Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for global Production and Chairman of Volkswagen Group South Africa, Hubert Waltl, oversaw the commencement of construction of the Company’s new R500-million Press Shop at its Uitenhage plant earlier this week. The investment is additional to the R4.5-billion invested by the Company in SA over the past four years.
Speaking at the sod-turning ceremony, Volkswagen Group South Africa Managing Director, David Powels, said “Construction of the new Press Shop was a strategic investment. It’s installed capacity will cover the forecasted total production requirements for the manufacture of larger sheet metal components”.
“This substantial investment will enable further local content gains and improvements to overall competitiveness when the new Press Shop is fully operational in mid-2012,” continued Powels.
The main parties involved in the construction of the new 11 000m2 (the same size of the playing surface of an international rugby field) Press Shop are BKS (consulting engineers), IC-L GmbH (pit design sub-consultant), Group Five Coastal (main contractor), with main sub-contractors Esor-Franki Africa (piling contractor) and Scott Steel (structural fabrication).
The new building will consist of an 8 429m2 Main Production Hall, which will house the new state-of-the-art six-stage Fagor press line and its required services. The presses require the construction of a 6.5m deep pit and the excavation of 3 400m2 of natural ground.
“Included in the construction will be a new centralised office facility (884m2) and a world-class Learning Academy (1 578m2) to ensure the ongoing skills development of Press Shop employees. ”
“The project will create 50 new construction crew jobs. Thirteen staff and 170 construction crew will be on-site at any given time”.
“A lot of thought has gone into the effect the building will have on the environment. The new Press Shop will be our most ‘eco-friendly’ building yet, complementing many other water and energy saving initiatives already implemented throughout our plant. The objective is to comply with the Volkswagen Brand’s ‘Blue Factory’ guidelines for environmentally friendly buildings,” said Powels.
“The elements under consideration focus on energy minimisation, the use of natural light, regenerative heating systems, rain water harvesting as well as the use of environmentally friendly construction materials”.
Chairman of Volkswagen Group South Africa, Hubert Waltl, reiterated the Volkswagen AG commitment to South Africa. “Our commitment to Volkswagen Group South Africa has never been stronger. We are proud of what we have achieved in South Africa and the fact that this year we will celebrate our 60th anniversary of manufacturing cars in South Africa. We remain committed to a country full of opportunity”.
Volkswagen Senior Management and Contractors were present at the turning of the sod, marking the start of construction of the Uitenhage manufacturer’s new 11 000m2, R500-million Press Shop, with the Company’s existing Press Shop in the background.
Alan Straton
Latest posts by Alan Straton (see all)
- LED-Lightbox Rental in Midrand Delivers, Sets up and Collects Light-up Letters, Numbers and Neon-Style Signs for Gauteng Weddings and Year-End Functions - 2 November 2026
- The Carpet Stain Remover That Leaves a Bigger Problem - 2 November 2026
- The Carpet Stain Remover That Leaves a Bigger Problem - 2 November 2026
- South African Conquers Rats on the World Stage - 30 October 2026
- Old JPG on a Memory Stick? Vectorization Studio in Observatory Redraws Faded and Low-Resolution Logos by Hand - 30 October 2026
