Torslandaverken
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The Torslanda Plant (or Torslandaverken in Swedish), is one of the largest production facilities of Volvo Cars and is located in Torslanda on the island of Hisingen, about 12 km north west of Gothenburg city centre. The plant turned 40 on April 24th, 2004.[1] under the motto Under the motto "Increased capacity – for ever-higher quality." [1]
[edit] History
Success and expansion in the latter 1950s led management to begin planning for the Torslanda Plant in 1959 in a rural area that had been intended by city planners as a future industrial use. As well, infrastructure had already been in place, the port and the open sea were nearby, and the city of Göteborg’s airport was also located in Torslanda.
Containing 200,000 square metres of factory floorspace at its inception, production capacity was originally planned at 110,000 cars a year in single-shift operation, with the possibility of increasing to 150,000 cars in two-shift operation. The annual production record from 1973, when 178,000 cars left the factory, still held, as of 2004.
The plant was inaugurated on Friday 24 April 1964, with production beginning in the TA plant (press-shop/body production factory), the TB plant (paintshop) and the TC plant (final assembly).
Volvo’s President Gunnar Engellau, Doctor of Engineering Gustav Larson (one of Volvo’s two founders, the other co-founder, Assar Gabrielsson, having passed away two years before), and Swedish king Gustaf VI Adolf were on hand for the inauguration.
The first car manufactured was a Amazon, while the PV544 was never built in Torslanda. The Volvo 144, and a completely new model, was launched into production in late summer 1966.
Production ceased in Volvo Lundby plant in 1973 with the demise of the Volvo 1800ES. Torslanda production was complemented later with a plants in North America (Chesapeake, Virginia), Nova Scotia and later Ghent, Belgium.
Originally employing about 2500 people the plant became Sweden’s largest workplace [1]. Currently, a workforce of about 5000 can produce the current capacity of 170,000 cars.
Today, the plant builds the XC90s with the S80, V70 and XC70 — all on the P24 platform — (exluding the XC90 which is P2 platform); with robots performing almost 100 percent of all welding operations. The paintshop was at the time of its commission in the 1990s the cleanest in the automotive world. Recent investments allow a long-term capacity of 230,000 cars a year.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d From Mass-Market Cars to Niche Sports Utility Vehicles - The Volvo Torslanda Plant Turns 40. Swedespeed.com, Apr 15, 2004, Source: Volvo Car Corporation.
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