Business Sector - High demand for vehicles leads to busy production at VW's facility in Kassel.
At Volkswagen's Kassel plant, demand for vehicles has resulted in more employees being brought onboard. Workplace representative Carsten Büchling shared this following a meeting on Wednesday, noting that the order books are brimming with orders for electric and traditional transmissions. Since the beginning of the year, 650 temporary workers have been added to the workforce. Additional hires are anticipated soon according to the union.
Kassel, with its 15,500 employees, is the most significant component factory within the Volkswagen Group. In Baunatal, a significant portion of electric drive train components is manufactured. By 2026, this facility is expected to become a crucial supplier for Wolfsburg-based Volkswagen's electric vehicles.
The factory is currently undergoing a significant transformation, remarked plant manager Jörg Fenstermann. He explained that the focus is shifting from the combustion engine industry to electric mobility. Kassel is set to host the creation and production of the core elements of the E-drive. Approximately 4,500 employees are already involved in e-mobility projects in Baunatal as per Volkswagen.
As the production lines are expanded, contraction plans are underway for the white-collar workforce, as detailed by deputy works council chairman Christian Wetekam. Volkswagen Group aims to save 20% of indirect personnel costs by 2026 as part of a results improvement program. There are about 3,000 salaried employees at the Kassel location. Every fifth role here is said to be impacted by these changes, which Wetekam finds odd considering the facility is operating at capacity and the general nature of the group's cost-saving measures.
