Name and Location
Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) press shop, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Client
VWSA.

Project Description
The project involved the construction of a new press shop, at the Uitenhage plant, in the Eastern Cape.

The 11 000 m² facility comprises a 8 429 m² main production hall, which houses the new state-of-the-art six-stage, 21 000 kN Fagor press line and its associated components.

At full production, the facility will produce about 29 parts a minute.

The facility includes a new 884 m² centralised office facility and a 1 578 m² learning-academy centre to offer skills development classes to the press shop employees.

The press shop incorporates ‘green’ elements into the new building, with a focus on minimised energy consumption, the use of natural light, regenerative heating systems, rainwater harvesting and user-friendly construction materials.

The new unit will help VWSA increase its local content manufacturing output and improve its global competitiveness.

The installed capacity is expected to cover the estimated total production requirements for the manufacture of larger sheet metal components. The investment is also intended for the production of VWSA’s Polo and Polo Vivo models, with volumes at the Uitenhage plant expected to double, reaching an estimated 120 000 units.

The Uitenhage operation is officially the sole provider of four-door Polos to all right-hand markets worldwide. The all-new CrossPolo model is also manufactured at Uitenhage for all global markets.

With the help of technology that enables continuous motion, the new facility boasts an energy saving of 30%, compared with the previous press shop.

The investment is also in line with the larger Volkswagen group’s ‘Think Blue’ initiative, which aims to reduce emissions and natural resource use across all its global operations by 25% by 2018.

Value
R500-million.

Duration
The facility produced its first part in February 2012 and was expected to reached full production by the end of 2012.

Latest Developments
Progress had been made to improve the sustainability of the Eastern Cape facility.

From 2010 to 2012, the plant’s energy use has fallen from 1.99 MWh/unit to 1.63 MWh/unit – an 18% improvement.

In addition, the plant has reduced wastage by 16.8% over the period to 29.45 kg/unit.

Similarly, water use has declined by 30.2% to 4.27 m3/unit, while the operation’s carbon dioxide emissions have fallen by 11.6% to 1 169 kg/unit.

However, South Africa and VWSA are still playing “catch-up” in terms of its environmental sustainability, compared with global best practice.

Therefore, an increased focus on environmental issues is anticipated, particularly as societal and legislative pressures mounts on companies to improve their green credentials.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
BKS Group (consulting engineer); Ingenieur Consulting Langenhagen (IC-L) (pit design subconsultant); Group Five Coastal (main contractor); Esorfranki Africa (piling contractor); and Scott Steel (structural fabrication).

On Budget and on Time?
The project is already in progress.

Contact Details for Project Information
BKS Group, tel +27 12 421 3500, fax +27 12 421 3501 or email group@bks.co.za.
Esorfranki Africa, tel +27 11 531 2700, fax +27 11 887 0475 or email info@esorfranki.co.za.
Group Five Coastal (KwaZulu-Natal), tel +27 31 569 0300 or email g5kzn@groupfive.co.za; or
Western Cape, tel +27 21 763 6100, fax +27 21 761 7081 or email buildingcape@groupfive.co.za.
IC-L, tel +49 5 11 97 8550, fax +49 5 11 97 8550/8555 or
email info@ic-l.de.
VWSA, tel +27 41 994 4889 or fax +27 41 994 5793.