A pillar among pillars in the creation of the ACC Gigafactory in Billy-Berclau Douvrin, Pedro Garcia played an important role in the creation of France's first battery Gigafactory. This pioneer is now retiring.

Pedro worked with others to draw up the plans for the building and the process for the very first battery Gigafactory in France.

This is a remarkable achievement that crowns an exceptional career that began just a few metres away. ‘I started at Française de Mécanique as a maintenance engineer. I did that for eight years and was then assigned to research and development for various projects.’ Thus begins a chapter dedicated to the installation of industrial machinery, sometimes in new buildings.

These assignments for the PSA Group took him all over France... and around the world. "My exact job was installation mechanic. Mechanic because I was the link between each process, whether it was a gantry, a robot or mechanisation. I installed and created calls for tenders to suppliers to industrialise the mechanics. ‘

In 1998, a new stage began: Pedro resumed his studies. He obtained a technical baccalaureate with honours as an independent candidate and a DUT (university technical diploma) in twelve months. ’I had my professional experience validated and completed a whole course, then I returned to PSA and resumed my job. Then I was promoted and climbed the ladder."

He eventually joined the ACC project at the end of 2020, a few months after the company was founded. "I joined ACC because a large part of the team came from PSA, including people I knew, such as Etienne Grosjean, with whom I had already worked. He was looking for a layout engineer, someone who designs the building and the process, including the machines. Etienne asked me if I could come. I joined ACC in November 2020.‘’

Pedro laid the groundwork for the Gigafactory from the PSA plant in Douvrin, as all the other ACC infrastructure had not yet been built. He therefore designed the plant and the process layout. "It's an incredible opportunity to end my career on a project like this. We started with a blank page and built the factory. It's the ultimate achievement. We built it from the ground up. It's a source of great pride to see it and to see it start production. It's been four intense years. There weren't many of us, and we didn't know the process. They had to learn very quickly while adapting to the pace of supplier relations, technical challenges and unforeseen events. ‘Not a day went by without a twist,’ recalls Pedro Garcia.

The project itself has evolved considerably over time. Pedro has been at the helm in adapting the plant and its processes to ACC's revised ambitions in terms of production capacity.

This titanic effort has been recognised with a flood of tributes. Hervé Lippens, masterplan manager, highlighted Pedro's exemplary work. In his view, ‘his concern for the common good, his consistency, from the layout to the painting of the hall and many other areas. Calm, serious, high quality. That's Pedro. I sincerely believe that ACC owes you a debt of gratitude. You are a pillar of the project. You have immeasurable knowledge of BBD1 and BBD2.’

Eric Brochard, director of the Gigafactory, praised other qualities: ‘I appreciated your dynamism, your commitment, your joie de vivre, your suggestions. You are the kind of employee we are looking for: committed, happy, thriving in the environment.’ Eric Brochard added: "I invite you to come back in six months, when we'll be producing 100,000 modules per month. It's interesting to be part of this success because you've been instrumental in achieving it through all the work you've done. In six months, we'll meet again here and visit this magnificent factory together to see the results of your contribution, which will mark its success and full ramp-up. "

Pedro will devote his new life to his wife, travelling and perhaps restoring a family home in Spain.