moving on Relocations and expansions across Europe

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Relocations and expansions across Europe

Volkswagen Group China’s mega-factory in Foshan will strengthen e-mobility strategy in China

Through the completion of the Foshan Plant Phase II, the Foshan production site’s capacity will double from 300,000 to 600,000 cars annually. As the first SUV-model of the Volkswagen brand built by FAW-Volkswagen, the T-Roc successfully rolled off the line in April this year. Together with the Audi Q2L, which will also start production this year, it is a vital building block in the fast growing SUV segment. Moreover, among the new FAW-Volkswagen factories in Qingdao and Tianjin, Foshan will play a key part in Roadmap E. Vehicles currently produced on the MQB platform will soon be electrified. By 2020, the MEB architecture will be introduced to the production line, alongside the production of MEB battery systems, which will also be located in Foshan. The newest electric models with the latest technologies of Volkswagen and Audi will be produced at the Foshan Plant.

“Through this mega-factory at the South China base of FAW-Volkswagen, we are fulfilling our promise to electrify China,” said Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, member of the board of management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft as well as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group China. “Foshan is an important milestone on the way to becoming a people-centric provider of sustainable mobility.” Visit: www.volkswagen.com

Tiger Trailers expands territory with new 168,000FT² factory

Construction of a new £22 million Tiger Trailers factory has begun in Winsford, Cheshire. Joint managing directors John and Steven Cartwright say the business is outgrowing its current production facility, and the new site will speed up delivery times and enable it to branch out into new sectors – including the country’s booming home delivery vehicle market, as well as temperature-controlled bodies and trailers. Tiger has grown quickly from a turnover of £1.98m in 2014 to £31.51m in 2017, with the new factory providing it with the capability to reach £60m – £70m after three years. “our pace of growth has been pretty remarkable for a uK-based manufacturer, driven by customer demand both domestically and within europe. We’re confident about what the future holds, and excited about the wider opportunities the new factory will bring – including options to extend beyond our current dry freight product range,” joint managing director Steven Cartwright adds. Visit: www.gk.news/tigertrailers

New port training centre at port of fos, france opened

Anew centre, dedicated to the training of port operations personnel, has been designed and developed in the Port of Fos, by the companies that make up GemFos, GemForm and IFMMP (CarFos, EuroFos, Nicolas Frères, Seayard and Somarsid), in close contact with social partners. It allows both training for entry into the profession and training throughout the working life of dockworkers.

This new centre aims to become the showcase for port training in the Mediterranean and beyond. Alongside new training rooms with a strong maritime character (since they were designed in containers), Port of Fos companies have acquired two state-of-the-art simulators to train their operators of gantry cranes, straddle carriers, cranes, etc.

These two immersive simulators, custom developed by the company Acreos for the port of Fos, allow users to learn how to manoeuvre the controls of a straddle carrier, gantry cranes, and soon a crane or a loader, in a productive, efficient and safe environment. These state-of-the-art harbour handling equipment operator training simulators are capable of reproducing the operating environment in near real-life conditions. Visit: www.acreos.eu

Renault opens full-electric vehicle concept store in central Berlin

Renault has opened a new Renault Electric Vehicle Experience Centre in Berlin, Germany, as it continues to expand its network of urban concept stores. The first EV Experience Centre opened in February in Stockholm to showcase electric motoring to the public.

This new concept store, which is unique in Germany, is a partnership with local distributor Renault Autohaus König. It is located in Berlin’s historic city centre near the Gendarmenmarkt square. The aim of the store is to engage with customers and answer frequently-asked questions about electric cars, while promoting the benefits of driving such vehicles. Visitors can enjoy a physical and digital experience providing information about the brand’s range of electric cars, charging infrastructure and charging systems, local legislation and subsidies, conditions of purchase and EV-related services. Customers will also be able to test-drive an electric car and place an order at the store. Visit: www.grouperenault.com