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Volkswagen Pune plant has started operations.
Inaugurated by the Honourable Governor of Maharashtra, His
Excellency Shri. S. C. Jamir and Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member
of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft with
responsibility for ‘Group Production’ in the presence of
guests and dignitaries, the plant's first product will be the
Skoda Fabia. To start rolling out by May 2009, the plant was
completed (before schedule) in 17 months and at an investment of
Euro 580 million, marking Largest investment by German company to
date in India. The Fabia will be joined by the Polo hatch in 2010
and the notchback soon after.
With a capacity to turn out of 110,000 vehicles
for the Indian market, the plant is expected to capacity
utilisation in teh next two to three years as it assumes the role
of a manufacturing base for volume production models from
Volkswagen with high local content. The Volkswagen Passat and
Jetta along with a range of Audi and Skoda cars are being built at
Skoda's Aurangabad plant, some 250kms from Pune. Equipped with a
body shop, paint shop and a final assembly, the Pune plant uses
modern equipment and Volkswagen manufacturing practices like
wooden flxi-conveyors and diode laser brazing technology.
The highlight of this plant is the roof and
side framer laser technology, which is used for welding the roof
to the body of the car. Spread over over 575 acres, with buildings
covering over 115,000 sq. m, the final assembly is as ggod as six
football fields and contains a mix of manual and automated
stations that marry the powertrain to the monocoque and attach the
various trim and peripherals.
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