The Volkswagen Group is investing close to two billion euros to convert the lead engine facility at its Salzgitter site in Germany into a lead cell plant.
At the same time, the world’s largest automaker says it has started a significant qualification offensive. Employees from the engine plant will receive additional training for the necessary new jobs in cell manufacture over the next years. In the future, the Salzgitter plant will employ about 2,500 people.
So far, around 500 employees have been transformed into new, future-oriented areas of responsibility. They are used in the production of tech components for EVs such as the rotor/stator and the pilot plant for recycling, but increasingly also in cell production. More than half of the operational tasks at the site have now been transferred to the future cell factory.
As part of the qualification program, the plant is also realigning its training and study programs in cooperation with the Volkswagen Academy. From September 2022 onwards, Salzgitter will offer the new training occupation of a chemical laboratory technician, which is designed to prepare trainees for work in chemical laboratories. The dual courses of study in chemistry and chemical engineering are also new. By the time battery production starts in 2025, some 80 internally trained chemical experts should already be on board. In future, more than 80 per cent of the training opportunities are to come from the specialization fields of electrical/IT/chemical.
Additionally, Volkswagen intends to supplement the current skill sets of its employees with new abilities necessary for the launch of a cell plant in collaboration with outside partners.
Concurrently, preparations are to be made to set up the infrastructure for the upcoming wave of qualifications. The newly constructed chemistry laboratory is scheduled to open in 2023. VW intends to increase the number of chemistry training positions from six to twelve per year.
From 2025 onwards, the factory will produce the Volkswagen unit cell for volume models for the new ‘PowerCo’ business unit. The foundation stone for the new Salzgitter gigafactory was laid in July.
