Volkswagen’s plant in Pune is preparing itself for the next growth phase. The first car had rolled out of the facility in March 2009. Rising demand from the export market and foreseeing the volumes that the Ameo will drive, Volkswagen India decided to add an extra shift at this plant.
To support the third shift manufacturing, Volkswagen India has already added about 800 new employees in the first step. The company further plans on hiring even more employees as its production goes up through the year. Andreas Lauermann said that they have been hiring workforce across levels with varying skill sets.
The plant sees a potential in the Indian automotive market and the Indian workforce, which is why the company continues to take steps towards expanding its operations. The company currently manufactures Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Vento and the ŠKODA Rapid at this manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune. Additionally, they also assemble the 1.5-litre TDI engine at this plant. Later this year, the Ameo will be added to the production portfolio on the same line.
Commenting on implementing the third shift at the Chakan facility, Andreas Lauermann, President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India, said “In 2016, we are expecting growth in our domestic as well as export volumes. With the new Ameo, a car that has been specially developed for India, we are expecting a higher demand from the domestic Indian market while we look at supplying more cars to our export markets too. In all, we expect to increase our production by around 15% this year as compared to the last one.‘