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Audi: Neckarsulm plant
are built at Neckarsulm. Production output by the Neckarsulm plant in the first nine months of 1999 was over 131,000 vehicles.
The Federal German Minister for Economic Affairs, Dr. Werner Müller, and Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, today officially opened the production facilities for the new Audi A2 in Neckarsulm. Audi has invested over DM 300 million in the modern plant and buildings. When operating at full capacity, the A2 production line will provide jobs for over 1,500 people. The production capacity for the first volume-built car with an aluminium body will be around 60,000 units a year. Over 250 guests from the worlds of politics and business attended the official inauguration of the new production plant. Minister Müller commended AUDI AG's innovative process and its decision to invest in this location. "The A2 model series is our vision of progressive mobility in the 21st century", declared the Chairman of the Board of Management, Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, describing this as an Audi that appeals to the heart and the head in equal measure. "The A2 combines innovative technology with distinctive design. And its light weight opens up new horizons in terms of both dynamic performance and economy." The three-liter Audi A2 1.2 TDI also made its début today. "This is the first four-door three-liter car in the world", added Paefgen. "The A2 is the pride of the Neckarsulm workforce, who are again able to demonstrate their particular expertise and efficiency on the third model series to be built in Neckarsulm, alongside the Audi A6 and Audi A8", commented Plant Manager Otto Lindner. "The Audi A2 makes the plant even less susceptible to fluctuations in the economy and in model life-cycles, so it goes a long way towards safeguarding jobs in the region", stressed Theo Schirmer, Chairman of the Works Council. With the appearance of the A2, Audi is celebrating several world "firsts" in automotive engineering: entirely new or modified techniques, procedures, tools and production methods had to be developed for the first volume-built aluminum body. The degree of automation in the production of aluminum vehicle bodies had to be increased. The A2 body was developed at the Neckarsulm Aluminum Centre, which was established five years ago. Valuable experience in the use of the Audi Space Frame (ASF) has already been acquired through the Audi A8. The second-generation ASF comprises fewer, but larger, components. It consists predominantly of profiles and multifunctional large castings. A single-section side panel frame made from aluminum is also used for the first time in the car industry. Another new feature are the joining techniques, which involve a high degree of automation in volume production. Over 30 meters of seams are laser-welded on the A2, for example. Other features of the assembly line that are of particular interest include the use of modular techniques, and the integrated checking zones. With body production and assembly housed together in the same building, communication distances have been significantly reduced. By the time of the A2 series' market launch next year, there will be a spark-ignition and a TDI engine version, both developing 55 kW (75 bhp). The A2 version being unveiled today in Neckarsulm, capable of covering 100 km on less than 3 liters of fuel, has a 1.2 litre three-cylinder TDI engine with an output of 45 kW (61 bhp). The Audi A2 1.2 TDI is distinguished from the other A2 models by its even lower weight and optimized aerodynamics, evident on the outside from the resistance-optimized wheels and wheel arches. Second phase of Audi paint shop inaugurated Ingolstadt, April 30, 1999 - Audi officially opened the second phase of the Neckarsulm plant's paint shop, a construction project representing an investment volume of DM 158 million. In addition to around 200 guests from the worlds of politics and business, Erwin Teufel, Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, and Jürgen Gebhardt, AUDI AG's Member of the Board of Management for Production, took part in the opening ceremony. Both of them stressed the importance of Audi's investment for the region. Teufel declared: "Audi's Neckarsulm plant is one of the pillars of the car industry in Baden-Württemberg." "Investments in the Neckarsulm plant are of strategic importance to us. This is where the Audi A6 and A8 are built, and a new aluminium model will also go into production here before the end of the year," explained Gebhardt. Total spending since 1994 on buildings, production facilities and logistics totals around DM 2 billion. Of this sum, more than DM 470 million have been invested in the Neckarsulm paint shop. Gebhardt continued: "The new facilities will enable the Neckarsulm plant to become even more competitive and will boost its daily capacity from a current 820 vehicles to over 1,000." "Our overriding concern is that the new paint shop should help us to continue improving the outstanding quality of our products," remarked Factory Manager Otto Lindner. The second phase incorporates numerous technical innovations. For example, this is the first paint shop in the world to permit separate special pre-treatment of aluminium and steel-bodied vehicles on a large scale. The aluminium and steel bodies are then dip-painted together, before being sorted according to model type for application of sealant and underseal. "Apprentice painters receive practical training at the company's own "try-out centre", where they learn how to apply special paint finishes and try out new painting techniques," explained Project Manager Bernhard Woll. "The new paint shop simplifies working processes even further, helps to safeguard the jobs of our workforce and creates a more pleasant working atmosphere," pointed out Theo Schirmer, Chairman of the Works Council. The new building is manned by around 480 workers on a three-shift basis. The paint shop is an outstanding example of environmental protection in practice. By means of heat recovery technology, energy can be recovered and emissions reduced. Modern processing-bath techniques and closed water cycles reduce water consumption to a minimum. The cataphoretic dip-priming process involves coating the vehicle bodies in a water-based dip bath. The use of solvents is thus reduced to an absolute minimum. Thanks in part to the rapid processing of the planning application and the support of the authorities, the construction of the new plant took only 13 months, from the appointment of the general contractor to the commissioning of the finished paint shop. The building (47 meters wide, 241 meters long and 32 meters high) was erected and the facilities installed by the Stuttgart-based system supplier for painting plant, Dürr Systems GmbH.
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