Audi AG Ingolstadt Plant – Production
The assurance of vehicle quality at AUDI AG begins with the companys own tooling shop. The development and manufacture of press tools for complex aluminium exterior body parts and galvanised and high-strength metal panels, complete body manufacturing and folding devices and assembly jigs guarantees top quality at every production stage. The tooling shops product portfolio also includes small-series products. As well as Audi, the Toolmaking Division, which was set up in 1993, supplies other car manufacturers both within and outside the Volkswagen Group. In May 1999 the Audi toolmaking shop became the first of its kind worldwide to be certified in accordance with Directive 6.4 of the Association of the German Automotive Industry (VDA) by TÜV Süddeutschland. In 2002 it was certified both in accordance with VDA 6.4 and ISO 9001:2000. This certification was confirmed in 2006 by receipt of the Bavarian Quality Award. After 2004, the Toolmaking Division was again awarded the title Toolmaking Shop of the Year in the competition Excellence in Production in 2006. The Audi Toolmaking Shop currently employees around 1,470 people at the four locations Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm, Barcelona (Spain) and Györ (Hungary). The Press Shop Divisions Ingolstadt press shop has around 1,000 employees. They process some 1,600 tonnes of metal sheet into 290,000 individual sheet metal parts every day. These are transformed into approximately 2,800 vehicles, primarily at the Ingolstadt plant and in Bratislava. The Press Shop Divisions state-of-the-art large presses hold a leading position in an international productivity comparison. During the first production stage, the sheet metal roll is unrolled and flattened out. Tool moulds and the forming force of the presses are used to produce the complex geometries of the individual parts in up to six consecutive work stages. Particular attention is paid to the quality of the surface finish. Indeed, despite the high forming force of up to 73,000 kN and the huge dimensions of a modern press line, even the slightest traces of dirt would subsequently be apparent on the vehicle. For instance, even if a hair entered the forming process, it would later be visible on the vehicle surface. The plant site of AUDI AG in Ingolstadt covers an area of 1,998,930 square metres, of which almost 897,000 square metres are developed. The useable area is approximately 1,799,000 square metres. Apart from AUDI AGs Technical Development Division, the production area with press shop, body shop and assembly and the paint shop are also located on the site. The plant site is also home to the Training Department which provides basic and further training.
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