At the beginning of 2022, the companies Opel Manufacturing Poland and PSA Manufacturing Poland operating in Gliwice will formally merge into one company under the name Stellantis Gliwice. From April 2022, large vans of the following brands will be produced there: Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat and Opel.
As the local government in Gliwice recalled, Stellantis’ plans envisage that about 50,000 people will leave Gliwice next year. new delivery trucks, and a modern factory will provide jobs for all 2 thousand. employees of the current Opel Manufacturing Poland plant.
In the extended Opel factory in Gliwice, in place of the Astra manufactured there, the last model of which rolled off the assembly line on November 30, from April 2022, large commercial vehicles (the so-called LCV) will be mass-produced – in various versions, also for the British market: Peugeot Boxer , citroen jumper, fiat ducato and opel movano.
“This is one of the most important moments in the history of our company. For the needs of the new venture, we have expanded the number of approx. 180 thousand. sq m. plant for another 75 thousand. sq m. The cost of the investment is approximately EUR 300 million, or approximately PLN 1.4 billion, ”said the president of Opel Manufacturing Poland and PSA Manufacturing Poland (from January 3, 2022, Stellantis Gliwice), Andrzej Korpak, quoted by the city.
“Serial production of large vans for Stellantis brands will start on April 4, 2022. This groundbreaking change in profile makes us jointly responsible for this important market segment for Stellantis,” emphasized Korpak.
An extensive factory, in which will operate, among others The new car body and assembly departments as well as the paint shop will produce large vans of three lengths (L2, L3, L4) and two heights (H2 and H3). Initially, these will be typically utility vans in various versions. Later, passenger variants and variants intended for special construction, also factory-made, will be implemented.
First, production will be carried out in one shift. The second shift is planned to be launched from August 2022. The third is to join in the fall, at the turn of October and November, and therefore it is planned to increase employment by another 500 people. In 2023, about 2.5 thousand people will work in three shifts in Stellantis Gliwice. people, producing 100 thousand. cars per year.
In this regard, the plant has been carrying out preparatory work for months, including tests of machines and devices (including 9 autonomous electric trains, over 380 robots, 35 mobile platforms in the new drive and equipment assembly hall), IT and logistics systems. At the same time, the test production of vehicles is underway, which began in August this year.
Currently, conventional Stellantis vans are manufactured, apart from Poland, in Italy at the SevelSud plant in Val di Sangro and in Mexico for the American markets. However, Gliwice will be the only location where electric vans will be built. Their share in 2025 may reach 70%. production. Hybridization of the drives is also planned.
“Transforming the profile of Opel’s current production into large vans, both gasoline and electric, after the Stellantis concern has invested nearly EUR 300 million in the expansion of the factory in our city, is a very good prognosis for the economy of Gliwice and the entire region” – commented the Mayor of Gliwice Adam Neumann.
“The operation of the plant and numerous cooperating companies for at least a dozen years was ensured. Thousands of jobs will be created for the inhabitants of the entire agglomeration. The qualitative nature of this change is worth emphasizing: it is not the end of the Gliwice production, but its re-profiling in line with the latest trends in the world automotive market, ”added Neumann. (PAP)
author: Mateusz Babak
mtb / lena /
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