VW accepts the challenge and builds its own megafactory. It should be spatially close to the main plant, but the mentality has to be completely different.
VW boss Herbert Diess has announced the construction of a new plant at the Wolfsburg headquarters. Trinity is supposed to “revolutionize automobile manufacturing in Wolfsburg,” said the manager. This should enable shorter production times and more efficient types of cooperation. The benchmark is Tesla, productivity should be significantly improved. A new car should be built in ten hours.
Productivity problems
There are positive sides to the announcement. For example, that the group wants to continue to build vehicles in Germany in the future and that VW will not simply leave its position as an innovative car maker to Tesla and its factories. On the other hand, the announcement throws a telling light on the situation at Volkswagen. It is no secret that the introduction of the modular production lines never brought the desired productivity gain and Volkswagen has high costs when starting new lines.
But this also makes it clear that there is a mentality problem at VW. The company headquarters must change, said the CEO. “And we’re making very good progress there.” A new attitude is necessary, the competition, especially from Tesla, must be actively accepted. To do that, the entire structure must be changed. Not only Tesla is challenging VW, but also the Chinese automakers, even if they are still holding back in Europe. “But of course we have to improve the company. It is also about breaking up structures. Leaving the company in peace would be dangerous for all employees.”
High pressure to innovate
The Trinity project will form the basis for a series of completely redeveloped electric vehicles from 2026 onwards. It’s not just about the “hardware” car, VW also wants to offer its own software and systems for autonomous driving. Trinity is a radical departure from the previous production philosophy. In the past, classic car manufacturers have outsourced more and more subsystems to suppliers. The brand image, the coordination and the final assembly stayed with them – and sometimes not even that.
Tesla, on the other hand, is pursuing an opposite strategy. Central components such as software, batteries and chips are not bought on the market, but manufactured in-house with the appropriate expertise in their own company. Diess confirmed that VW would also get into chip design. It is estimated that the plant will cost at least a few hundred million euros to build. “The new factory is to be built on the green field outside the factory fence,” said Volkswagen. “Various locations in the vicinity of Wolfsburg come into question.” The vehicles built there, including those of the subsidiary brands, are based on the new universal platform SSP. A total of more than 40 million cars are to be built on it.
Authority mentality
Trinity will therefore be much more than “just another factory”; the project will change the way the entire company sees itself. The previous official climate in Wolfsburg has to change fundamentally for this. It is questionable whether international talent will be attracted to Wolfsburg. Or whether highly innovative departments will not be located in more hip cities and not at the location of the plant in the north German lowlands. Trinity is announced as the second Wolfsburg plant; if it is a success, it will be the successor to the old plant. But Diess has made one thing unmistakably clear: VW continues to rely on Germany and Wolfsburg.
Those:
Source From: Stern
I am a 24-year-old writer and journalist who has been working in the news industry for the past two years. I write primarily about market news, so if you’re looking for insights into what’s going on in the stock market or economic indicators, you’ve come to the right place. I also dabble in writing articles on lifestyle trends and pop culture news.
