A majority of European car manufacturers have resumed production with the relaxation in the Coronavirus lockdown rules. Volkswagen is one of them and it is celebrating the reopening of its biggest plant, in Wolfsburg, Germany, by projecting a cartoon of a Volkswagen logo squashing Coronaviruses.
The facilities in Europe have reportedly changed work patterns, to incorporate more rigorous hygiene and cleaning intervals as well as more generous spacing between workers. Speaking on the occasion, Bernd Osterloh, Volkswagen works council chief said, “The German auto industry is back. We at Volkswagen have used the five-week pause to prepare ourselves for restarting production.”
Starting today, BMW has also gradually started its engine manufacturing units. Depending on the market demand, the company wants to reopen its British plant in Goodwood and its Spartanburg, South Carolina facility on 4 May, followed by Dingolfing, Germany and San Luis Potosi in Mexico on 11 May. Other plants in Leipzig, Regensburg, and Rosslyn South Africa will be opened after 18 May, starting with a one-shift system. The workers are required to wear masks and maintain social distancing. The seating order on BMW factory buses has also been changed, as has the process for entering and exiting the bus. BMW further adds that the workers need to come to the plant wearing their factory clothes, to avoid time spent in changing rooms, and the designated pathways in the plant have been altered to ensure there is ‘one-way’ traffic only.
The Mercedes-Benz facilities in Sindelfingen and Bremen are also reportedly making preparations to ramp up the production. Unlike Italy and Spain, Germany never banned car production, though factories came to a standstill after authorities restricted the movement of people and ordered the closure of car dealerships, hitting demand.
FiatChrysler has opened its Sevel plant in central Italy and plans to resume production at a rate between 70 per cent – 80 per cent. In France, Toyota recently restarted an assembly plant in Valenciennes, while Renault began producing engines at its factory in Cleon, west of Paris. It will be followed by Renault's Flins plant, west of Paris, where only 25 per cent of the workforce is due to resume work.
Volvo Cars has recently reopened its Torslanda factory after overhauling its production processes. Speaking to media, Hakan Samuelsson, Volvo cars Chief Executive, said, “The economy has come to a halt in Europe. A vaccine will take a long time. It is important to restart in a safe way. Hopefully we can contribute to a normalization.”
