Challenges

To harness the value of Renault’s historical collections, a remarkable 3 kilometres of archives first had to be inventoried.  The treasure trove was then digitised for entry into an internal Heritage Library to promote employee engagement, provide access to visiting researchers, and facilitate historical research aimed at marketing and communication. Renault recognises the importance of making its brand heritage accessible.

A 3-year inventory project

From 2018 to 2020, the Arkhênum team created an inventory of Renault’s 3 kilometres of historical archives. Two full-time archive historians were allocated to this major project, located at the brand’s Plessis-Robinson site. In tandem, we began to digitise the archives and helped implement an internal Digital Asset Management (DAM) tool, called the Heritage Library.

Outreach and visiting researchers

Our archivist leads employees on guided tours of the archives and fields the steady stream of internal requests from departments looking for inspiration, including the design office, the drafting department, marketing, and communications, and more. Additionally, we assist researchers who want to access the Renault collections, creating curated dossiers for each hosted visit.

Active use of the archive collections since 2021

Museographic support for European Heritage days

In honour of European Heritage days, the Arkhênum team created a tour to guide visitors around Renault’s historic Boulogne-Billancourt site. This included writing the commentary, creating a tour booklet with itineraries for adults and children, and hosting weekend group activities led by our guide and speaker.