotive wiring specialist, Leoni, has just opened a new factory in Berrechid. Investment value: 7.5 million euros. The unit, with an area of 12,000 m2, specializes in the manufacture of wiring systems on behalf of the automotive giant, General Motors. Operating with more than 1,000 people, it ensures a daily production of 1,000 harnesses to equip the new Opel Corsa. The manufacture of the fifth generation of this vehicle, presented as a world premiere at the Paris Motor Show on October 4th, will start in Zaragoza in Spain and Eisenach in Germany before the end of the year. "We have signed a commercial contract with General Motors that spans a period of five years. I must specify that the production site we are opening today is the only one to operate under the KSK system, meaning that we produce personalized harnesses for each car," explains Yahya Lahfaia, general manager of the site, to "Le Matin" on the sidelines of the factory inauguration ceremony on October 16th, in the presence of the Minister of Industry, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, and the top management of the Leoni group.

The production unit, named Section GM, is the fifth of the German group in Morocco. It has an installed production capacity of 1,260 harnesses per day. Eventually, it intends to employ a total workforce of no less than 1,800 people. Leoni plans to generate, starting from 2015, an annual turnover of 30 million euros through its new Berrechid site.

The construction of the factory started in 2013 and was completed in mid-2014. "Leoni Morocco is experiencing a significant milestone with the start-up of this new section. Our client, Opel Zaragoza, carried out a process audit at this new site at the end of last June, which was crowned with success," asserts the site's GM.

The audit allowed the factory to obtain the qualification passport according to the GM QSB+ standard with an evaluation of 88%, accompanied by a "Green" rating. According to Lahfaia, the factory is still in the testing phase. It is only from next January that the machine will truly get underway. "It is important to adjust everything before the machine runs at full capacity. Our teams are currently receiving the necessary training to, on the one hand, refine their skills and, on the other hand, familiarize them with the Opel Corsa product," explains the factory boss.

To have qualified labor, the group claims to resort to external recruitment. Generally through Anapec and OFPPT. A caravan is underway throughout the Chaouia-Ouardigha region to meet young people looking for a job. The operation is conducted in partnership with the Anapec and OFPPT networks in the region. "To date, the caravan has traveled through several cities in the region, including Berrechid, Settat, Khouribga, Beni Mellal, and Azilal. The operation marks a new momentum in bringing job seekers in the region closer to our Leoni Bouskoura-Section GM organization," details the top management.

4,290 people to recruit by 2018

Within the company, they swear that training is more than sacred. The proof: the group has its own master-training program in Morocco, Leoni Academy. Its missions: to create apprenticeship training centers (CFA) that aim to recruit and train more than 4,290 people by 2018, the validation of professional experience, the implementation of management training cycles, and individual skills support. To facilitate the realization of CFAs across all production sites, the group signed three partnerships last January with the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training.

The first fruit of these agreements is the Leoni CFA in Bouskoura. The center, 100% operational since last February, is currently training 5 classes of apprentices. In addition to its own training system, the group initialed another partnership agreement last April. This time with the Institute for Training in Automotive Industry Professions (IFMIA). Objectives: to train GM operators on the institute's premises and internal trainers for the Leoni-CFA in Bouskoura. The modules cover several themes: technical, linguistic, professional, and quality fields.

Recall that the German giant has been present in Morocco since 1971. It generates a turnover of 200 million euros there and employs a workforce of more than 6,000 qualified people deployed across its five production sites located on the Casablanca-Bouskoura-Berrechid axis. In Morocco, the group does not just do production. It has an R&D center in Casablanca that employs 54 engineers and technicians. Leoni Morocco is listed as a main supplier for Somaca and Renault-Tangier. Internationally, the group, listed on the German MDAX, employs more than 66,000 people in 32 countries. It has a turnover of 3.9 billion euros in 2013.