Volkswagen has closed down its smallest factory

In addition, Volkswagen moved its 3D printer, used to create auto parts, from Slovakia to Germany.

Volkswagen Slovakia has closed down its fourth plant in Haniska, near Košice.Volkswagen Slovakia has closed down its fourth plant in Haniska, near Košice. (Source: Volkswagen Slovakia)

The German carmaker Volkswagen has decided to close down its smallest plant, situated in the village of Haniska, near Košice.

“Since 2004, we have manufactured 135,000 cars in Košice for export to Russia,” said Oliver Grünberg, a member of Volkwagen Slovakia's board, as quoted by the Trend weekly.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

Read also: Will Volkswagen Bratislava win production of new models within the group? Read more 

Roughly 100 people have worked in the factory since it opened in 2004.

Furthermore, the German carmaker decided to move its 3D printer, used for the mass production of car components, from Stupava (Bratislava Region) back to its German headquarters, Trend wrote.

SkryťTurn off ads

Plant for the Russian market

Volkswagen used to transport vehicles from eastern Slovakia to Russia by train. In Haniska, it deconstructed the vehicles, previously produced in the Bratislava plant. The cars were then put back together in Russia.

Through this method, Volkswagen avoided paying high customs imposed by Russia on car imports, Trend reported.

Read also: Volkswagen Slovakia is facing hard times. Will it survive after 2022? Read more 

However, when Russia became a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the country had to reduce its import duties. As a result, the approach adopted by Volkswagen has become meaningless.

“These activities are not needed for the Russian market anymore; hence, we rented out our halls in Košice,” added Grünberg, as quoted by Trend.

3D printer back in Wolfsburg

Volkswagen Slovakia also obtained a 3D printer for mass production of the car components in 2017.

SkryťTurn off ads

However, the carmaker decided to move it to its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, since it has opened its advanced 3D printing centre there, Trend wrote.

Moreover, the company has also announced it will dismiss 30,000 global employees by 2020, mostly in Germany. At the same time, it has promised to create 9,000 jobs in innovations, according to Trend.

Top stories

Two bear incidents over weekend, an effort to revive Bratislava calvary, and storks in Trnava.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad