Kénitra, Morocco is becoming an increasingly vital link in the European automotive supply chain, as evidenced by Saint-Gobain’s important consolidation of its Sekurit division’s operations there. The French multinational is centralizing post-manufacturing processes – including advanced component integration – at the Moroccan facility, serving major automakers like Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. This strategic move highlights both Morocco’s growing role in the automotive industry and a broader trend of nearshoring within Europe’s manufacturing sector.
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Saint-Gobain, the French multinational corporation, has significantly consolidated its European automotive glass operations at a facility in Kénitra, Morocco. The move, executed through its Saint-Gobain Sekurit division, centralizes key post-manufacturing processes for major automakers including Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. This strategic shift underscores Morocco’s growing importance as a key manufacturing hub for the automotive industry.
The Kénitra site now handles a comprehensive range of operations, including dimensional control, optical refinement, technical printing, and the integration of electronic components into automotive glass. This encompasses processing windshields, side windows, and rear windows, including those equipped with antennas and embedded electronic modules. According to European union sources, “vitrages comprenant des antennes et des systèmes électroniques sont désormais traités à Kénitra avant leur expédition vers les chaînes d’assemblage européennes,” meaning glass incorporating antennas and electronic systems are now processed in Kénitra before shipment to European assembly lines.
The relocation to Morocco has resulted in a marked concentration of production flows at the Kénitra facility. Sources indicate that approximately 85% of post-manufacturing work related to certain Mercedes-Benz programs, notably the Vito model, and Volkswagen production destined for Portugal, has been redirected to the Moroccan site. “Près de 85 % des flux de retravail liés à certains programmes de Mercedes, notamment la Vito, et à des productions Volkswagen destinées au Portugal ont été redirigés vers Kénitra,” they stated, describing a significant geographic refocusing of operations.
This centralization positions the Kénitra site as a critical component within Saint-Gobain Sekurit’s organizational structure, aggregating final operations for refinement, inspection, and re-qualification of glass products before delivery to European automakers. “les retravaux de vitrage pour plusieurs fabricants ont été redirigés vers la plate-forme de Kénitra, devenue le centre de référence pour ces opérations à l’échelle du groupe,” according to union representatives, solidifying the complex’s role as a technical hub for the French group’s industrial network.
