News – Business & Economi

Out of nowhere, the new plant of Renault Morocco where a minivan will be produced cheaply dubbed "Lodgy", is facing several challenges, starting with the recruitment of local staff in a countries with no real experience of the automobile.

Illuminated only place several miles around nightfall, the site whose inauguration has sparked controversy on Thursday in Paris on the "Made in France" pushed in the hills stripped of the northern tip of Morocco, poor agricultural country without industrial past.

"Here everything is greenfield," says Paul Carvalho, director of the Renault Tanger fabrications, using the term used to designate a project set up from scratch on a greenfield site. "The plant is greenfield, the fabric supplier also, and even people!"

Paul Carvalho is part of the French expatriates on site to accompany the Moroccan teams that will soon turn the chain of the minivan. "The level of education in Morocco is very good, but the country has no technical knowledge of self," he adds.

Most future senior Moroccan crossed the chain still running have never worked before in the area. Everyone is deputy head of his department, under the command of a French he is called to replace.

"Apart from the small factory Somaca Casablanca, Morocco has no automotive history," said Moulay-Youssef Sbai.

The deputy director of the Institute for training in the automotive industry, funded by the Kingdom of Morocco and installed at the entrance of the site Renault-Nissan, knows whereof he speaks He worked over 15 years in IT, but never in the industry.

CARAVAN OF RECRUITING

If all goes well, soon lead Benmbarek Abdelmoula department assembling the first production line of the plant, although the engineer has made a career in the cement and paper. But at age 43, this jovial big guy here realizes a childhood dream. "My first motivation is the car, I am expert on the history of brands of cars," he says. "Once I knew that a car factory would see the day, I made contact."

Nasro Allah, 37, deputy head of department sheet metal, is one of the few to be of the profession. "For me, this is a new experience," adds this former employee of a subcontractor specializing in automotive wiring around Tangier. "Renault is very experienced and offer career opportunities." To prepare for their positions, both have spent six months training in France at the Flins plant (Yvelines).

Nasro is also part of the minority – 30% of plant personnel – recruited in the vicinity of Tangier. To supplement the workforce – 2,500 employees hired to date, 4000 to the end of 6000 and by 2014-2015 – the leadership has had to expand his research to throughout Morocco with a lot of ads or recruitment caravans that traveled the country to Fez, 300 miles away.

The 70% from other areas sometimes struggle to stay on site, and some have even hired waive sit the plant on the first day of their contract.

"It's a bit difficult, we share a home," admits Sufian, 21, who is destined for the paint shop. At his side, Mohammed, 23, and even white suit, was able to move more easily because it has powerful friends in Tangiers.

Just like Soufian and Mohammed, the strength of the Tangier plant is very young, only thirty years. The average age falls even around 20 years for the only operators, called to work on an automated line with very low – low cost requires – after three months of training .

DISCONTENT ON THE CONTROVERSY IN FRANCE

The vast 300 hectare site is brand new. Align the parking lot of Renault and Fiat in emerging special version not found in France, which will not be the case Lodgy, mainly for export, particularly to Europe.

The land of beds that separate the large premises is freshly turned white and in administrative offices, grouped under the mysterious name of "Building X", the blinds are still missing fene ; very. Homman Mokhtar, executive secretary of Renault Morocco, likes to point out that the bays were clogged with a lot of paper. "It is the building that was done last because there were other priorities," said he, smiling. The training institute and the chain went before.

Asked about the controversy that accompanied the opening in France by Renault, 14 kilometers of European coastline, a plant where the net pay starts at 250 euros, Moroccan future managers are uncomfortable. "I have not followed, I can not say," whispers a deputy head of department before disappearing, reprimanded by his superior French.

Sunday again, Francois Hollande, the Socialist candidate for president, said the French government, which controls 15% stake in Renault, should have objected this project.

On site, the concerns are different. The plant is warming up and getting ready to go in time dramatically. Once the final adjustments on the molds and machines made, stored procedures and actions that should be repeated 44 hours per week under control, the site will spend three months in a rhythm almost motionless for 30 vehicles per day to 30 per hour. Next year, a second line will spit out 60 vehicles per hour, one minute.

"The central Paris – Mr. Carlos Ghosn – gives us a fairly large tolerance to boot properly," said Tunç Basegmez, Turkish director of the Tangier plant. "The creation of the brand 'Made in Morocco' passes by."

