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Opel strengthens its Kaiserslautern site by expanding engine production and introducing a new structure for component manufacturing. Plant director Anja Kleyboldt and works council head Alfred Klingel signed a respective agreement.
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Opel Strengthens Kaiserslautern Site
Renovation of engine production, new structure for component production
2010-09-15
Kaiserslautern. Opel/Vauxhall strengthens its Kaiserslautern site by expanding engine production and introducing a new structure for component manufacturing. From 2014 the plant will build 230,000 units annually of a new generation 2.0-liter diesel engine that will fulfill the strict Euro 6 emissions standards, deliver low fuel consumption and CO2 emission values yet high performance and plenty of torque. The new 2.0 diesel family will be used, among others, on Opel’s flagship Insignia and the next generation of the Zafira van. To meet the demand, Kaiserslautern will introduce three-shift operation in engine production.
For component production, the plant will receive new stamping machines and welding installations. This puts the Kaiserslautern plant at the ready to manufacture components for the next generation Zafira.
By doubling stamping capacity and significantly re-aligning the component production, the Kaiserslautern plant will be supplying components for all of Opel/Vauxhall’s assembly plants in the future. The plant’s manufacturing program includes engines, pressed sheet metal parts, aluminum hoods, chassis components and sub-assemblies of vehicle bodies.
“The new production orders are a vital reinforcement of the Kaiserslautern operation in its role as a center for component production within the European Opel/Vauxhall manufacturing network,” said Reinald Hoben, Opel/Vauxhall Vice President Manufacturing Europe.
The employee representative of Opel Kaiserslautern, Alfred Klingel, welcomed the plant investment: “Securing engine production, new orders for components and the uncompromising development of the plant as a component center which we have always demanded assures a future for Opel Kaiserslautern.”
Founded in 1966, the Kaiserslautern plant has a workforce of 3,100 employees. Plant director is Anja Kleyboldt.
