Volkswagen says the expansion of its Poznań plant in Poland is almost complete ahead of the start of production of the new Caddy.

Revealed in February 2020, the fifth-generation Caddy is billed as a “huge leap forward” for the nameplate.

The upgrading of the plant has taken more than two years, says VW, and includes the construction of a logistics hall, the expansion of the body shop and a broader reconfiguration of the factory site.

Dietmar Mnich, chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen Poznań and Poznań plant director, said the firm had “concluded around 90 percent of the capital investment for preparing the plant for production of the latest vehicle models, in particular the new Caddy”.

“The first few vehicles for testing the production processes are currently running through the new facilities. We are planning to start full production in September and then to gradually ramp up the volume and ultimately reach full capacity in 2021,” he said.

VW says the initial stage of the expansion process involved the integration of two parts of the site, which had previously been separated by a “minor” public road. The next step was the construction of the new logistics hall, providing warehouse space of 46 000 m² for components for production of the Caddy and T6.1. Items stored here will include engines, bumpers, side windows, door trim panels, bulkheads and fuel tanks.

Volkswagen Poznań says it furthermore invested in “modern technology”, with 450 new robots capable of multiple functions set to be used in the new Caddy’s body shop. The level of automation in the body shop will rise from 43 percent to “over” 80 percent, the company says.

Original article from Car