If U.S. growth may be the envy of Europe, it resulted in an increase in imports and therefore the trade deficit reached $ 558 billion in 2011. Its highest level since 2008.

A moderate recovery is confirmed in the U.S. … and the trade deficit is widening. In December, imports reached their highest level since July 2008, said Friday the Commerce Department. Is a hole of 48.8 billion dollars against 47.1 billion (revised figure) in the previous month. This is more than the expectations of the analysts.

Over the full year 2011, the U.S. has a trade deficit of $ 558 billion, the highest since 2008. This represents 3.7% of gross domestic product. The trade deficit with China represents more than half of that total. At 295.5 billion dollars, it has largely beaten the record set in 2011.  

The overall trade deficit in December was partly explained by a phenomenon that seems to have widened in 2012: while the U.S. economy has maintained a respectable growth rate and thus increased its imports, the economies of the eurozone declined . This has particularly led to the largest monthly deficit ever recorded with Germany ($ 4.8 billion in December).

U.S. imports have generally increased by 1.3% this month, with among other record imports of capital goods. The trade deficit in petroleum products (24.4 billion) still weighed heavily. The average price per barrel of imported crude oil has exceeded $ 104, increasing by 5% within two months.

Legrand said Thursday that 2012 promised to be a lost year in terms of organic growth but would continue its acquisition policy to ensure its development.

The group's operating margin, which reached 20.2% in 2011, also expected to suffer during the year and down 19%.

"In 2012, faced with uncertain macroeconomic expectations, Legrand holds a target organic growth of its turnover close to zero," the group said in a statement.

In 2011 Legrand has posted organic growth rose 6.4%, slightly more than 5% contained in its annual targets.

If noted the current difficult environment in 2012, the infrastructure specialist electrical and digital nevertheless reaffirmed its medium-term objectives. 

Out major economic slowdown and taking into account acquisitions, Legrand targets an average annual growth of 10% of its turnover and adjusted operating margin averaged 20%.

In 2011, net income of Legrand rose 14.4% to 478.6 million and adjusted operating profit of 7.5% to 856.7 million (+7.5 %).

Legrand has also said he would propose a dividend in 2011 of 0.93 euro per share, up 6%.

American investigative journalist Edward Epstein published a survey in which it reveals new details about the case of the Sofitel. He was convinced that Dominique Strauss-Kahn was the victim of a conspiracy. The case was carried from Paris. Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn (by leaving the financial police in Paris September 29, 2011)

The case of the Sofitel New York, which marked the end of the presidential ambitions of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, had a new twist Saturday, reviving questions about the possibility of a trap, already mentioned by close to Former IMF chief.In this investigation, the AFP was able to consult, the American journalist argues that the BlackBerry DSK could have been hacked.

Edward Epstein expressed confidence that "tried to derail" the candidacy of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, but declined to talk about "political conspiracy" created from scratch, in an interview with AFP on Saturday. In an interview on Europe 1 audio, it reaffirms that it is a conspiracy: "It is much like a political issue, but I do not have certainty," said he. "If it's a political issue, it's a matter of French politics. I think it came from Paris. It may come from the UMP, it can come from the secret services, that can even come from someone who s 'interested in the activities of the IMF. "

The UMP denies any involvement

On May 14, Dominique Strauss-Kahn called his wife Anne Sinclair told him that "something bad happened."

After Moody's and Standard and Poor's, the third major rating agency, Fitch said Wednesday that a possible worsening of the crisis in the euro area could threaten the note "triple A" of France.

The return of the French debt to 10 years who had scarcely changed after the publication of this note was then increased to about 3.68% to 16.45, the yield differential with Germany (the "spread") oscillating around 165 basis points. It was over 200 points last week for the first time since the creation of the euro.

"According to Fitch's central scenario, the numbers of French public finances remain consistent with the conservation of its AAA rating," writes the rating agency.

The gross debt of the country in this case could reach the upper limit of the range that Fitch considers consistent with a AAA rating – if this level is temporary and decline thereafter – 90 to 100% of GDP.

"If all of the 158.5 billion euros in France's commitments to the EFSF was disbursed, the gross public debt would reach 98.2% of GDP in 2014, the top of the range compatible with its status as a AAA "Fitch wrote.

"However, based on net debt and if the loans were accounted EFSF (with a discount of 50%) as liquid assets, the debt would peak at just over 80% of GDP in 2014.

