Germany - Volkswagen is implementing a number of various strategies to enhance its global production network by 30%
Germany - Volkswagen has revealed plans to increase the productivity of its global production network by 30% between 2019 and 2025. The company hopes to build on the success of its ’Transform.Together’ production strategy that was launched in 2018.
“The figures demonstrate that our strategy is working,” commented Andreas Tostmann, board member for production and logistics at VW. “In 2019, our productivity will have improved by more than 6%. And for the first time since 2013, we lowered the costs per vehicle in production. The workforce did an extraordinary great job here and I thank them very much for their achievements. We have demonstrated team spirit, and with our new models we managed strong and smooth starts of production. With great competence, our colleagues consistently contribute to increasing production efficiency and productivity. We will continue along our chosen path. Especially in a time of global economic uncertainties, we are well advised to make ourselves crisis-proof. To do what is in our hands so we are prepared for what is not in our hands.”
One of the changes that will be made is to ensure that all production facilities around the world adhere to common production standards, with centralised processes being transferred to other plants. Among these processes is a standardised automated surface inspection in the paint shop, for example, as well as certain bodywork press tools and modular containers.
Furthermore, the OEM is planning to standardise IT systems of individual plants by using the digital production platform it has developed in partnership with Amazon Web Services and Siemens. This will have a variety of benefits, such as the ability to uniformerly control maintenance requirements of production machinery.
As well as increasing productivity and efficiency of its plants, VW has also been focusing its efforts on the production of electrified vehicles. It has recently started trialling manufacturing technologies to make lithium-ion batteries at its Salzgitter plant in Germany, and has also started final preparations at its Zwickhau plant ahead of the production of its ID.3 electric vehicle.
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