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• Volkswagen officially opens its Transparent Factory in Dresden
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• Change at the Top of BMW
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• Rudy Schlais To Retire From General Motors, Fritz Henderson To Lead GM Asia Pacific
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• Toyota Opens New Financial Services Center In Chandler, Arizona
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• Ford Issues Report On Ford-Werke Under The Nazi Regime
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• Dodge Viper Owners First in Line for New 2003 Model
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• Porsche's growth continues
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• BMW 02 Series - a cult car turns 35
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• Opel Using Fastest Computers In Car Industry
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• Toyota appoints Carisma Advertising as its ad agency for Mexico
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News of  December 12, 2001

Volkswagen officially opens its Transparent Factory in Dresden

Photo: VW

Volkswagen's Transparent Factory in Dresden was inaugurated on Tuesday at an official ceremony. This also marked the start of production of the new Volkswagen luxury-class saloon that is to be launched next spring.

The official inauguration of the factory was performed by Chancellor Schröder, Prime Minister Biedenkopf, Dr. Ferdinand Piëch, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, and Dr. Folker Weissgerber, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG.

Dr. Piëch's speech made reference to the tradition of car manufacturing in Saxony, which dates back well over 100 years. "History is being made here today with the opening of the Transparent Factory,” commented Dr. Piëch. Our customers and guests will be able to see and experience detailed craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology here. The Volkswagen brand will thus add a new dimension to the emotional connection to a completely new product market segment in the luxury car class. Our activities will focus on the endeavour to honour a no-compromise quality pledge.”

In his introductory welcoming speech, Dr. Folker Weissgerber examined the idea behind building a luxury-class vehicle. This decision brought about a considerable challenge for product developers and production experts alike. As Dr. Weissgerber explained: "Such a high-tech product can't simply be built using classic car manufacturing techniques. Precision craftsmanship is required. Furthermore, by making processes visible we wanted to present the fascination of technology as a "staging” of production and, of course, as an attraction for customers and visitors.” Exactly 868 days have passed since the foundation stone was laid in July 1999, a total of €187 million has been invested.

With its Transparent Factory, Volkswagen has become the first manufacturer to implement a production concept that combines the processes of classic industrial-scale automotive production with manual craft tasks. Another unique aspect of this factory is the fact that production can be followed live by the customer. The idea of the Transparent Factory was transformed into a building by Gunter Henn, the group of architects responsible for building the Autostadt in Wolfsburg.

The new luxury-class Volkswagen will be built behind 27,500 square metres of glazed facades in a production area covering 55,000 square metres. The glazed areas and 24,000 square metres of parquetry create a light atmosphere which reflects the innovative underlying philosophy of manufacture by meticulously executed assembly processes, in many cases by hand, as a complement to industrial production processes.

Production in the Transparent Factory will take place on several levels. The "slat belt” is at the heart of the new production line. All that it has in common with conventional conveyors is its phased movement according to assembly stage. The surface of the slat belt itself consists of 29 individual elements that are also fully lined with parquetry and carry the vehicles to be assembled. Other features include an induction power supply and a new indirect lighting concept. All parts required for the assembly process accompany the corresponding vehicle in a "components basket”.

Volkswagen has likewise adopted a new approach in the form of the Event Area integrated into the factory. High tech is used here to help visitors and customers find out more about Volkswagen, its luxury-class models and individual mobility in general. Customers coming to Dresden to collect their new car will receive VIP treatment in a separate section of this area.

Along with the construction of this factory close to the city centre, a new logistics system has been created. Specially developed tram cars (CarGoTram) provide an environmentally and traffic-friendly shuttle service using the city's municipal tram network, carrying prefabricated parts from the Logistics Centre outside the city to the Transparent Factory.

The outdoor facilities, covering an area of some 50,000 square metres, fit in perfectly with the urban setting; around €6 million were spent on the factory's surroundings at Strassburger Platz, about 100 metres away from the Botanical Gardens. The factory's landmark is a glass tower, almost 40 metres high and visible from some considerable distance, in which the finished vehicles are stored ready for collection.

(December 11, 2001)

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