VW Wolfsburg plant kicks-off Tayron production with precision and digital innovation

Positive news is always good. And at Volkswagen, the announcement of the successful and planned SOP of the new Tayron should provide particular relief. Because the company currently has enough to worry about due to the unclear future of German plants and thousands of jobs.

It is therefore all too understandable that those responsible for the location, including the new plant manager Uwe Schwartz, are celebrating the start: “Wolfsburg has always served as a role model within our production network - and will live up to this role even in challenging times. Other locations are based on what is happening in Wolfsburg. The successful Tayron SOP has a strong signaling effect,” says Schwartz’s boss, Christian Vollmer, production director at VW.

Schwartz, who has been in office since November, emphasises: “Every vehicle launch is a team effort across the entire production line. With the Tayron, many cogs meshed perfectly: from the press shop to the body shop and paint shop, right through to assembly and vehicle completion.”

Jürgen Mahnkopf, deputy chairman of the general and group works council, hopes that the new SUV will build on the success of its predecessor, the Tiguan Allspace, and make an important contribution to securing jobs.

“The proportion of digitalisation in our development and planning processes is constantly increasing”

- Viktor Kimmel, Launch Manager, Tayron, Volkswagen

It is not surprising that this statement does not come from its boss, Daniela Cavallo, at this time - in times of industrial disputes, words of praise are less in keeping with the employers’ strategy. Nevertheless, Mahnkopf emphasises: “In China, customers are already enthusiastic about the vehicle. And the Tayron will also find many buyers in Europe.”

Tayron follows the Tiguan Allspace

According to Schwartz, the collaboration with the other departments, such as procurement or technical development, also worked smoothly. This was the only way to ensure that the SOP schedule, which was drawn up a long time ago, was adhered to almost to the day.

And this despite the challenge of integrating the Tayron into the processes of assembly line four while the Tiguan was being produced. “Our colleagues can be proud of this achievement,” said the plant manager. In the coming weeks, everything will be done to successfully ramp up Tayron production.

This is how the integration of the Tayron went

“The biggest challenge was integrating the Tayron into the ongoing Tiguan production on assembly line 4,” emphasises Viktor Kimmel, the Tayron’s ramp-up manager. In principle, the production of the Tayron has many parallels to the production of the Tiguan.

Nevertheless, some of the facilities had to be converted and production processes adapted. In order not to affect the production of the Tiguan, most of the necessary conversion work took place on weekends and during the factory holidays. In terms of the production processes used in the Tayron, almost all of them are known from the Tiguan or the Seat Tarraco.

In general, the production of the Tayron - apart from different dimensions and components - hardly differs from the production of the Tiguan in day-to-day business, emphasises Kimmel.

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Digital planning made prototypes unnecessary

“The proportion of digitalisation in our development and planning processes is constantly increasing. For example, the Tayron was largely digitally secured during development, for example with the help of virtual reality or data models,” explains Kimmel.

This has the advantage that - unlike previous vehicle launches - the complex production of prototypes could be dispensed with. The first physical Tayron was therefore a pre-series vehicle. Digital security ensures that the product development process (PEP) is faster and cheaper.

Previous experience with Tiguan and Tarraco helped

The employees on line four have already gained important experience with PHEV models and seven-seaters with the Tiguan and the Seat Tarraco, emphasises Kimmel. In the production of the Tayron, numerous systems are now being used that were previously used for the production of the Tarraco.

“In the past, three different models were built on assembly line four: the Tiguan, Touran and Seat Tarraco. Accordingly, our colleagues are used to a large variety of variants and the associated complexity, for example in logistics,” said the start-up manager.

During pre-series production, VW ensured that every employee gained practical experience in building the Tayron. “In addition, there were several training models in addition to the line, where employees could learn and internalise the necessary steps outside of the cycle,” says Kimmel.

In addition, each team has “multipliers” who know the processes and teach their colleagues the processes and support them in learning. In addition, especially in the early phase, all pre-series are accompanied by experts for the respective vehicle areas, such as the front and rear.

The first vehicle to roll off the production line was a Tayron in Ultra Violet Metallic with a 2.0-liter TDI engine and panoramic roof. In the coming weeks, the exhibition and demonstration vehicles for European Volkswagen dealers will be produced in Wolfsburg.

The Volkswagen brand’s second-largest SUV in Europe after the Touareg will be on display in their showrooms from March; the first vehicles will be delivered to customers shortly thereafter.