Group PSA has announced that it will produce large vans at its Gliwice vehicle manufacturing plant in Poland by the end of 2021 due to LCV capacity constraints elsewhere in its manufacturing network.
PSA says the SevelSud plant (FCA/PSA joint venture located in Val di Sangro, Italy) has exceeded its manufacturing capacities over the last three years with the production of the Peugeot Boxer, Citroën Jumper and Fiat Ducato large vans.
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The company also maintains that the transition of the Opel and Vauxhall brands to the shared large vans platform will require additional production capacities. Groupe PSA has therefore decided to extend its presence in Gliwice in Poland to fully utilise its competitiveness.
The former GM Europe (Opel) plant will be transformed to accommodate light commercial vehicles and adapted to the specific platform dedicated to large vans. The investment aims at ensuring the plant’s production capacity of up to 100,000 large vans per year, PSA says.
The Gliwice plant also makes the Astra passenger car – also made at Ellesmere Port in the UK. In a statement sent to just-auto regarding future Astra investment, PSA said: ‘Ellesmere Port and Gliwice will continue to produce the Astra model. No decision about the allocation of the future Astra has been taken. We continue to discuss and work with all partners to improve the competitiveness of our plants.’
PSA says the increase in manufacturing capacities in the large vans segment for the Peugeot, Citroën, Opel and Vauxhall brands will enable Groupe PSA to ‘better supply customers by the end of 2021 and will provide manufacturing visibility for more than a decade in Gliwice’.
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By GlobalData“This good news for Gliwice is a clear demonstration that our Excellent Plant Program is being executed across all European countries with synergies and efficiency. The industrial performance will be a key enabler to serve our ambitions in the commercial vehicle market, guaranteeing our customers the best offer in this segment for all our brands,” said Yann Vincent, Executive Vice-President, Manufacturing & Supply Chain.
“Welcoming the production of large vans is a major milestone for the future of the Gliwice location and also a big challenge to achieve the highest levels of efficiency and quality for the satisfaction of business customers. We will demonstrate in the years to come our agility to adapt our processes to the production of this type of vehicle and confirm the confidence placed in us,” said Andrzej Korpak, who manages the Gliwice Groupe PSA plant.
