Mobility and Sustainability.

The "Blue factory" is the name of the Emden Volkswagen plant's ambitious objective. The plant hopes to achieve CO2-neutral status for its production processes by implementing a host of projects on the subjects of environmental protection and sustainability. Employees working at the Emden plant have been committed to this cause for years, and the objective extends to expanding the use of solar energy, commissioning new wind turbines and extracting heat from biomass. However, the plant is way ahead when it comes to producing regenerative energy sources in particular.
The most recent project kicked off at the end of 2009 when an "energy forest" was planted across a previously unused area of the plant grounds covering 400,000 square metres. By planting fast-growing lumber such as poplar and willow trees, the forest is designed to be harvested every three to five years, and in the future, environmentally friendly heat will be generated from this biomass. For each year the forest is harvested and for every hectare cleared, the biomass from the trees will replace the need to use some 5000 litres of heating oil, thereby saving up to 18 tonnes of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). This is all thanks to a process of regenerative energy recovery, which is virtually CO2-neutral, making it a key contributor when it comes to protecting the environment. "This environmental project is bringing us a huge step closer to achieving our objective of being the Blue Factory by the sea", explains Dr. Detlev Hoge, Head of Production Planning. "It is helping us to make real strides towards using energy more efficiently". The energy forest was planted in collaboration with WALD21 GmbH.

Volkswagen staff association for regenerative energy
In addition to planting the energy forest, the plant is also doing its bit to expand the use of solar energy. The roof of Hall 10 has been home to one of Lower Saxony's largest photovoltaics plants since 2007, when the investor and operator KP-Solar installed 2300 solar modules on the roof, covering a total area of 3000 square metres. These solar modules generate 350 megawatt hours of power every year, which equates to the annual power consumption of 100 four-person households. The modules also help to save over 187 tonnes of CO2. Driven on by the success of this project, the "Volkswagen staff association for regenerative energy in Emden" has financed the installation of another solar energy plant on the roof of Hall 1B with the help of employees. With the capacity to produce 243 megawatt hours of energy, this investment will save some 124 tonnes of CO2 every year.

Harnessing wind power
Promoting wind energy is another key consideration in achieving sustainability at the Emden plant. The Emden public utilities have been using part of plant's grounds for wind turbines since 1994. A "repowering" process is currently taking place, in which old and considerably smaller turbines are being replaced with the latest, much larger turbines.
A recent example of this co-operative project is the inauguration of the world's most powerful wind turbine at the Emden grounds. The Lord Mayor of Emden, Alwin Brinkmann, and Hubert Waltl, Board Member of Production and Logistics of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, were both on hand on 17 March 2010 with Emden plant manager Jens Herrmann to bring the E-126 wind turbine to life. The new turbine has a nominal capacity of 6 MW and an annual yield of 20 million kilowatt hours, meaning it covers the energy requirements of around 5000 private households. Its inauguration brings the number of wind turbines operated at the Emden site to eleven. There are also plans to further increase the contribution made by wind energy in the future: This will involve installing new turbines as well as replacing the existing ones with more powerful versions.
However, that is not the end of the plant's work: As well as producing regenerative energy sources, the plant is also making progress in its use of regenerative energy sources. Since the beginning of 2008, the plant has been using district heating supplied by a biomass power plant. The power plant generates electricity by burning matured timber via a CO2-neutral process. The heat generated by this process is used to heat buildings and production halls as well as supplying certain production areas with heat for processing. As a result, the plant has halved its natural gas consumption and therefore its direct CO2 emissions.

Institute for accessible working
Aside from promoting renewable energies, Volkswagen in Emden also emphasises sustainability when it comes to its employment and production processes. An example of this approach is Hall 10, which has been converted into a vehicle finishing area to allow 200 to 300 physically impaired employees to do a meaningful job that adds value. The largest section of the hall is dedicated to the construction of special vehicles. This is where the finishing touches are added to taxis, police and government vehicles, and it's also where conversion work is completed. What's more, it's in this hall that the quality checks performed on vehicles that have been shipped to Germany are completed. These checks ensure that any damage caused during transportation is found and rectified. The hall is also set to host a series of unique projects, one of which will take place in collaboration with the Emden university: Innovative ergonomic methods will be examined in order to successfully transfer these methods to the main assembly plant. Based on the projects that go on here, Hall 10 is known as the "Institute for accessible working", as the needs of physically impaired employees are a particular focus in this part of the plant.

Specialist employees
Employees in the pressing plant and paintshop departments and at the plant service (AutoVision) and VW coaching subsidiaries have all been trained to become specialists in their field. The two departments above are now recognised as specialist departments (§ 19 l German Water Act) and can perform specialist tasks independently. These tasks include cleaning and repairing systems containing substances that can contaminate water sources. However, technical innovations that provide greater protection for the environment are also being applied in these departments at the Emden plant. For example, during the production process for the Passat, the amount of underseal applied has been dramatically reduced. The plant has invested in a state-of-the-art procedure to ensure that the remaining surfaces can also be sealed in a way that conserves resources and protects the environment as much as possible. Now, the underseal is no longer sprayed on, as this inevitably caused overspray; instead it is applied directly to the areas requiring attention. This "flatstream" procedure is carried out by a robot that applies "beads" of underseal without creating any spray vapour. This results in a dramatic reduction in the amount of material used, and the whole procedure creates virtually no waste.
The plant in East Friesland is the largest industrial employer in the region, employing 8900 people (including those in subsidiaries such as VW Coaching and AutoVision). The plant produces the Passat, Passat CC and Passat Estate models. A special feature and great advantage for the plant is its close proximity to the Emden docks, where some one million vehicles are shipped across the world every year.