Restart: VW headquarters produces in start-up mode

As soon as they arrive at gate 17, the prime minister has to do a self-experiment in Corona times. “This is a basic course on how to drink coffee with masks,” says Stephan Weil.

It’s morning shift in Wolfsburg, Monday morning, 7:00 a.m. With Bernd Osterloh, the head of the works council, and Gunnar Kilian, Chief Human Resources Officer, Lower Saxony’s head of government – who is also a member of the Volkswagen Supervisory Board – is given a hot drink. At the southern edge of the largest factory in the world, the baker advertises the breakfast offer on his mobile stand. A sugary American with a marzipan mask is also available.

At the start of the week, VW starts production at the headquarters in cautious steps – after almost a month and a half lockdown due to the virus crisis. Zwickau, Bratislava, almost all Chinese plants are back online. Emden and Hanover are also to be added today. “We have changed everything that is important to ensure the safety of our employees,” emphasizes CEO Herbert Diess. “We’re starting up very slowly now.” As in Zwickau, however, the capacity in Wolfsburg is still limited: this week at a maximum of 15, and by the end of next week around 40 percent. Around 8,000 employees have returned – normally up to 70,000 work here. 2,600 suppliers also started production again.

There is already a lot going on in Hall 54 – although the atmosphere still feels a bit like warming up. The Golf is getting started; it has been produced on assembly lines 1 and 3 since Monday. Tiguan and Touran will follow on Wednesday. “Everyone is happy to be able to go back,” says brand boss Ralf Brandstätter.

In order to prevent infections with the corona virus, VW relies on equalization: the belt initially runs at half the speed, so fewer employees have to be in a confined space. The common 10 o’clock break is no longer necessary, explains plant manager Stefan Loth. Instead, the employees go to breaks separately. The lockers were carted out of the team rooms so that they can be reached by everyone despite the limited number of employees in the rooms. In addition, everyone is asked to measure fever at home before work.

Those who are already on the assembly line these days will find a completely changed work environment. On the one hand, there is mandatory mouth and nose protection at stations where the minimum distance of 1.50 meters cannot be observed. There are markings on the floor everywhere, walkways have been redirected, posters with hygiene instructions hang on the walls. At points with inevitable closer contact, the group relies on spit protection: tables are divided in the middle with plexiglass, individual workplaces are separated with thick foils on the conveyor, work can be done on the engine compartments from left and right, a partition is in the middle. Sometimes a simple cling film, in which keyboards and mice are wrapped, does the trick.

For colleagues, work is now “at least as safe as at home or in public,” says Diess. For Weil he has a practical tip: If the glasses fog up too quickly with your protective mask on, you should brush them with toothpaste beforehand so that they are completely free of fat. The VW boss also has a wish for politicians: a quick decision to incentivize customers to cushion the slump in demand in the automotive industry.

A concern with which he meets open ears at Weil. “We are aware that we need to make a quick decision. Too long a discussion should be out of place, ”said the Prime Minister. He sees the fact that VW is slowly but purposefully starting production as “an important signal – also for suppliers who have been urgently waiting for it.” It’s not just about corporations. “We are talking about a lot of medium-sized companies all over Germany.”

One thing is clear: the way back to normality will also take a while in Wolfsburg. “We have to be aware that we haven’t overcome Corona yet,” reminds Kilian, Chief Human Resources Officer. There is an obligation to continuously ensure that the number of cases does not increase again. Osterloh writes the workforce in a letter to the upcoming challenges that come with the new, unusual protection measures: “This is a board, but there is no other way, because we all want to stay healthy.”

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