7.12.2001
Pre-production starts at the World's most modern car plant

The new Vectra has moved closer to its launch in spring 2002, as Opel's new Rüsselsheim facility has started pre-production. The plant sets new standards in productivity, quality and flexibility. Series production of the Vectra will start in January.

The all-new Vectra has moved another step closer to its launch in spring 2002, with the start of pre-production at Opel's ultra-modern new Rüsselsheim facility. When series production begins next January, the aim is for the world's most modern automobile plant to achieve the highest quality standards from day one. Opel Chairman and Managing Director, Carl-Peter Forster: "The new plant represents the state-of-the-art in productivity, quality and flexibility. This will put the cars we build in Rüsselsheim in a strong position to regain a leading role on the international market."

Opel's manufacturing experts set themselves three main goals: top quality at start of series production, starting with the first new Vectra to leave the assembly line; optimization of innovative production processes and technologies; and fine-tuning of the modified working procedures by the specially-trained workforce.

A special pre-production process has made a major contribution to the smooth preparations for the start of production at Opel's new Rüsselsheim plant. This innovative concept was already adopted for the launches of the Zafira, the Agila and the Corsa, as a means of ensuring a very high level of quality right from the start. The main features are an initial pre-pilot phase, using the actual production equipment for pilot phases I to III, and interlinking pilot phase III with pre-production. The manufacturing specialists in Rüsselsheim are thus beginning to feed an increasing number of new Vectra cars into the actual production line. The procedure is repeated until the process stabilizes and the required throughput volume and cycle times are achieved. The pre-production process continues to be accompanied by an employee training program that began in fall 1999, and is the most extensive in the company's history.