On Tuesday 15 November 2022, the EDF Group, the Nuclear Industry University (Université des Métiers du Nucléaire), and the trade association of the French nuclear industry, Gifen, have presented the progress status of the excell plan. This year, the excel plan has focused on consolidating the results achieved so far, and on ensuring the continuity of the actions undertaken in order to reach the highest industrial standards.
The excell plan was launched in the spring of 2020 to enable the nuclear sector to return to the highest standards of diligence, quality and excellence, so as to be ready to face the challenges of the operating fleet and future nuclear projects. EDF and Gifen had set out 30 clear commitments from 5 focus areas (governance, standardisation, supplier relationships, manufacture and construction, and skills). 26 of the 30 commitments have been met or have seen their targets exceeded. They are now being applied daily in the field.
This year once again, achievements have been registered in all these focus areas:
- Governance: the management of major projects has played a pivotal role, with exacting standards and results as regards the quality and scope-stability of current projects. It is now interfaced with EPR2 project management.
- Supplier relations: EDF is building a demanding and results-based relationship with its suppliers. EDF’s selection of partners is based less on cost and more on industrial credibility, and shared risks and schedules. 58 manufacturing companies have developed their plans for excellence, resulting in already visible improvements in quality. EDF has brought together a team of people from other industries, to support suppliers on their journey to excellence and in their capacity to deliver the EPR2.
- Collaborative tools: the tools fostering collaborative work (digital mock-up and scheduling) are now being deployed (500 external users by the 4th quarter of 2022). Site engineering is twice as efficient.
- Standardisation and replication: the nuclear equipment standardisation and replication objectives were reinforced by the drawing up of 22 required-use catalogues (compared with 13 in October 2021). The range of existing catalogues has been further reduced: 13,309 referenced valves in 2020, 1,200 in 2021, and 571 at the end of this year. This paves the way for future mass production with improved quality control.
- Skills: one in two employees in the nuclear sector by 2030 is not currently working in the industry. Gifen uses the MATCH programme to identify discipline by discipline the skills requirements over the next 10 years, and the Nuclear Industry University will beef up the regional training actions to ensure sustainably that the right resources are at the right place at the right time. The website: monavenirdanslenucleaire.fr is already offering close to 2,000 training courses.
These 4 highly demanding commitments have been partially met and will be fully achieved in 2023.
The excell plan is now entering a new phase aimed at enduringly embedding its principles in the company. This new phase will greatly benefit EDF and its industrial base, be it for new nuclear projects or the existing nuclear fleet.
Alain Tranzer, General Deputy Head of Industrial Quality and Nuclear Skills, states: “The excell plan’s principles and commitments applied to our projects will put these projects on the right track for success. My objective remains to guarantee their implementation and impact over time”.