Volkswagen cooperates with the world’s largest and most innovative companies as the brand heads towards becoming the leading volume supplier. Procurement is responsible for the global purchasing of components, raw materials and machines needed for vehicle manufacture as well as supplying the factories with consumables, services and capital goods. The procurement process is a standardized process that is organized Group-wide and carried out in close cooperation with the various Group brands.
Procurement
Press releases
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Volkswagen Group, BASF, Daimler AG and Fairphone start partnership for sustainable Lithium mining in Chile
Several companies have initiated a “Responsible Lithium Partnership” aiming to work towards responsible natural resource management, including lithium, in Chile’s Salar de Atacama. This cross-industry partnership is funded at its inception by Volkswagen Group, BASF, Daimler AG, and Fairphone. The partnership intends to foster a dialogue among local stakeholders, generating and synthesizing scientific facts and seeking solutions in a participatory manner. -
Volkswagen engages in improving working conditions in artisanal cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo
As a responsible company, Volkswagen is actively engaging in improving artisanal cobalt mining conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as the living conditions for people in the surrounding communities. Cobalt is an important raw material for the production of electric vehicle batteries. Artisanal mining involves risks to the environment and people. Volkswagen has joined the “Cobalt for Development” initiative and is thus supporting efforts to minimize these risks. -
Volkswagen honors top suppliers
For the 18th time, Volkswagen has presented the Volkswagen Group Award to its top suppliers throughout the world. A total of eight companies in six categories reflecting future-oriented topics were honored. This year, the awards were presented to the winners by mail instead of in person as is usually the case. Frank Witter, CFO of the Volkswagen Group and interim Board Member with responsibility for Procurement: “We would like to thank all the award-winning companies for their outstanding dedication. Our tremendous success with the transformation of the Volkswagen Group towards e-mobility is also due to close cooperation with strong, innovative suppliers.” -
Volkswagen supports its 40,000 suppliers with instructions for protective measures in production
In connection with the resumption of production, the Volkswagen Group has developed measures ensuring the maximum level of health protection for its employees and is now implementing them at its plants. In order to provide the best possible support for the resumption of production and logistics processes in the coronavirus crisis by its more than 40,000 suppliers and several hundred logistics contractors throughout the world, the Group is making its concepts available to them with immediate effect. -
Volkswagen to be the first company to use low-emission LNG drive for overseas car freighters from January 2020
Volkswagen Group Logistics is the first company to use two car freighters powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) in overseas traffic. The two charter ships of Siem Car Carriers were launched last Friday in Xiamen, China. -
Volkswagen uses hackathon for solutions for more transparency in the supply chain
For human rights and environmental protection: As part of the Berlin Startupnight on Friday, September 6th, around 100 participants from Volkswagen, adidas, Zalando and Deutscher Bahn as well as five start-ups met for a hackathon at the DRIVE! Volkswagen Group Forum. The aim was to develop digital solutions to make it easier to monitor compliance with human rights and environmental protection along deeply staggered supply chains. The goods and services involved are sourced via such supply chains with up to nine stages in various countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. -
Volkswagen Group commits suppliers to sustainability
As of 1st July 2019, the Volkswagen Group will introduce a worldwide Sustainability Rating for its suppliers. This enables the company to assess the sustainability conduct of its business partners in its supply chain with regard to risks relating to human rights, environmental protection and corruption. -
From mine to factory: Volkswagen makes supply chain transparent with blockchain
Optimizing supply chains, eliminating sources of error, guaranteeing social and ecological standards – these are the goals of the collaboration between the Volkswagen Group and Minespider. Together with the blockchain specialist, a pilot project is to be set up to achieve transparency in the the global supply chain for lead. Blockchain technology makes it possible to trace the raw material back to the point of origin by means of digital certificates. The Volkswagen Group plans to use this technology for further raw materials and their supply chains. -
Volkswagen Group secures lithium supplies
The Volkswagen Group and Ganfeng Lithium Co., Ltd. registered in Jiangxi (China) have signed a memorandum of understanding on long-term lithium supplies for battery cells. Under the agreement, Ganfeng will supply lithium to the Volkswagen Group and its suppliers for the next ten years. Volkswagen is thus already securing a significant share of its lithium requirement for batteries. -
Volkswagen strengthens its rules to ensure sustainable, socially compatible raw material procurement
The Volkswagen Group is currently engaging in intensive discussions with its suppliers to determine how the sustainability of the supply chain, especially for raw materials used in electric vehicles, can be improved. Specifically, the objective is to bring environmentally compatible vehicles onto the road that have been produced with respect for human rights and in accordance with environmental and social standards throughout the supply chain. This starts with raw material extraction and ends with the finished product. This is why the Volkswagen Group has made its corporate guideline more stringent and now requires greater transparency in raw material procurement from its suppliers.
Stories
Outstanding performance: Volkswagen celebrates the best apprentices of 2021
50 Volkswagen Group graduates have been presented with the “Best Apprentice” award. The winners come from 42 locations in 19 countries. The best in class from 22 apprenticeship trades, including the job families Industry and Electronics, Commercial Jobs and IT, Logistics, and Automotive Engineering, were celebrated.
Is lithium replaceable?
Why is lithium so important for the production of electric car batteries? How will Volkswagen secure a sustainable supply chain? We provide the answers and explain with five graphics the importance of this well-sought after alkali metal.