Volkswagen suspending European car and component production

Volkswagen is gradually suspending production at its European car and components plants in Europe for two weeks.

This will initially affect production facilities in Wolfsburg, Emden, Dresden, Osnabrück, Zwickau, Bratislava (Slovakia), Pamplona (Spain) and Palmela (Portugal), as well as the Components plants at Brunswick, Chemnitz, Hanover, Kassel, Salzgitter and SITECH

The brand is responding above all to the accelerated rate of infection by coronavirus, the resulting interruption in supply chains and the rapid decline in demand on the automotive markets,

For the affected German sites, the measures are to apply from the end of the late shift on Thursday.

“The spread of coronavirus in Europe is increasingly having an adverse impact on the demand situation. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly difficult to supply our plants with outsourced parts. For this reason, we have decided to run production down in a coordinated way from the end of the late shift on Thursday,” says Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand chief operation officer Ralf Brandstätter.

“Since the beginning of the corona epidemic in China, we have consistently operated on the basis of the principle that health is our top priority. Our employees can rely on that,” says Volkswagen Group human resources board member Gunnar Kilian.

To protect its employees, Volkswagen is implementing further measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. From today onwards, the company canteens, self-service shops, cafeterias, bistros, restaurants and catering services will be closed. As a general principle, all meetings will be held by Skype or video. All major events have been cancelled.

Special protection applies for employees with special health risks as a result of pre-existing conditions affecting the heart or lungs and employees with weakened immune systems, among others.

Employees returning to Germany from other countries after March 14 are forbidden with immediate effect from entering the plant sites and other facilities of Volkswagen AG during the incubation period of 14 weekdays.

In order to keep transmission of the virus as low as possible, contacts should be largely avoided. Managers and employees should review the possibilities of mobile working, i.e. working from home.

The measures also include a general halt to business trips – for all plants and also to other countries. This also applies to trips between locations. The internal shuttle flights between locations have already been halted.