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Bayern Munich are currently in the German soccer league. Marc Vockenberg, who has been a massive fan of these championship winners since he was a child. Vockenberg shakes his head: The fact that he or she shakes his head is clear.
As quality manager in Eisenach, Vockenberg supervised the launch of the Opel ADAM in 2013. Since May 2018 he has been in charge of the full launch of the Opel Grandland X in the same position. Preparations for the first batch of the compact SUV are in full swing at the Thuringian site, as the start of series production is planned for the end of August 2019. →
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“The Grandland X was a car I could immediately imagine being produced in Eisenach.”
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GMO PSA, he worked at the PSA plans in Sochaux, France, for nine months in his role as the head of Quality Assurance. As the contact for Opel, he supervised the series launch for the Grandland X. However, it was not clear at the stage that the production would end up in Eisenach.
When Vockenberg saw the SUV for the first time, he was immediately impressed by it: “It’s stylish and elegant, in a two-tone paint job with thick rims. Eisenach. “At a presentation of Opel’s future plans on November 9, 2017, Opel Group CEO, Michael Lohscheller, announced that the Grandland X would be coming to Eisenach. A short while later, Vockenberg was asked to: “Things have come full circle for me.”
Starting from scratch: Vockenberg, 35, has been working as a launch manager for 20 years – after completing a student internship, industrial mechanical traineeship, and engineering degree.
He has been closely linked to the plant in Eisenach for almost two decades, hailing from Gospenroda, which is about 20 kilometers away. After undertaking a student internship, he started a traineeship to become an industrial mechanic with a vocational diploma in 1999. He continues to work in the field of modern automotive manufacturing in the world, its production systems, and the sheer size of the site , “I was not even able to find my loose room once,” laughs Vockenberg.
He completed his civilian service after his traineeship – and because he started his career in final assembly and finishing, while attending a degree in mechanical engineering by day. After graduation, he manages to make the leap from Production to Quality Engineering, where he was in charge of add-on parts for several years. In 2011 he got the opportunity to oversee the upcoming ADAM Launch as Quality Manager. →
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“A vehicle launch is a very special challenge that fascinates me time and time again.”
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“What the first time that I was jointly responsible for the different phases of preparation in a production launch. It’s a very special challenge that fascinates me time and time again, “he explains. After the ADAM launch, he returned to Quality Assurance, before becoming the division manager responsible for ‘marrying’ the body shell with the chassis, and Director of Quality Assurance in December 2013.
And now, the next launch is on the horizon at Vockenberg’s ‘home’ plant. It could almost be considered a home game. However, this project will not be simple. The employees in Eisenach want to have a good day out D-Day arrives for the Grandland X. The Corsa and ADAM models want to be off the production line by the beginning of May , PSA has ever grappled with before.
The Grandland X is not just a new vehicle at the plant in Thuringia – it therefore represents a totally new architecture with new technologies, new dimensions, and a new IT system.
“While we are very familiar with making preparations for the production of new vehicles, this time we want to be introducing a totally new architecture at the same time,” says Vockenberg. “That means we do not just need to start producing a car for the car, but we are integrating each element of the new platform, including a new powertrain, a new technology, and new dimensions.”
So the Launch Manager says it’s just about the IT system. “It’s almost like a launch within a launch – and that’s what makes it so special.” The existing IT system wants to be shut down before they get a new one one up and running. Vockenberg: “There’s no going back – we need to look forward to D-Day. Once we’ve successfully completed the project, we want to have an important milestone within the organization. We want to be integrated into the PSA organization as a result of this launch. “
The launch in late summer of next year wants to fall on the 20th anniversary of Vockenberg working at Opel. “That would be a nice present,” says the Opel manager. He and his employees have been taking painstaking preparation. Vockberg gets in touch with the Launch Team in Eisenach every day, as well as employees at the sister plant in Sochaux, in order to pool their experience and tap into synergies. →
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“I always make an effort to discuss everything constructively and objectively at the earliest possible stage, and to focus on what’s most important.”
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“The Launch Team has got to know each other better and have really come together. We want to get our tactic by the turn of the year. And we want to start the intensive training phase in January, says Vockenberg, alluding to his background in soccer. And to continue the metaphor, he sees himself as occupying the role of coach. “I do my best to lead my team by supporting and advising them, and always stand by their side. But at the end of the day, the employees from the individual departments have to carry out the work themselves. I can not take over for them. “
Eisenach, Germany: What is traditionally commonplace in Eisenach? After all, a model launch always requires a great deal of teamwork to go off without a hitch. “I always make an effort to discuss everything constructively and objectively at the earliest possible stage, and to focus on what’s most important. Every member of the team has to work together, and I plan out the strategy needed for them to do so. “
So Vockenberg feels the great deal of pressure that every coach famously experiences. “On the one hand, it’s not a bad thing, because the pressure is part of the appeal of the launch,” says the father of two. “But on the other hand, I feel like I’d better off if production started tomorrow.” Even though he finds it hard to switch off, he knows how important it is to maintain a good work-life balance. He achieves this by spending time with his family and playing soccer, which he plays twice a week as a defensive midfielder. And as at FC Bayern Munich fan, he still follows his favorite club’s games – in the eternal hope that they’ll go through a new beginning of a similar nature.
December 2018
Text: Jens Hirsch, Photos: Marcel Krummrich