•Up to 450,000 new 6-speed gearboxes for Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA and Volkswagen

•Thomas Schmall, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Group Components: 'Cross-brand hubs create the flexibility needed for transformation'

Wolfsburg / El Prat de Llobregat, Spain – SEAT Componentes, together with Martorell and Barcelona, one of the three production centres for the Spanish brand and simultaneously part of the production portfolio for Group Components, has started production of the new MQ281 gearbox. Up to 450,000 units can be built per year. It will be used by the brands Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA and Volkswagen. Re-sorting gearbox production goes hand-in-hand with the production start of the new MQ281. While the new six-speed gearbox is being produced in El Prat de Llobregat and Córdoba (Argentina), the MQ200 manual gearbox has been primarily relocated to ŠKODA Components in Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic). At the same time, the component plant in Kassel is concentrating on the production of the dual clutch gearbox DSG, and above all on the production of the electric drive for future vehicles built on the MEB platform.

Dr Christian Vollmer, SEAT Vice President of Production and Logistics: 'SEAT Componentes is a key plant for our company and, with the assignment of this project, for the Volkswagen Group as well. With these new gearboxes, we can increase maximum production to up to 3,500 units per day and use the facility as a reference centre for efficiency, productivity and quality.'

The production of the MQ281 gearbox is in El Prat de Llobregat, close to Barcelona airport, and stands apart for its high level of integration. All aluminium parts are produced there, as well as gear wheels and shafts for which the plant has a foundry, processing facilities, assembly and test bed facilities. In 2018, almost 700,000 MQ200 gearboxes were manufactured and 56 percent of the production exported.

SEAT Componentes is one of nine Group sites that manufactures gearboxes. In addition to Prat, gearboxes are produced in Kassel (Germany), Vrchlabi and Mladá Boleslav (Czech Republic), Córdoba (Argentina) and Anting, Dalian, Tianjin and Changchun (China). SEAT Componentes employs over 1,000 people and boasts a size of 155,000 square metres. With its new optimised production line, the plant currently has a maximum production capacity of 3,500 gearboxes daily.

This is Volkswagen Group Components.

As an entrepreneurially independent business unit under the umbrella of Volkswagen AG, Volkswagen Group Components is responsible for the development and production of strategic components for the Group's vehicle-producing brands. 80,000 employees work in 62 plants at 47 production sites worldwide in five business areas – Engine and Foundry, Gearbox and Electric Drive, Running Gear, Seats and Electric Mobility. They develop and manufacture vehicle components, shape future topics such as charging infrastructure and battery recycling – and thus make a decisive contribution to the value of the Volkswagen Group, its brands and products. Thomas Schmall is the Chairman of the Board of Management of Group Components.

Photo credit: Volkswagen Group
posted on conceptcarz.com

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