Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has laid the foundation stone for a new plant in Wrzesnia, near Poznan, Poland.
The plant will build the next generation Crafter from the second half of 2016. The current Crafter is a variant of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and built under contract by Daimler.
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Signed articles of association sealed in a time capsule were placed together with the foundation stone.
“As a result of this investment, the work force of the Volkswagen Group in Poland will grow to over 16,000 employees in the next few years. This will increase the importance of Poland as an international automobile location,” said Mercedes CV chief Leif Östling during the foundation stone ceremony.
The new plant is 30 miles east of Poznan where VW already has a plant building Caddy vans. The building site covers an area of 220 hectares and first construction work is under way to level and pave the site.
“Today, we produce around 170,000 vehicles with almost 7,000 workers, not only for Poland but for the whole of Europe and beyond,” said Eckhard Scholz, chairman of VW’s CV brand.
“This makes Volkswagen Poznan the second pillar for the brand – after the main assembly plant in Hannover. In future, this pillar will provide more support and therefore the foundation stone is laid today in the literal sense of the word. By a new plant and by a new vehicle,” added Scholz.
The new plant will have annual production capacity of up to 100,000 vehicles.
A modern paint shop will be built as well as halls for body assembly, vehicle assembly and a supplier park with logistics areas.
Up to 3,000 employees will work in the new facility. Volkswagen’s investment will also help automotive suppliers create new jobs. At present, 40% of parts supplied to the Poznan plant are from Polish companies.
Jens Ocksen, chairman of Volkswagen Poznan, stressed the advantages which will result from locating the new plant in the vicinity of the existing plant in Poznan. This applies to production, logistics, and supplier companies, as well as to the recruitment of new skilled workers: “Wrzesnia offers us the best economic, infrastructural and labour market conditions. Building the plant in Bielezyce, near Wrzesnia, is a key element in implementing the strategic and global aims of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand,” said Ocksen.
Volkswagen Poznan has existed for over 20 years. It has built the Caddy city delivery van and the Transporter for the past 10 years for sale worldwide.
