Volkswagen Pilots New Production Process In Wolfsburg
Credit: Volkswagen
May 4, 202610 minutes
Steve Hanley
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Volkswagen Group aims to significantly boost its competitiveness in electromobility by transitioning to a completely new and highly innovative production process at its factory in Wolfsburg. Internally, the new process is code named Gamechanger, according to Automobilwoche, which says it will allow Volkswagen to become faster and more efficient at manufacturing vehicles at its main factory in Wolfsburg.
The EV revolution has sorely tested Volkswagen — one of Germany’s largest industrial companies — as it has sought to find its way to profitability building electric cars. In recent months, senior management has been concentrating on finding ways to restructure its European production network, cut excess capacity, and reduce manufacturing costs. A key concern is reducing overcapacity. At the same time, the company is preparing to introduce its new SSP electric platform and relocate Golf production to Mexico.
Gamechanger
Automobilwoche says the Gamechanger production process will allow the company to significantly reduce costs and make manufacturing more efficient, with the objective of making it possible for the company to produce more affordable electric cars in Germany while doing so profitably. While the project is still being developed behind the scenes, many employees are already working on it, according to sources within Volkswagen Group.
The exact scale of the project and the extent of the changes remain unclear, however. “The investment is gigantic. That’s why we are still considering how deep the project should go,” an insider told Automobilwoche. “Gamechanger will happen. Only the extent is still unclear.”
How much Volkswagen plans to invest in the new process has not yet been determined. Since the project targets the Wolfsburg headquarters, management is handling it at board level. Christian Vollmer is reportedly driving the Gamechanger initiative within the executive board, while CFO Arno Antlitz is keeping a close eye on costs. Negotiations at the highest level will determine how comprehensive and effective Gamechanger will eventually become.
Megacasting & Unboxed
Details about the new production process are not public knowledge yet, although there is plenty of buzz within the company. Automobilwoche says it is widely expected that production methods such as large-scale casting will be included. Also known as megacasting, this process allows large sections of the car body to be assembled from just a few large cast parts, rather than the many individual components previously fitted together. Tesla is regarded as the pioneer of this approach in the automotive industry, but many manufacturers have since adopted similar production techniques. A prime example is Volvo, which has adopted megacasting for the production of the new EX60.
The process created by Tesla is known as “unboxed” manufacturing and it goes like this: In a traditional factory, the first task is to build the body of a vehicle from a collection of metal stampings. After that is done, what you wind up with is a box and that’s when all the bits and pieces that turn it into an automobile are added.
Slipping a dashboard in through a door opening can be done — in fact there are robots designed specifically to perform that task. But wouldn’t it be easier to fit the dashboard, with all the controls, air vents, touchscreens, and wiring attached, to a front sub-assembly before it gets mated to the rest of the car? That’s the idea behind “unboxed” manufacturing in a nutshell.
The problem with assembly lines is, if things go awry at one location — there are no seats to install when needed, for example — the entire line stops. Think of it like an army crossing a river on a bridge that is only wide enough to allow people to walk across it in single file. If one solder breaks a leg on the way across, the entire procession grinds to a halt. In the “unboxed’ model, there are several bridges across the river and the various streams of soldiers assemble themselves into a functioning fighting force on the other side.
Not A Tesla App says, “This new method is a manufacturing revolution that builds a car more like a LEGO set than a traditional vehicle. The Unboxed Method is a radical, high-level concept that is getting closer to reality. It aims to reduce factory footprints and production costs in half, while speeding up manufacturing to blistering speeds.”
SSP Platform
Regular readers know Volkswagen Group has wanted to introduce a new platform for its electric vehicles for some time. Known as SSP, it will replace the MEB+ platform that itself is derived from the original MEB electric car platform developed for the first EV from Volkswagen, the ID.3. SSP was supposed to be here two years ago, but has been delayed multiple times. The target time now is 2027, but most industry observers think 2028 is more realistic.
The irony here is that SSP was the brainchild of Herbert Diess, the former CEO of Volkswagen Group, who got tossed overboard in part because he was such a big fan of Elon Musk, which rankled lots of people on the Volkswagen board. And yet, here we are nearly two years later and Volkswagen is on the cusp of adopting a new manufacturing process that will combine the high-pressure castings and unboxed manufacturing pioneered by Tesla. Maybe Diess actually knew what he was talking about?
His biggest sin was that he was not a homegrown Volkswagen guy, but an interloper brought in from BMW! In Detroit, “not invented here” has prevented many US automakers from adopting new ideas that germinated outside the company, and it is possible that something similar led to Diess’ downfall.
The Electric Golf
According to industry sources, the Wolfsburg factory is expected to produce an electric Golf and an SUV counterpart on the SSP platform — eventually. Following current naming logic, the electric compact car would then be called the ID. Golf. Since the smaller VW T-Cross is set to become the electric ID. Cross, the Golf SUV could be named ID. Roc instead of T-Roc, Electrive says. However, none of those model names have been confirmed by the company.
Last week, the Volkswagen Supervisory Board and Executive Board concluded in a joint meeting that the group’s current business model is no longer fit for the future. The intensified cost-cutting measures are expected to culminate in a new strategy for 2030, which would align with a more efficient and faster production process. However, the report does not yet indicate what impact Gamechanger will have on employment — an important consideration for a company that is one of the largest employers in Germany.
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