The planned expansion of the Volkswagen Poznań plant in Antoninek has begun on the eastern side of Smołdzinowska street. In the framework of the investment a completely new logistic hall will be erected and the bodywork construction hall will be expanded. The facility will be equipped with the latest technological solutions. According to the estimates the entire investment will cost more than 400 million Euro. In the presence of the Management Board and employees of Volkswagen Poznań and representatives of the state and urban institutions the foundation stone was laid down for the construction of the logistics hall.

The expansion of the plant will causes that in 2020 Volkswagen Poznań plant will be prepared for the production of a new vehicle.

- I am really pleased that we can realize our plans and thus prepare the plant for new challenges and market expectations, said Jens Ocksen, President of the Board of Volkswagen Poznań.  -  This expansion also highlights the importance of the Volkswagen Poznań plant within the Volkswagen Company. We can look to the future with optimism.

The investment in Antoninek includes the construction of the brand new logistics hall and the expansion of the bodywork assembly hall, which will equipped with the latest technological solutions. In the framework of the preparatory works the area of 8 ha was cleaned and levelled with the use of 60.000 tons of soil.

- This investment is a very big challenge for us. We have an enormous work ahead, not only in connection with the plant reconstruction, but also with the training of employees. We have already started raising the qualifications of the staff, taking into account the future technological changes - said Dietmar Mnich, Manager of the plant in Antoninek.

 - New investments are always represented by trust of the Company and they emphasize the reliability of workers of Volkswagen Poznań. For me, as the representative of workers, it is a primarily a guarantee of certain and good workplaces and this is of particular importance in the times of dynamic changes in the automotive market. The development of the Volkswagen plant in Poznań shows that we are already preparing ourselves for the change - said Piotr Olbryś, head of the Company NSZZ Solidarity.

The new logistics hall will have 60.000 m2 for the new production and inventory.After completion and acceptance of the communication layout in Zieliniec, in Autumns the Smołdzinowska street will be an internal Company street. Finally the plots will be combined and their potential and resources optimally used.

The first deliveries of parts in the new logistics hall will take place in March 2019. Each day 140 lorries will arrive there, i.e. almost 6 vehicles per hour. With the latest logistical solutions the heavy vehicle traffic will be reduced when compared with today's status.