05.11.2025
Orano NPS renews its confidence in Equans for the 4.0 maintenance of its new nuclear packaging plant
Inaugurated in Cherbourg in 2024, the TN Eagle Factory marks a key stage in the modernization of the French nuclear industry. The first of its kind in nuclear packaging worldwide, it combines robotization, automation and digitalization to an unprecedented degree, making it a technological showcase for Industry 4.0. This ultra-connected production model calls for multi-technical maintenance to match: Orano has entrusted Ineo Nucléaire, an Equans France entity, with the site's multi-technical and predictive maintenance, a 5-year contract made official this Wednesday, November 5, at the WNE World Nuclear Exhibition, as part of the plant's ramp-up.
A concentrate of innovations for industrial performance
The result of several years of design and co-innovation, the TN Eagle Factory has enabled Orano NPS to completely rethink its manufacturing processes. The production cycle for a nuclear package is now divided by three, from 36 to 12 months, thanks to a modular design and a high level of robotic integration. Automated production lines - including insertion, painting and siliconizing robots - and the assembly of complete parts, limiting the need for welds, contribute to enhancing safety while speeding up production.
Since its inauguration, the plant has continued to ramp up, with the aim of producing up to 30 packages a year. The signing of the contract between Orano NPS and Equans is part of this dynamic: to consolidate industrial performance and guarantee the availability of this strategic production tool.
“ The TN Eagle plant has now reached a decisive phase in its ramp-up. This partnership with Equans will enable us to secure our production capacities for the long term, and make our processes more reliable to support the plant's ramp-up ”
Maintenance enhanced by digital technology and human expertise
As part of Equans France, Ineo Nucléaire provides multi-technical and predictive maintenance for all the industrial processes at the Cherbourg site - 16 critical processes in all. The teams, which have been active since the summer, are gradually ramping up to full capacity by the end of the year. They mobilize 8 complementary areas of expertise: electricity, automation, control, robotics, video, mechanics, hydraulics and supervision. To respond to the complexity of such an ecosystem, Ineo Nucléaire has created a new profile: the TN Eagle technician, capable of intervening across the entire value chain. Trained to master the most advanced technologies, this new-generation technician embodies the E.A.G.L.E approach (Expertise, Continuous Improvement, Guaranteed Availability, Leadership, Commitment & Excellence), making maintenance 4.0 a performance and safety lever for tomorrow's nuclear power.
Measurable performance commitments
The challenge is clear: guarantee the plant's robustness and availability to support Orano NPS as it gradually increases its production rate. To this end, Ineo Nucléaire has committed to concrete availability and performance targets. The key to success being responsiveness, Equans France's intervention teams are on site in less than 30 minutes when needed. Thanks to the contribution of the Group's digital expertise via Equans Digital, software, robotics and supervision systems are optimized to ensure maximum continuity of operation. This integrated approach combines robustness, continuity of operation and productivity gains.
“ We are proud and delighted to be supporting Orano NPS and its new 4.0 industrial tool, a veritable showcase for the nuclear power of the future. Adapting maintenance to this level of automation and digitalization means entering the realm of predictive and augmented maintenance. Our teams are committed to meeting this major technological challenge, in the service of a competitive and sustainable French industry ”
About Orano
As a leading international operator of nuclear materials, Orano provides solutions to current and future challenges in energy and healthcare. Its expertise and mastery of cutting-edge technologies enable Orano to offer its customers high value-added products and services across the entire fuel cycle. Thanks to their skills, their high standards of safety and security, and their constant quest for innovation, all the group's 18,000 employees are committed to developing expertise in the transformation and control of nuclear materials, for the benefit of the climate, health and a resource-efficient world, today and tomorrow.
