Volkswagen Resumes Production At Wolfsburg With Reduced Capacity

WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - Volkswagen Group (VKW.L, VLKAF.PK, VOW.BE) announced that the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand resumed vehicle production at its Wolfsburg plant starting Monday at 10 to 15 percent of capacity. The company plans to increase production to around 40 percent the following week.

At the plant, the production resumed with the early shift beginning at 6:30 a.m. Initially, Golf production will recommence on a one-shift basis, with reduced capacity and longer cycle times. Around 8,000 employees are returning to the production halls.

The company expects to build around 1,400 vehicles by the end of the first week of production at the Wolfsburg plant.

Further, production of the Volkswagen Tiguan and Touran models as well as the SEAT Tarraco will begin on Wednesday. Production would be ramped up to more than 6,000 vehicles in the following week as multi-shift operation recommences, representing about 40 percent of production prior to the start of the corona pandemic.

Around 2,600 suppliers, the majority of them located in Germany, have resumed production for Volkswagen's main plant. The company noted that under normal operating conditions, these suppliers from 71 countries deliver around 21,000 different parts to the Wolfsburg plant every day in about 2,000 trucks and 100 rail cars. Every day, around 180 double-decker rail cars and some 185 car transporters leave the plant.

Ralf Brandstätter, COO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, said, 'Step-by-step resumption of production is an important signal for the workforce, dealerships, suppliers and the wider economy.'

In Germany, Wolfsburg is the second of the Volkswagen brand's vehicle plants to resume production. Thew company has already recommenced production in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Further, the company has significantly expanded measures to protect the health of the workforce including some 100 health protection measures. Volkswagen has shared this 100-point plan with its more than 40,000 suppliers and logistics partners throughout the world.

Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX