Mobility and Sustainability.

The Volkswagen plant in Chemnitz is part of Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH. The engine plant mainly produces four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, as well as components. In 2007, the approximately 1000 employees pro-duced around 555,000 engines and 700,000 balance shafts at the plant.

Chemnitz led the way in the field of petrol engine technology for the series production of direct petrol injection and is currently exclusive supplier and first port of call for modern TSI engines (direct petrol injectors with turbochar-ging and downsizing). The first engines in the world with dual charging (compressor and "twincharger" exhaust turbo charger) were incorporated in series production in Chemnitz.
Chemnitz has developed into a centre of expertise within the company for innovative engine technology. The key focus is the reduction of fuel consumption and emissions with a particular emphasis on CO2.

In the field of diesel engine technology, the Chemnitz site played a leading role in pushing forward the conversion of diesel technology from pump nozzle injection to common rail injection. Common rail injection is a crucial factor in increasing client acceptance of diesel units in passenger vehicles.

The role of service providers in the environmental management system
The large number of service providers has prompted the plant to develop an environmental management system which is specially designed for engine production and validated according to the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). It also defines service provider responsibility for environmentally-relevant tasks and their incor-poration into the information flow and operating processes of the company. The site was awarded certification in accordance with EMAS for the third time in spring 2008.
The Chemnitz engine plant is also a member of Umweltallianz Sachsen (environmental alliance for the Saxony region of Germany).

Implementation of the new concept in the engine final inspection
The new concept for the final inspection of the four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines was concluded in 2007 with a final expansion stage. The new engine inspection concept helps improve product quality and enables environ-mentally-friendly production. The inspection of the fuel system, oil and water circulation, as well as mechanical and electrical components, has been integrated into the production process in Chemnitz. This helps to reduce the number of faults in the engines and contributes considerably to increasing customer satisfaction. The new inspec-tion concept also minimizes the number of HOT-tests, resulting in a significant reduction in emissions.

Saving energy through pre-heating
The installation of heating and ventilation systems in the old assembly halls prompted the Chemnitz site to revise the concept of its heating technology. The heat regeneration system now in use at the plant pre-heats the external air, reducing the energy consumption considerably. The continuous modernization of the ventilation systems also results in a considerable improvement in sound emissions at the Chemnitz plant. Our sound emissions lie comfor-tably under the permitted limit levels.

Energy-efficient plant
Spurred on by the rise in energy costs and the company goals to reduce CO2 emissions, the Chemnitz plant is working hard to reduce energy consumption at the site. The production plants in particular were tested for energy efficiency, the potential for improvement determined and the necessary measures implemented. To date, we have addressed topics such as requirement-oriented operation of drives with frequency converters on both the machi-nes, as well as in the supply and disposal systems, optimization of the stand-by operation and increase in cooling lubricant temperatures. The goal is to use the available potential through the entire plant and take it into conside-ration when buying new systems.