Marc Duquesnoy is data process owner. Since October 2023, he has been in charge of collecting and analyzing production data in the electrical processing department. His missions are little-known, yet essential in the life of a Gigafactory.

What did you do before joining ACC?

I have a very mathematical profile, having done ‘Math Sup Math Spé’, a theoretical degree in mathematics, and a master's degree in applied mathematics. I started with a lot of theory, and gradually specialized in everything that had to do with data analysis, artificial intelligence and statistics.
I spent four years in a laboratory in Amiens, the LRCS. I spent a year as a data engineer and then did a three-year thesis. The laboratory specialized in electrochemistry.
The working group I was in was concerned with analyzing and modeling the battery manufacturing process. My aim was to use data to optimize modeling and manufacturing from an experimental point of view on a very small scale. We were lucky enough to have a prototyping line, which enabled us to obtain modeling and experimental data quite easily.
I had some extra-professional projects that had nothing to do with batteries, when I was on placement. I worked in top-level sport, for the French Olympic BMX team. I worked on the data for the three athletes who reached the podium (at the Paris 2024 Olympics). The aim was to do data analysis to optimize performance. At the time, it was part of the Tokyo 2020 project.
And I was a volunteer for AS Saint-Etienne. I'm a fan of the club. I offered my data services. I knew the physical trainer very well, who was now in charge of the performance unit. I also knew the video analyst at the time, who was my former soccer coach. I'd already done some projects between Master 1 and Master 2, and also at the end of my second year of preparatory classes to do mathematical data projects, with a sports component.

What brought you to ACC?

A number of people from my former laboratory had moved to ACC, and at the time I was already looking to work in industry. I found the project very interesting, since I've always been interested in new environmental and ecological approaches. I found it really interesting to put my data skills to good use. I went through several interviews to become data owner and I arrived in Billy-Berclau on October 2023.
I was quite interested in the tasks involved, because I knew there were big industrial challenges behind it. I'd only had experience in laboratories or research. As I'd done a thesis that revolved around this data, for me it was the next logical step. It's the project that goes without saying.

What are your day-to-day missions?

The data owners work on recovering data from their sectors to meet the various business needs that have been set up. The aim is to create this governance of data, to process it, clean it and ensure that it meets the various needs. This is particularly true for quality, or for production, with daily data on production volumes.
In electrical processing, we analyze a huge number of process variables. I'll take the example of product quality and traceability, which we have to guarantee. We need to be sure we have all this data, and that it's compliant, so we can pass it on to the customer or to the next process. If we look at day-to-day optimization improvements, there are problems to be managed on the production line. We need to be able to supply the data required to meet these problem-solving analysis needs.
We retrieve the data from the machines, and do a lot of checking to make sure it corresponds to the perimeter data policies, and then we store, analyse and transcribe it onto dashboards.
The aim is to make users as autonomous as possible in their analyses.

 

 

How would you assess the progress made since your arrival?

Things are moving very fast. We're lucky to have a huge amount of support, which means we can move quite quickly and provide a huge number of possibilities. We're flexible, so it's relatively easy to set up the various tools and respond to needs. There's always the question of timing, which is complicated by the need to move very quickly.
With everything we've put in place, things are already visible on a daily basis. In the recovery of production figures and quality analysis, we can see that people have autonomy, which shows that what we're doing is relevant. Our aim is to build on this momentum and be able to move to the fullest possible autonomy for users, and to guarantee that everything runs smoothly.

Do you have a hobby or personal passion that helps you in your job?

From a data point of view, I've always enjoyed putting my skills to work on scientific subjects. When it comes to analysing electrochemical performance, I like to challenge myself and listen to the people involved in electrical processing, so that I can respond to their needs as effectively as possible. That's what motivates me every morning: what's the best thing I can do to make sure that the users of electrical treatment are satisfied?
Of course, this requires an easy break from work. To make sure I'm at my best first thing in the morning, I do a lot of work on myself in terms of sport. And I travel a lot, so I'm able to take the resources I need. Now, I do weight training and mountain biking. Even at the end of the day. After work, I don't get home too late, so my partner and I go out for an hour or an hour and a half, and then we're good for the evening, and the next day we're off again for a new day. For me, it's very important because we're in such high demand. We expect a lot from a data person to monitor production, to make sure that all the different trades have the right data to work properly.