There is no standstill here. Change is part of everyday life in prefabricated and final assembly in Rüsselsheim. Facilities are being converted, areas are being relocated, new technologies are being introduced – camera systems, more vertical integration, self-sufficient trolleys. The seven-person plant team for production technology works right in the middle. It knows almost every system and every interface – and ensures that they meet the most modern requirements.
“We are also a link between technology and practice,” says Hans-Jürgen Walther, equipment manager and leader of the team. The 58-year-old leads a team in which four generations work side by side – and learn from each other. “When differences are valued,” says Walther, “an extra portion of impact arises.” The experienced understand old controls as well as new systems, think in a solution-oriented manner and keep an overview. The younger ones bring fresh perspectives, enthusiasm for technology and ideas about automation, data analysis and AI.
“I bring in new ideas, but without the experience of my colleagues, some things would just be theory.”
– Jakob Palm (23), specialist in camera systems and energy optimization –
Jakob Palm (right) relies on his in-depth know-how – and on Mathias Wenzel’s experience.
The experienced colleague assisted with the installation of the camera system. It detects when screws are missing.
More automation: Robots take over the application of the adhesive and the insertion of the panes.
Johann Schreder is responsible for the system in which five robots install front and rear windows.
Replenishment for the line: The systems team helped with the fine-tuning of the autonomous trolleys.
A new camera system is working at an assembly station on the substructure. It monitors screw connections on the belt. Jakob Palm, 23, was responsible for the installation. He has been in the team for a year and a half and is responsible for energy management and camera systems. “I bring in new ideas, but without the experience of my colleagues, some things would just be theory,” he says. “You know what works in practice – and what doesn’t.” He looks at Mathias Wenzel, 55, who has been with the company for 39 years. “Many systems and interfaces in the factory have grown over decades. If you don’t know how they came about, it becomes difficult,” says Wenzel. Together they implemented the camera system.
Palm was also able to count on his colleague’s knowledge when demolishing a disused cavity sealing plant – 80 meters long, 15 wide, 7 high. “Mathias knows what special features need to be taken into account.” Conversely, Wenzel appreciates the younger man’s drive: “He gets things rolling. Even if everything doesn’t always work out right away – that’s what the team thrives on.” There are no mentoring programs here. They are simply lived.
41 years of experience: Hans-Jürgen Walther not only leads the systems team, he is also responsible for the launch of new models as launch manager.
“When differences are valued, this creates an extra dose of impact.”
– Hans-Jürgen Walther, Equipment Manager –
Mia Öffler, 20 years old, is the youngest in the team. It brings in completely new skills. As a trained product designer, she has mastered 3D printing and works with design programs. Your digital factory layouts are in demand when plants move or new stations are created. She also uses the 3D printer to produce auxiliary tools – such as gauges for installing windshield wipers. “I can implement ideas on my own responsibility,” she says. “and get immediate feedback as to whether it has proven successful in practice.” For them, this is living learning: high-tech and craftsmanship, screens and workshops.
As a 3D specialist, Mia Öffler, the youngest in the team, brings new know-how with her.
Their factory layouts are worth their weight in gold when it comes to moving and converting facilities.
“I can implement ideas on my own responsibility – and get immediate feedback as to whether it will work in practice.”
– Mia Öffler (20), design engineer –
In general, the team members can be found wherever innovations find their way into production. Everyone has their specialty. Rene Dressler, 30, is responsible for the body shop systems, where the batteries for the Opel Astra Electric have been assembled on the line since 2022. Matthias Wink, 43, is in charge of the bottling plants, in which coolants for high-voltage batteries and inverters circulate alongside engine oil. Johann Schreder, 34, in turn orchestrates the automated system for window installation: five robots that place the front and rear windows in the vehicle – including the gluing process.
It has been shown again and again that many years of know-how is indispensable. “I benefit immensely from Hans-Jürgen’s experience – he set up the body shop,” emphasizes Rene Dressler, who has been in the team for a year. Matthias Wink is also the one in the team who creates the CE declarations – the certificate that conversions are safe and compliant with standards. He is slowly overcoming his initial skepticism that young colleagues would consult the AI first when problems arise. Wink smiles: “Sometimes surprisingly good ideas come out.”
“Working here is not desk engineering – we are on site, measuring, testing, screwing, programming.”
– Johann Schreder (34), trim specialist for glazing –
High-voltage specialist: Rene Dressler, 30, is in charge of the battery shop’s systems, where batteries are assembled.
The interaction between generations keeps the constant change in production systems running.
Matthias Wink is a specialist for filling systems.
Electric models are filled with special coolants.
The systems were converted and adapted for this purpose.
What unites everyone is the fascination for automobile production. “Working here,” says Johann Schreder, “is not desk engineering – we are on site, measuring, testing, screwing and programming.” It gets particularly intense when others go on vacation: during the factory holidays, when the production lines come to a standstill. Then the team is running at full speed – precise, focused, coordinated like clockwork. “It’s more like a family,” says Hans-Jürgen Walther. A family in which each generation plays its own role: some with decades of experience, others with digital ideas and a fresh perspective. What they have in common is their pride in what they create together – systems that run reliably and processes that enable the future.
November 2025
Text: Tina Henze, photos: Opel/Andreas Liebschner