Plant expansion

The month of May saw the commencement of works on the planned expansion of the Volkswagen Poznań plant in Antoninek in the eastern section from Smołdzinowska street. The project comprises the construction of a welding shop with logistics facilities. The entire plant will be equipped with advanced technological solutions. Investments involved in the expansion of the plant will be worth a total of EUR 400 million over the coming years. The cornerstone for the project was laid on 24 May in the presence of the Management Board and employees of Volkswagen Poznań as well as representatives of local government and authorities.

Thanks to the expansion the Volkswagen Poznań factory will be ready for the production of successive vehicle generations in 2020. – I am very happy that we are able to implement our plans and prepare the factory for facing new challenges and market opportunities. – said Jens Ocksen, President of the Management Board at Volkswagen Poznań, during the ceremony. – The expansion also underlines the importance of Volkswagen Poznań plants for the Volkswagen corporation. We can now look to the future with hope. The expansion project implemented in Antoninek involves the construction of a new welding shop with logistics facilities equipped with the latest technological solutions. Preparatory works comprised the clearing and levelling of an 8-hectare area, and the delivery of 60,000 tons of earth to the site. – A project of such scope is a huge challenge for us. There is a lot of work ahead, related not only to the conversion of the plant, but also employee training. We are already working on improving the qualifications of our workforce for the upcoming technological changes. – said Dietmar Mnich, Director of Volkswagen Factory in Antoninek. – New investments are a show of confidence in us and the best proof that the employees of Volkswagen Poznań can be trusted. For me, as a representative of workers, the project is mainly a guarantee of good and stable jobs. This is particularly important during the period of rapid changes on the automotive market. The development of the Volkswagen factory in Poznań shows that we are already anticipating future changes today. – states Piotr Olbryś, head of the plant’s Solidarity trade union. The plant will grow by a total of approximately 60,000 square metres of new production and storage facilities. In the autumn, when the new road layout in Zieliniec is completed and formally accepted, Smołdzinowska street will become one of the plant’s internal roads. This will enable the consolidation of areas belonging to the company and optimize the utilization of the potential and resources of Volkswagen Poznań. The first parts will be delivered to the new logistics shop in March 2019. Every day, it will receive 140 trucks, at a frequency of nearly 6 vehicles per hour. Thanks to the use of cutting-edge logistics solutions, the level of truck traffic will decrease compared to the current figures.