The Volkwagen Group is developing its Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden, Germany, making it a primary test location for innovative technologies.
In conjunction with the Wolfsburg and Emden factories, the Gläserne Manufaktur is part of a ‘technical center’ project, designed to achieve automation of complex work steps within assembly.
Site manager Lars Dittert said, “The Gläserne Manufaktur is the showcase for electric mobility and now also a pilot factory for the Volkswagen Group. The extraordinary aspect is that we are pushing ahead with our automation projects during production. A technology that makes it to series readiness can be used in the automotive industry worldwide. This enables us to integrate our expertise into the Group and further consolidate the profile of our site.”
The Gläserne Manufaktur has special requirements for an automotive production facility due to its unique architecture. For example, testing for optical component detection is challenging due to the high light incidence and associated contrasts. The sensors have to work under much more difficult conditions.
The safety requirements are also above average due to the large number of visitors. An average of 400 guests visit the Gläserne Manufaktur daily. Furthermore, the small batch production of 72 e-Golfs per day is an advantage. The cycle time per workstation in Dresden is comparatively long compared with conventional production facilities. Many employees are therefore highly qualified to handle the larger workload at each workstation. Furthermore, the short distances between the workstations and the comparatively large work surface are an optimal environment for testing new technologies.
The innovations in Dresden are supported by Volkswagen Brand Planning and Wolfsburg plant engineering. Other projects at the Dresden site include the automated assembly and removal of the car doors and the human/robot collaboration.