Aixam Mega, a French manufacturer of license-free cars and a subsidiary of the American group Polaris, stands as the industry benchmark with a market share of over 52%. For nearly 40 years, it has excelled in the production of personal vehicles (AIXAM range) and ultra-light commercial vehicles (AIXAM PRO range). The company benefits from a dense distribution network, nationally and across Europe: 130 distributors in France and 600 spread across 12 European countries.
In 2023, Aixam Mega produced about 350,000 vehicles in total since its inception. Based in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (France), the manufacturer employs 350 people across three production sites: the headquarters and an assembly unit in Aix-les-Bains, Savoie (73), four other production and assembly lines in Chanas, Isère (38), and a new assembly line in Andancette, Drôme (26). These factories can produce, assemble, and check about 20,000 vehicles each year.
Since its creation, environmental respect has been a major focus for the brand. Faced with rising energy prices, which have impacted the company’s competitiveness and margins, AIXAM-MEGA decided to trust Cleaneo for an energy audit of one of its production sites.
The stakes of this energy audit
Aixam turned towards Cleaneo because they wanted to develop an energy transition strategy to support their reindustrialization plan. Their goal is to double their production capacity within five years while maintaining a responsible and decarbonized production. To achieve this, they sought an in-depth analysis of their machines and the development of KPIs. Energy monitoring of all their energy-consuming installations and the implementation of innovative solutions were also part of the study.
Our intervention took place at the Chanas production site, which covers a total area of 37,000 m². The scope of the audit included all energy consumption related to the use of the building, production processes, and utilities in the workshops, as well as in the adjacent offices.
Following a two-week measurement campaign and exhaustive data collection, Cleaneo’s teams were able to prepare a detailed energy mix analysis, identify energy performance actions, and precisely calculate the investments needed to implement these actions.
The audit was delivered with a detailed report and an oral presentation of the results. This methodical process allowed Aixam Mega to gain a complete overview of its energy consumption, identify savings opportunities, and guide its future actions towards more efficient and sustainable energy management.
Key figures from this collaboration
After three months of auditing, the results unveiled a clear vision of Aixam’s energy situation. The thorough analysis of energy bills, the load curve, and the energy mix enabled us to identify and quantify potential energy savings. The recommendations put forward concrete steps to optimize control of the site’s consumption.
The resulting action plan is presented as a prioritized roadmap, consisting of 19 actions to improve energy performance. These actions, divided by their nature into Behavioral, Technical, and Organizational, aim to significantly reduce the site’s energy consumption. The financial evaluation indicates a return on investment (ROI) of 3.9 years, ensuring profitability by 2028.
The results demonstrate the concrete potential of the proposed approach to modernize the site and position it favorably in a sustainable process.
The following gains will be achieved upon full activation of the action plan.
- Gains in consumption (kWh): 47% (reference year 2023) of which 10.6% of gains were obtained with a return on investment of less than one year.
- Gains on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG): 264 tCO2eq (reference year 2023)
Do you also want to better understand your consumption to implement an energy transition plan? Our teams are at your disposal to discuss your needs and offer you a free quote.
