In Resende, Volkswagen has built one of the most modern plants in the world for trucks and buses. With a 250 million US dollars investment, the plant was built in just 153 days. In twelve years of operation it has already surpassed the mark of 480.000 trucks and buses produced since its beginning.
Volkswagen World Center for Development of Trucks and Buses is also located in Resende. It is a space for research and design of new models as well as for the development of new technologies. The results of the work of this center are shared with the engineers of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Germany and applied to vehicles produced by the company in other world regions. One of the latest advances that is due to the Center is a group of models capable of functioning with up to 5% of biodiesel mixed with regular diesel, without altering the original characteristics of the vehicle.
4,500 people work at the plant. It’s estimated that this plant is responsible for 30.000 indirect jobs. The daily production is 220 vehicles. The establishment of a second shift in October 2004 created 400 new jobs. This is possible due to an investment forecast of 1 billion reais up to 2012.
The assembly line was conceived with the most modern production equipment available aiming the reduction of the operator physical effors and optimization of productivity. Another proof of the attention dedicated to the quality of working conditions is the first air-conditioned assembly line in Brazil – the temperature inside is maintained up to 9 degrees lower than outside.
Communication with the outside world is also taken very seriously. The data are transmitted rapidly, via fiber optic cable. Nothing less than fifty-two computer systems are currently used in Resende, including on the plant floor, where the assembly workers control production of state-of-art interface consoles.
Located 30 kilometers away from the Itatiaia National Park, the oldest in Brazil, Volkswagen respects the environment. The company follows rigorous standards for the treatment of effluents. The assembly line building does not have pollution sources. In the painting building, a treatment plant guarantees that the water discharged is drinkable in the areas of pre-treatment, E-Coat (painting by electrodeposits) and sealers are controlled by post-burning of waste gases. Solid waste passes through a biological process and only water with a neutral Ph is discharged into nature. This care extends beyond the plant Since 2003 the company has invested in research and tests with alternative fuels, such as biodiesel.
More than just an innovative project in terms of technology and respect for the employee and for the environment, the Volkswagen Truck and Bus plant in Resende has adopted an innovative business management mode, which has proved to be a success throughout the years. It is called Modular Consortium.
It functions as follows: eight partners assemble complete groups of parts. They are Maxion (which takes care of the chassis assembly), Arvin Meritor (axles and suspension), Remon (wheels and tires), Powertrain (engines and transmissions), AKC (outfitting of the cab), Carese (painting) and Continental (tires). Volkswagen is fully responsible for the product quality assurance. For its part, the Modular Consortium has the permanent objective to reduce the production costs, investment, stock levels and production time and also increase the flexibility in the production of specialized vehicles.
The Modular Consortium partners do not participate in the commercialization of the final products. They share with Volkswagen all the infrastructure of the plant, which includes the restaurant, security, health services etc. This strategy increases productivity and makes the assembly more efficient and flexible. Beyond this, by sharing production with its partners, the company can focus on core aspects of its business: marketing strategies, customer after sales support and the development of new products.
Adress: Rua Engº Alan da Costa Batista, 100 - Pedra Selada – Resende/RJ