Volkswagen Group to build new
transmission plant in China
Wolfsburg/Tianjin - The Volkswagen
Group is expanding its production network in China with a new
transmission plant in Tianjin. Today’s foundation stone ceremony was
attended by Dr. Philipp Rösler, the Federal Minister of Economics and
Technology, He Lifeng, Deputy Party Secretary of Tianjin, and Prof. Dr.
Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen
Aktiengesellschaft and responsible for the newly-established Group
function of ‘China’.
The plant in Tianjin is designed for an
annual production capacity of 450,000 units. Over 1,500 new jobs are to
be created at the new site. Investment in the first stage of the plant
totals approx. €230 million. Production is scheduled to begin at the end
of 2014. Tianjin is one of the largest cities in China and is located
some 150 kilometers east of Beijing.
“Our new transmission plant is further
confirmation of the inseparable bond between China and Volkswagen.
Tianjin will become a cornerstone of our Chinese production network and
a driving force for the economy in the entire region”, Heizmann said in
Tianjin. Volkswagen is basing construction of the Tianjin plant on
highest technical standards and focuses on the resource efficiency and
environmental compatibility of production plant and methods.
Volkswagen will also be joining up with
the best local vocational schools to set up a competence center for
tooling technology in Tianjin to train teachers with a view to meeting
demand for technically trained and specialized skilled employees in the
medium term. This project includes the introduction of a dual vocational
training program modeled on the German system.
The People’s Republic of China is the
largest sales market for the Volkswagen Group. In 2011, the company
delivered 2.26 million vehicles to customers in the country. In the
first seven months of this year, deliveries rose by 17.1 percent to 1.51
million units.
