Competitiveness

Orano's Performance Plan for 2015-2017 will have enabled recurring cost savings of around €480 million per year (€500 million over a full year), as at end-2017.

This plan accompanied a period of major restructuring in the Group, both in its organisation and in its external purchasing policy.

"Value 2020": generate positive cash flow from as early as 2018

For the period 2018 - 2020, the new Value 2020 programme aims both to perpetuate the Group's savings culture and deploy new working methods, in particular based on digital tools. They will enable greater efficienc y in operations and the creation of new added value for customers. "Value 2020" is aimed at achieving €250 million in recurring gains on Orano's net cash flow by 2020 and generating positive cash flow, from as early as 2018.

The major thrusts:

• high performance in the industrial and service activities, the implementation of work methods and tools to improve safety, quality and productivity, and increased efficiency in investments and end-of-cycle operations;
• continued implementation of industry tools 4.0, particularly in the area of data mining. It is expected to enable Orano to improve the operation of its industrial sites and offer its customers services with greater added value, whether in engineering or decommissioning services;
• as well as run industrial projects, investments or end-of-cycle operations through project management and monitoring tools and the reduction of unit costs.

Conversion : Comurhex II

With the only upgraded industrial conversion facilities in the world, operating at the highest safety standards and equipped with latest technological innovations, Orano can guarantee its clients supply for the long-term. Its new facilities help reduce the environmental footprint on the use of chemical reagents as well as on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Between 2004 and 2018, Orano will have reduced the GHG emissions resulting from its conversion activities by 85%.

This technological feat stems from the COMURHEX II program and Orano's desire to invest massively since 2006 to make its conversion platforms true global references. The new facilities at the Malvési site have been fully operational since June 2016 and the construction of a new plant at the Tricastin site will come on stream at the end of 2018.

Enrichment: Georges Besse II

Recognised as Europe's leading enrichment complex, Georges Besse II reached its full production capacity in late- 2016, with 7.5 million UTS*. Its support workshop facility, known as RECII, which makes it possible to receive and control materials and packaging at the beginning and end of the process, completed its ramp-up in mid-2017.

The industrial facility operated by Orano is equipped with the latest- generation centrifuges in service in the world. Its flexible module-based operation principle means that it can enrich 14 different uranium grades simultaneously with high measurement accuracy. Georges Besse II is accredited to enrich natural uranium, reprocessed uranium and depleted uranium.

With its breakthrough technologies, Georges Besse II meets the highest safety standards (reinforced seismic resistance, material confinement, etc.), coupled with exceptional industrial performance and a reduced environmental footprint. Centrifugation technology reduces energy consumption by 98% and water consumption by 100%.

* Separative Work Unit

MOX fuel: Orano Melox

Located in Marcoule (France), Orano Melox is the world's reference plant in the manufacture of recycled nuclear fuels, MOX^*, a mixture of depleted uranium powder and plutonium powder. Orano has developed solutions that make it possible to recycle 96% of spent nuclear fuel. This new industrial facility, which required an investment of nearly EUR 30 million, strengthens and secures its production and delivery capacity for French and foreign customers.

^*Mixed Oxyde fuel

Recycling spent fuels: La Hague

The world's leading industrial spent fuel recycling platform, the La Hague site is renowned for the outstanding performance of its facilities, from cooling pools to the storage capacity for vitrified waste.

An optimized industrial set-up and high-performance flows

Operational excellence, by focusing on improving the Company's flows, enables Orano to become increasingly competitive, as flow management focuses on:

• client demand and taking into account the means to meet this demand;
• physical locations placed to be as close as possible to clients;
• planning to optimise the response according to client demand and possible urgency;
• real steering capacities to respond quickly to problems encountered;
• waste disposal, the cost of which is reflected in the price.

Model zones

Set on a specific geographical and activity perimeter, a model zone aims to apply the principles of the Excellence System comprehensively and at the right level, with the support of dedicated teams. This zone, in which a maximum of a hundred employees work, is designed to significantly increase the selected KPI outcome in terms of safety, quality, cost and deadlines, by applying the foundational tools of operational excellence.

The model zone demonstrates that the complete and stringent application of operational excellence standards leads to concrete results. A true showcase of excellence, it offers entities the chance to share their best practices.

At Orano, performance has taken the form of a managerial and cultural revolution, serving competitiveness and customer satisfaction.

Managerial transformation

Managers provide support as the performance culture is deployed, with a very clear roadmap: being on the ground, working alongside their teams, focusing on listening to meeting client needs, developing a problem-solving culture, ensuring standards are enforced and identifying sources of waste...

The organisation at Orano has been considerably simplified with short decision-making channels based on Business Units managed as profit centres and focused on business issues. It contributes, with digital transformation, to serving agility and performance.

Stakeholders such as suppliers or customers are involved in the Group's performance gains.

Cultural transformation

Around the spirit of continuous improvement, Orano encourages initiative-taking and bringing out ideas, and encourages change and flexibility, autonomy and upskilling. The Group is rolling out these changes, all the while remaining unbending on quality, nuclear safety, compliance with standards and procedures. They open up a whole new range of prospects for Orano around cohesion and team spirit.