In the Zwickau factory of Volkswagen, the conversion from nitro to electric on full speed runs. Thus, from autumn on the ID.3 from the tape rolls, have trained thousands of employees, the production to be turned inside out.
Still a little unsure of Martin Lehmann with his Hand to the air compressor of the ID drive train. The 31-Year-old brave, the vehicle component lifts up, rotates it to the left and to the right – or their virtual Image.
With a VR-glasses on the nose of the Volkswagen employees in a virtual Showroom, which is part of the most comprehensive continuing education program that has brought car makers in the company’s history so far on the way.
A village for the training
Because before the VW plant in Zwickau-Mosel from November 2019 to the first E-Auto-factory in Germany, have to be made around 7700 employees at the Saxon site to fit. The are around 13,000 days of training and more than 300 different modules, which can include, depending on the tasks area for a few hours or up to 24 months for experts.
In a specially-built container village at the plant site, the company wants to inspire its employees for the car of the future. “Knowledge playfully, at the same time to encourage the team spirit and fire kindle for the subject of electric mobility,” says project Manager Katja Neef.
Yet to be built in Zwickau, Passat and Golf. That will change soon, then only E-cars run over the tapes.
Robots for manufacturing
Meanwhile, the renovation is in full swing. Especially in the pressing plant, Assembly and body, almost everything is turned inside out: by mid-2020, to be built in Zwickau, only electric vehicles. The tag during the production Reinhard de Vries describes as “a Change of clothes in the wardrobe”. “Everything is cramped, but it needs to run,” says the Director of technology and logistics at VW Saxony. “We still have a lot to do on the way to the E-factory.”
1500 new robots were purchased, half of it is already in use. In the 85,000 square meters of hall, Two for the body shop, the old production was dismantled here and there is hammered, it will fly sparks from welding. A part of the robot with the big gripper arms is still waiting for the insert – you will just have to reprogram it for a E-all-terrain vehicles.
ID instead of the Golf and the Passat
The first all-electric vehicle, the ID.3, runs automatically through the production, more than 200 test vehicles have been built so far. The first series vehicles roll off the end of 2019 from the Band. “Everything overlaps, that is the challenge,” says body shop Manager Heiko Rösch.
New robots will be installed: VW invests in Zwickau 1.2 billion euros
The tag in the Zwickau plant in the next year is completed, runs a lot automatically. Many parts, such as the Cockpit, were previously installed by Hand in the future, a robot that does the work. At the 60 time 100-Meter-long plant 9 employees in the future, so far there were 25 in a layer.
Volkswagen puts its new models on a kind of modular system for electric cars – the so-called Modular Electrification system (MDBs). On a platform, the technology, including battery – and the body is built. Six ID models and three group brands will in future come from Zwickau, so far, here’s the Golf Variant and the Passat were manufactured. The production runs yet, but piece for piece down.
In Zwickau and Emden, China and the United States
“Zwickau is the nucleus, here’s the start shot,” says de Vries said, referring to the way in E-mobility. He was optimistic: about three weeks Ago, VW has the pre-orders for its promising carrier ID.3 the Internet started, more than 15 000 orders for the first to 30, 000 vehicles limited first Edition have already been received. By 2022, there should be eight locations where the Volkswagen E-cars manufactures in accordance with the modular principle, among others in Emden and Hannover, but also in the U.S. Chattanooga, as well as in China.
The electric future of VW is supposed to look: prototype of the ID.-Series
Build for China
Rainer Pilz VW-ler through and through. Since 1990, he stood at the Band in the Mosel, to the times of the GDR he was still working at the sachsenring. Now the 59 brings-Year-old about to retire, his colleagues, the new electric reality. “I’m just looking for a challenge and take me to the coach training,” he says with a grin. It’ll be fun to explain to his colleagues the new technology. “I speak your language and can pick you up well, even if they are initially skeptical.”
And this skepticism seems entirely justified: Alone in the Assembly, the degree of automation will double from 12 to almost 30 percent more than. That means less staff. These changes absorb – according to the chief of staff Dirk Coeurs no one should lose his Job – will VW bring more cars on the road. Instead, every year, 300 000 vehicles in Zwickau, in the future, 330, 000 and so each and every day 1,500 cars are to roll off the Assembly line.
Sold to be not only in Germany but around the world, especially in China, where the VW group has recently sold 40 percent of its annual production of 10.8 million vehicles. A total of 44 billion euros, the group invested in the next five years in E-mobility, Autonomous Driving and digitization.