In the Münchsmünster Industrial Park, an Audi competence center has been built for the production of structural car body parts made of die-cast aluminum, hot and cold pressed parts and suspension components. This new production facility, in which the company has invested a low three-digit million amount, is a further element of Audi’s growth strategy. Another factor is that it will reduce the pressure on the main plant in Ingolstadt.
“We have set up an ultramodern plant equipped with the latest technologies,” explains Dr. Frank Dreves, Board of Management Member for Production at AUDI AG. “With the components that we manufacture here, we will intensify our consistent application of lightweight construction and will develop Münchsmünster into an important high-technology center.” The form-hardened sheet-steel components and the die-cast aluminum parts have the advantage of low weight combined with high strength and the utmost precision. “With the new production methods we are using here, we are pushing the limits of technical feasibility and extending our lead over the competition,” continues Dreves.
Audi will gradually increase the plant’s production volumes. By 2016, some 800 employees will work in Münchsmünster, including approximately 250 new recruits. Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council of AUDI AG, stated: “We are creating employment in our home region and particularly attractive jobs in the field of these future-oriented technologies. The new production facility will contribute towards the site’s development as the leading facility in the Audi Group.”
The construction of the new production facility went smoothly and according to plan. Work started in the summer of 2012, and the manufacturing of suspension components and structural parts and the aluminum die-casting are now going into pre-series operation. The major advantages of the 42-hectare site in Münchsmünster include its proximity to the main plant as well as good transport connections via the B 16 and B 16a federal highways. There are also plans for a rail link to the Ingolstadt-Regensburg main railway line.
Energy and heat are recovered in all three sections of the plant; the cleaning of used air and water and noise protection are state of the art. An energy center, a health center and a fire station complete the new facility. The equipment is predominantly from German and European engineering companies and the building work was mainly performed by regional firms.