Plants at full capacity; new Fabia production starts at the end of August
After just a two-week factory holiday, production at all three Czech Škoda sites is in full swing. In addition to refurbishment, the manufacturer used the factory shut-down, in particular in Mladá Boleslav, to prepare for the new Škoda Fabia production to start. The new small car will start to roll off the production line at Škoda's main plant from the end of August.
In just a few weeks the car manufacturer will be pushing forward with the biggest model campaign in the company's history with the new Škoda Fabia. “The new Fabia really does represent: small car, big on technology,” says head of production of vehicles Marek Jancák. “More importantly we have expanded and technically updated important areas of the M1 assembly line in Mladá Boleslav,” says Jancák.
This means that the Fabia factory has a new, extremely modern facility to configure new assistance systems. The paint shop has also, in some areas, been updated. During the factory holiday a total of 40 industrial engineering companies were at work in the company.
One of the focal points was to integrate the new Fabia engines into the production process. The small car features a completely new range of engines and is the most environmentally friendly and economical Fabia of all time. Energy consumption has been reduced by up to 17 percent compared to its predecessor. The new Fabia engines (four petrol, three diesel) meet EU6 standards and are fitted with Start-Stop System and brake energy recovery as standard.
The second assembly line in the Škoda parent plant has also been comprehensively updated. Škoda manufactures the Octavia and Rapid models on assembly line M13. In addition, the M13 production shop underwent an expansion of production capacity for driver assistance systems.
In addition, a lot of work has been carried out to the Kvasiny and Vrchlabí Škoda factories. Kvasiny is currently setting up a new body shop. Its completing and the related infrastructure measures are among the highest priorities of Škoda. During the factory holiday, the Vrchlabí plant used the time to carry out maintenance to the DQ 200 transmission production line.
Škoda put a total of 100 individual projects into effect across all 3 Czech factories (Mladá Boleslav, Kvasiny und Vrchlabí) during this break. About 90 companies have been involved in the process.
At an exceptional rate, the final work on the new Škoda engine test centre in Česana near Mladá Boleslav is nearing completion. It has been in pre-production phase since June and will be fully-operational from the beginning of September 2014. The manufacturer, jointly with Volkswagen, is investing over 34 million euros in the extension of its current technology and development centre. This is the largest development investment of a private company within the Czech Republic.
Škoda Auto is one of the longest-established vehicle production companies in the world. Since 1895, the Czech headquarters in Mladá Boleslav has seen the production firstly of bicycles and then, shortly afterwards motorbikes and cars.
It currently has seven passenger car models: Citigo, Fabia, Roomster/Praktik, Rapid, Octavia, Yeti and Superb.
The company delivered around 920,800 vehicles to customers worldwide in 2013.
The brand has belonged to Volkswagen since 1991. The VW Group is one of the most successful automotive groups in the world. Škoda, in association with the Group, independently manufactures and develops vehicles, as well as components, engines and gear transmissions.
It operates at three locations in the Czech Republic, produces in China, Russia, Slovakia and India mainly through Group partnerships, as well as in Ukraine and Kazakhstan through local partners. Škoda employs over 25,800 people globally and is active in more than 100 markets.
Source: praguepost.com
