Florian Huettl and Personnel Manager Ralph Wangemann came to Eisenach in person to bring the good news to them in a morning town hall meeting – as it should be, to the employees first. Huettl paid a big compliment to the team on site. Despite the major challenges posed by the pandemic and the logistical difficulties, the Eisenach team delivered high quality. “Made in Eisenach” is now a real seal of quality. Ralph Wangemann also thanked the team for all their commitment: “Competitiveness and quality pay off”.
“This news is good because it means security – for young and old. A sign that things will continue successfully in Eisenach.”
– Heiko Schmidt –
Dieter Schlageter works in the paint shop.
Heiko Schmidt works in the shell construction maintenance department.
“I am very pleased to hear that we will be producing the Grandland successor here – especially since it will also be electric.”
– Dieter Schlageter –
In order to enable the allocation of the Grandland successor in Eisenach, Stellantis is investing more than 130 million euros in the traditional location. The joy was correspondingly great, after all the prospects for the plant at the foot of the Wartburg are clear – which of course was also welcomed by the workforce. For example, Dieter Schlageter, who works in the paint shop, said: “I’ve been here for almost 30 years and have experienced a lot during this time. I am very pleased with the news that we will be producing the Grandland successor here – especially since it will also be electric.” And Heiko Schmidt, body shell maintenance employee, said: “This is good news because it means safety for young and old. The new model means the future and is a sign that things will continue to be successful in Eisenach.”
Political celebrities as guests
No wonder that prominent politicians made their way to Adam-Opel-Strasse for this important announcement, including Thuringia’s Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow and Economics Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee, as well as Eisenach’s Lord Mayor Katja Wolf. The German media also reported extensively on this important step towards securing the future, including the BILD newspaper, the German press agency dpa, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and local media such as the Thüringer Allgemeine or the MDR.
At the media event that followed the internal announcement in the visitors’ forum at the Eisenach plant, Opel CEO Florian Huettl explained the reasons for the decision to award the Thuringia plant the contract for the Grandland successor: “We have been building here in Thuringia for 31 years Vehicles of first-class quality and have improved competitiveness step by step. We will continue on this path with the electric successor to the Opel Grandland,” said Huettl. “This decision is another important step for Opel on the way to the declared goal of being a purely electric brand in Europe by 2028.” The successor to the Grandland opens the next chapter in the success story in Eisenach.
“This decision is an important step for Opel on the way to the goal of being an all-electric brand in Europe by 2028.”
– Florian Huettl –
Hundreds of Thuringian colleagues gathered in the final assembly area for the town hall meeting to hear the good news.
HR Manager Ralph Wangemann also thanked the Eisenach employees for their commitment: “Competitiveness and quality pay off”.
According to Plant Manager Jörg Escher, this Wednesday was “a great day for Eisenach”: “We have earned this success. We have made intensive use of the past few months to get the plant fit for a purely electric future – with our own team in the non-production times.” This high investment is a “huge compliment” to the team, he said. “Thanks to team spirit, drive and assertiveness, we are showing in Eisenach how to make a future out of tradition.” The Grandland successor, which is to be produced from the second half of 2024, will be the first Opel to be based on the completely new platform “STLA Medium “ will be based. This will enable ranges of up to 700 kilometers. The Opel Grandland has been produced in Eisenach since 2019, including as a plug-in hybrid.
“Location with great tradition”
Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow, who is now a regular visitor to the plant, said in front of the media and guests of honor: “Thuringia is an automotive location with a great tradition that is currently making the transition to electromobility at top speed. Against this background, I am particularly pleased that Opel is playing a decisive role here and will be producing a model series with a future in Eisenach.” Works Council Chairman Bernd Loesche was also pleased: “This is good news for all employees here at the site. This production award pays off for the commitment of the entire workforce, who have always known how to build the Grandland to the highest quality in challenging times.”
“Thanks to team spirit, drive and assertiveness, we are showing in Eisenach how to turn tradition into a future.”
– Joerg Escher –
The announcement in Eisenach was attended by (from left) Economics Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee, Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow, Plant Manager Jörg Escher, Opel CEO Florian Huettl, Head of the Works Council Bernd Loesche and Eisenach’s Lord Mayor Katja Wolf.
“Thuringia is an automotive location with a long tradition that is currently making the transition to electromobility. I am particularly pleased that Opel is playing a key role here and will be manufacturing a model series with a future in Eisenach,” Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow told the media and guests of honour.
In the factory itself you can see in almost every area that the preparations for the Grandland successor have already started. For example, supply chain areas were cleared to make room for new shell construction systems that are necessary for the purely electric version and some of which have already been installed. A lot is also happening in the final assembly, walls are being broken through, some areas are like a large construction site.
Securing the site
The plant in Eisenach, Thuringia, which opened in September 1992 with the production of the Opel Astra, celebrated its 30th anniversary last year with an open day with 3,000 guests, at which the production of a total of 3.7 million vehicles was remembered. The investment in the site that has now been announced is an important step towards meeting the goals of the strategic plan Dare Forward 2030 and securing the site for the long term. Or to paraphrase Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow: “Now we can look forward – even more – to the 35th anniversary of the plant, which will be excellently positioned for the future with the electric Grandland successor.”
March 2023
Text: Nico Schmidt, photos: Andreas Liebschner/Opel