Mobility and Sustainability.

The Volkswagen plant in Chemnitz is part of Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH. Petrol four-cylinder engines and diesel four-cylinder pump-jet engines and components are mainly produced at this engine plant. In 2004, the plant's 900 employees produced 541,000 engines and 156,000 balance shafts.

Service provider section of environmental management system
The large number of service providers has led to the plant developing 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 sets in writing service provider responsibility for environmentally-relevant tasks, as well as incorporation of these into the information flow and operating processes of the company. In 2005, the site was newly certified according to EMAS for the second time.

Increased use of cold tests for engine inspection
A new concept used in final inspection of four-cylinder petrol engines has not only improved product quality but also ensured more environmentally-sound production. Inspection of the fuel system, oil and water circuits and mechanical and electrical components has been integrated into the production process in Chemnitz. The resultant low level of liability to faults of the engines has made a considerable contribution to increased customer satisfaction. At the same time, the new inspection concept has reduced the amount of HOT tests and led to heavy reductions in emissions. Plans are in place to use cold tests in place of HOT tests with pump-jet engines more and more by 2008, thus reducing exhaust fume emissions by around 11.4 tons per year.

Saving energy by preheating
Installation of heating and ventilation systems into the older assembly halls enabled the Chemnitz plant to revise the concept of its heating technology. The heat regeneration system installed by the plant as a result preheats the outside air, resulting in considerable reductions in energy consumption. Continual modernisation of ventilation systems has also contributed considerably to improving noise emission levels at the Chemnitz plant. This has made reduction of these to below the permitted limit levels a simple process at the plant.