European carmakers restart production as coronavirus lockdowns ease
28 April, 2020
Volkswagen will restart production at its Wolfsburg factory in Germany on Monday, the most recent of a fleet of European carmakers to take benefit of eased coronavirus lockdown rules to resume manufacturing.
VW, the world's greatest car manufacturer, is celebrating the reopening of its biggest plant, in Wolfsburg, by projecting a cartoon of a VW logo squashing coronaviruses.
Encouraged by a fall in infection rates, Germany has allowed small shops to reopen, provided they abide by strict distancing and hygiene rules. Now large corporations are following suit.
BMW, Daimler and VW are banking on Germany’s capability to trace and contain the new coronavirus, and a healthcare system with the capacity of extensive testing to recognize possible carriers of the disease.
This stands in stark contrast to america, where in fact the head of the United Auto Workers union said on Thursday it had been "too early and too risky" to reopen auto plants in early May, citing insufficient coronavirus testing.
European factories have changed work patterns, to include more rigorous hygiene and cleaning intervals as well as more generous spacing between workers.
Within Volkswagen's cartoon, the VW logo celebrates with a "thumbs-up" after defeating the virus.
"On Monday, the German auto industry is back. We at Volkswagen have used the five-week pause to prepare ourselves for restarting production," said VW works council chief Bernd Osterloh.
BMW says it really is cranking up engine manufacturing starting this Monday. BMW really wants to reopen its British plant in Goodwood and its own Spartanburg, South Carolina on May 4, accompanied by Dingolfing, Germany and San Luis Potosi in Mexico on, may 11, according to market demand, the carmaker said.
Other plants in Leipzig, Regensburg, and Rosslyn South Africa will open after May 18, starting with a one-shift system the carmaker said. BMW's factory in Shenyang, China has been making since Feb. 17.
Workers need to wear masks and keep a distance to one another. The seating order on BMW factory buses has been changed, as gets the process for entering and exiting the bus.
Workers have to come to the plant already wearing their factory clothes, in order to avoid time stuck in changing rooms, and designated pathways in the plant have been altered to make sure there is "one-way" traffic only, BMW said.
Mercedes-Benz plants in Sindelfingen and Bremen are also making preparations to crank up production.
Unlike Italy and Spain, Germany never banned car production, though factories came to a standstill after authorities restricted the movement of folks and ordered the closure of car dealerships, hitting demand.
FiatChrysler will open its Sevel plant in central Italy on Monday, with plans to resume production for a price of between 70%-80%.
In France, Toyota this week restarted an assembly plant in Valenciennes and Renault commenced making engines at its factory in Cleon, west of Paris. It'll be followed by Renault’s Flins plant, west of Paris, where only 25% of the workforce is due to resume work.
Sweden’s Volvo Cars reopened its Torslanda factory this week after overhauling its production processes.
"The economy has come to a halt in Europe. A vaccine will need a long long time. It is crucial to restart in a safe way. Hopefully we are able to contribute to a normalization,” Volvo cars Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson told Reuters.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com
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