Volkswagen de México Puebla and Silao

Volkswagen de México Puebla and Silao

Area: Puebla: 300 ha., Silao: 60 ha.

Production: 435,373 vehicles, 346,336 engines

Models: Volkswagen Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Cabriolet, Golf 7, Golf SportWagen, Tiguan Long Version, engines and components.

Employees: About 14,000 employees (12/2018)

CEO: Steffen Reiche

Locations

The headquarters and the vehicle and component plants of Volkswagen de México are located in Puebla, the capital of the federal state of the same name, 74 miles south east of Mexico City. A Volkswagen engine plant was opened in Silao in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato in January 2013.

Production

The Volkswagen plant in Puebla is the largest automobile factory in Mexico and also one of the largest vehicle plants in the Volkswagen Group. All the production processes needed, including the stamping of body parts and the production of engines, axles and catalytic converters, take place here.

The Puebla plant produces the models: Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Cabriolet, Golf, Golf SportWagen and Tiguan Long Version.

In 2018, 435,373 vehicles left the production lines in Puebla. The plant is built on an area of 300 hectares.
The engines plant in Silao started its operations in January 2013. This factory supplies the third generation of EA888 engines family to the Volkswagen vehicle plants in Puebla, Mexico, and Chattanooga, USA; Audi plant, in San Jose Chiapa, Puebla, and VW do Brasil. It is designed for an annual capacity of 420,000 engines and the plant site has a total area of 60 hectares.

Sales

In the Mexican market, Volkswagen de México is responsible for sales and marketing not only of the Volkswagen brand, but also the SEAT, Audi, Bentley and Porsche brands. In 2018, deliveries of all Group brands in Mexico reached about 196,400 vehicles.

Management

Steffen Reiche has been CEO of Volkswagen de México since May 2018, having previously headed the Production area at the Martorell plant (SEAT).

Other members of the Board of Management are Everardo Rodriguez for Production and Logistics, Pierre Bruedgam for Purchasing, Anders-Sundt Jensen for Sales and Marketing (NSO), Björn Ehlbeck for Finance and IT and Salvador Garrido for Human Resources and Organization.

Environment and sustainability

With its "Think Blue. Factory." initiative, the Volkswagen brand has set itself clear targets for the environmentally sustainable positioning of all its plants. The goal is by 2025 every car is to be manufactured with 45% less energy, CO₂, water, waste and solvents than in 2010.

Volkswagen de México has been funding biodiversity research and conservation projects in Mexico since 2006. By 2016, 11 Mexican scientists had been awarded grants of USD 26,000 each in recognition of their contributions to species conservation in Mexico and in support of their ongoing work, and three research projects in natural protected areas supported with USD 78,000 each.

In 2017, under the new motto “Volkswagen, Por Amor a México” (Volkswagen, for the Love of Mexico), the award was opened up to the entire Mexico’s conservationist community, representing all kinds of nature conservation projects, any of which may qualify for the USD 26,000 grant. Each year, a jury of highly respected Mexican scientists specializing in nature conservation select the two best qualified projects; the general public is then asked to vote for the winner via Volkswagen’s social media channels.

The first winner of this new contest is a research program that aims to preserve amphibians in Puebla.

Corporate social responsibility

Volkswagen de México makes an important contribution to the Mexican economy with new jobs and high export volumes. In addition, the company is committed to provide support to different social projects. Every year employees make a donation of part of its salary and the amount collected is doubled by Volkswagen de México. With this program the company have donated USD 2 million since 2002 in support of more than 300 social projects for needy children in the states of Puebla and Guanajuato.

Training

In order to develop the competences of its employees, Volkswagen runs a training and education center in Puebla (Volkswagen Group Academy México). This unit also includes a language school which not only teaches Volkswagen employees, but also provides courses for the general public at its branches in the city.

Technical vocational training based on the German dual system, is the training core for new production specialists during the three years the education lasts. Once graduated, the specialized technicians start working in Volkswagen de Mexico's production lines or with its suppliers. Volkswagen is the pioneer applying the German dual training system in Mexico, having trained more than 6,000 young people as technical specialists since 1967.