Opel has redeveloped.
At the main plant in Rüsselsheim, departments were closed, jobs were canceled and fewer and fewer cars were assembled.
Now the most famous model of the brand is supposed to turn the tide.
Rüsselsheim - The future of the car manufacturer Opel has begun in Halls K170 and K180 in Rüsselsheim.
Like a string of pearls, the steel car bodies hang one behind the other on their way to the “wedding”, where they are joined to the floor pan in seconds.
The special thing about it: A wide variety of car types roll off the Opel assembly line without delay.
In recent weeks, more and more compact cars of the DS4 type from the French sister brand and from the pre-series of the Opel Astra have joined the ranks of the well-known mid-range Opel Insignia. They represent the near future of the location in two ways: For the first time, cars of various brands are being built here on a platform from the parent company Stellantis, which are also available in partially electric hybrid versions. An important intermediate step, because as early as 2028 Opel plans to sell only fully electric battery cars in Europe.
Since the takeover in August 2017, the boss of the Peugeot parent company PSA, Carlos Tavares, has implemented a tough restructuring course at Opel.
Parts of the development were sold as well as the test center and other properties.
After an agreement with IG Metall, thousands of jobs were cut and people were sent home with severance payments or early retirement benefits.
After the merger with Fiat-Chrysler, the traditional manufacturer Opel, founded in 1862, is the only German brand in the even larger Stellantis group that continues to be controlled by Tavares.
Since the takeover, the technical independence of the former subsidiary of the US group General Motors (GM), which had only made losses for decades, was over.
Since then, new models have been created exclusively on the platforms of the new parent company for cost reasons.
Despite all the external differences, the ornate DS 4, the elegant Peugeot 308 and the unobtrusive Opel Astra under the sheet metal are largely identical - a principle that is also successfully applied by the competitor Volkswagen.
For Astra chief engineer Mariella Vogler, the efficient platform strategy creates the freedom for the creativity necessary to develop a new car. The 59-year-old has been part of the premiere Astra on a PSA platform from the very first minute. “We were able to help ourselves from the well-stocked component shelf and, with our work, create a new Opel in many details. None of the sister models will drive like the Astra. ”In the development and differentiation process, everything that the customer can see, touch or feel is touched: in addition to the external design, the most important distinguishing features are controls, seats, lights and chassis.
The renovation work began in the summer of 2020 in the factory, which was recently barely used. The challenge: Both the new Astra and DS4 models and the Insignia mid-range car, the last non-electrified remnant from GM times, were to be installed on the line. In the order in which the orders come in. Because Tavares has also changed that in Rüsselsheim: “We don't build a car without an order,” says plant manager Michael Lewald. As a result, the previously inflated sales collapsed, but has caught up this year. In 2018, Opel had made a profit again.
Other current innovations on the Main are a new painting system that saves 80 percent of energy costs, and the massive use of autonomous transport vehicles loaded with car components whiz through the almost deserted halls.
Opel boss Michael Lohscheller emphasizes the fundamental importance of the compact model even in times of the SUV boom: “The Astra is one of the best-selling models from the Opel brand.
The new generation is correspondingly important for us - especially because we are leading the Astra into the age of electromobility with the plug-in hybrid. ”Production is scheduled to start in November so that the cars will be available in stores at the beginning of next year are.
The Astra is the bearer of hope for the shrunken main plant with a good 10,000 employees, many of whom are still on short-time work. In actual production, the number of employees increases by 300 to 2,400 when operations start up in two shifts in late autumn. The fact that a sister model of the group brand DS is also rolling off the assembly line in Germany did not suit the French unions, but it shows that Rüsselsheim can keep up with the Stellantis production network in terms of costs. dpa