International creditors of Greece did not convince the leader of the Conservatives Saturday, Antonis Samaras, engage in writing for the austerity measures required for new aid.

The leader of New Democracy, one of three teams who sit in the national unity government led by Lucas Papademos, reiterated that his word was enough and that a written guarantee was unnecessary.

European leaders are concerned that the parties are reluctant to implement unpopular reforms before the elections on February 19.

Antonis Samaras has already announced that it was an absolute majority at the polls to renegotiate the terms of the European aid plan.Creditors are willing to block eight billion euros needed to Athens to avoid default next month.

Representatives of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also met with former Prime Minister George Papandreou, leader of the Socialist Party (PASOK), which had no comment.

They should also meet Sunday with Georgios Katzaféris, leader of the far-right party Laos, the third member of the coalition.

"THERE WILL BE A SOLUTION"

In an interview with the weekly Sunday Real News, the leader of Laos suggests that it will sign a written undertaking.

"Do we need the money or not? If the answer is no, we do not sign.

Tokyo has purchased 10% of 3 billion euros of bonds that the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) lifted Monday. This is two times less than in the previous issue. The yen is now at its highest level in 15 years against the dollar

Japan purchased 10% of 3 billion euros of bonds to ten years raised Monday by the Relief Fund of the euro area (EFSF), a smaller proportion than the 20% invested in the previous issues, officials said Tuesday at the Ministry of Finance. "We took into account the state of our liquidity in euros, the conditions of issue and the market environment" for deciding the level of Japanese investment, set at 300 million euros this time, said a ministry official.This surge in the yen higher costs of products made in Japan and reduced the value of income from abroad by Japanese exporters group, which ultimately weigh on the recovery of the country recovering from earthquake, tsunami and accident nuclear March 11. The third largest economy is in recession since late 2010 and in particular on exports out of the rut, but the rising yen, combined with slowing global growth could stall restart.

The proceeds of the issue of Monday, the fourth conducted by the EFSF, must be used to finance a portion of the aid to Ireland, which has, like Greece and Portugal, an international aid program. The request was only slightly greater than the amount of three billion euros and the rate stood at 104 basis points above the risk free rate of the same maturity, or 3.59%.

The European Union has increased the pressure on Sunday in Athens Greece quickly establishes a government of national unity and implement the measures included in the second bailout of the country, saying that membership in the euro area was Thurs

"We called for a national unity government, is convinced that it is the convincing way to restore confidence and to honor commitments," he told Reuters Olli Rehn, European Commissioner for Economic and monetary.

With the announcement of a proposed referendum on the bailout plan, since abandoned, Greece had broken the bond of trust that binds to its European partners last week, which called into question his membership in the euro area, he said.

But the country has apparently abandoned the strategy of the edge, Olli Rehn said in a telephone interview.

"There have been efforts to Athens to restore that trust and we need a compelling report on the subject of the finance minister Evangelos Venizelos tomorrow during the Euro."

The 17 finance ministers of the euro area can be found Monday evening in Brussels for a meeting of the Eurogroup.

NEGOTIATIONS TO ATHENS

Olli Rehn was speaking Greek political parties then negotiated fiercely on Sunday a coalition agreement may prove to other countries in the euro zone as Greece is determined to continue on the path of austerity to avoid bankruptcy.

Italy has agreed that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) monitors its progress on economic and structural reforms, said on Friday European source.

The European Commission and the IMF will each report on how Italy is meeting its objectives, particularly with regard to pension reform and labor, the source said.

"Italy has no objection to be monitored, even if the IMF is involved," she said, adding that credit line was not seen as a credible option for the country, lack of confidence markets in its plans for fiscal consolidation.

Unilever issued a sales increase of 7.8% in the third quarter and expects margins stable or declining for the year 2011, experienced strong sales growth in emerging markets.

The manufacturer of soaps and mayonnaise has raised its prices by nearly 6%, while sales in countries such as India, Indonesia and Brazil have helped to offset difficult markets in Europe and the United States .

However, the group warned that its operating margin at constant perimeter and constant exchange rates would be stable or slightly declining over the year 2011 due to higher commodity prices.

On this basis, the Group reported a turnover up 7.8%, a performance better than the consensus of society, which provided an increase of 6.3%, following growth of 4.3% in the first quarter and 7.1% in the second.