There are still a dozen pre-production vehicles every day, but the ramp-up phase is not named for nothing: every day more and more new Opel Grandland models roll off the production line at the Thuringian factory. These are busy weeks for Marc Vockenberg. As head of assembly and final assembly and a member of the launch team for the new flagship, he prepares the Eisenach team for production of the new model.
His working days are tightly scheduled with standing on the line, calls and meetings. “It is the typical teething problems that we eliminate in this phase – often in collaboration with the central project teams and suppliers,” says the Thuringian. This fine-tuning of the individual steps and production processes is not new territory for him. The 41-year-old has already been responsible, among other things, for the launch of the first Grandland generation. “The fact that we are currently manufacturing both models, the first and second generation, in parallel makes the task all the more challenging.”
“The pride of the Eisenach team in being able to produce the brand’s flagship is palpable everywhere.”
Made in Germany: The new Grandland rolls off the assembly line exclusively in Eisenach. For this purpose, the plant was further developed into a real electrical plant.
The Battery Shop has also been newly created. Here the battery packs of the electric Grandland are assembled on site.
World premiere in Thuringia: At the end of April, Opel CEO Florian Huettl presented the new Opel Grandland to the workforce and media representatives.
Chief engineer Dirk Kaminski provided information about the STLA medium platform, which is specially designed for battery-electric models. It enables a range of up to 700 kilometers.
“The new Grandland will come to customers in the well-known Eisenach top quality,” said Eisenach plant managing director Jörg Escher in an interview with journalists.
The space to provide the attachments on the line is limited. Space is currently a rare commodity in the factory, says Vockenberg. This is also due to the fact that the factory has positioned itself more broadly for the new model. “The depth of production has increased,” says the head of prefabricated and final assembly. For example, the roof lining and the rear wall flaps are no longer supplied by suppliers; they are pre-assembled in the factory. And then of course there is the completely new Battery Shop.
Eisenach is now an electrical plant
The new Grandland not only rolls off the assembly line with a hybrid drive, but also battery-electric for the first time. In order to be able to manufacture the battery packs directly on site, Eisenach employees have been trained as high-voltage experts. A separate shop was created. The architecture of the STLA Medium platform, which is specially designed for battery-electric models, is new, the packaging is particularly flat, and the battery capacity is 98 kWh. The consequence: the flagship can travel up to around 700 kilometers with no local emissions.
From the ground up
After a student internship at Opel, Marc Vockenberg began his training as an industrial mechanic with a technical college entrance qualification at the Thuringian factory in 1999. He initially works on the permanent night shift in prefabricated and final assembly, and during the day he completes his mechanical engineering studies. After graduating, he managed to make the jump from production to quality engineering, where he was responsible for the add-on parts for several years. In 2011, as a quality manager, he was given the opportunity to oversee the upcoming ADAM launch. In 2018, as launch manager, he was responsible for the launch of the Grandland
“The depth of production has increased – this is one of the reasons why space is currently a rare commodity.”
In order to be able to assemble the battery packs on site, employees in Eisenach were trained as high-voltage experts.
The automation in the bodyshell and also in the battery shop (photo) make the factory one of the most modern in Europe.
The company invested a total of 130 million euros to transform Eisenach into an electrical plant. All conveyor systems for the electric SUV were also adapted and strengthened. There is also a second wedding where the chassis including battery and body are brought together. “The installation of the second wedding was an intervention right in the heart of our systems,” says Vockenberg.
Internalize processes on the line
The basic technical requirements have been created. Now it’s time to take your colleagues with you on the ramp-up process to “saleable vehicles”. Marc Vockenberg himself has worked in prefabricated and final assembly long enough to know what it means when a new model comes onto the line: “We have to work out the peculiarities and special features of the production of the new model. New techniques have to be learned and the changed processes internalized,” he says.
In addition to hybrid drives, the completely redesigned Opel Grandland will also roll off the assembly line in Eisenach for the first time as a battery-electric, locally emission-free Grandland Electric.
Even after 25 years, Marc Vockenberg still loves the excitement that comes with the launch of a new vehicle. The fascination when the first models leave the factory. Wrapped in camouflage foil as prototypes. “It is these moments that make working in one of the most modern automobile factories in Europe so special.” Now that the first photos of the new Grandland have been published and the world premiere has been celebrated at the factory, a little relaxation is setting in. The Erlkönige’s camouflage foil disappears and the game of hide-and-seek is over.
High cycle times, high quality
The team can devote themselves entirely to the final goal: producing the flagship at high speed and in high quality. Marc Vockenberg can fully rely on his team when it comes to implementation: “The Eisenach team spirit is right – everyone pulls together.” On the one hand, there are the colleagues who have immense know-how on the line with up to 30 years of experience -how, and on the other hand, the new colleagues who guarantee success with their willingness to go the extra mile. “The pride of the Eisenach team in being able to produce the brand’s flagship is palpable everywhere.”
May 2024
Photos: Andreas Liebschner