With the pandemic came the fear of shortages, idle hours and the desire to maintain a lifestyle that is based on consumption. We all expected remarkable growth from e-commerce, but the data exceeded any ambitious expectations. It was at that moment of revelation that commercial vehicles acquired the prominence they so deserved, as an essential tool for the development of online commerce. A boom that comes at a key moment for the councils, which intend to reduce pollution in their cities by penalizing private mobility and traditional fuels . This is when the electrified vans take on their role and the factories that are responsible for their production gain relevance within large groups, as is the case with Stellantis.
Stellantis, which emerged after the absorption of FCA by the PSA group, which in turn already has Opel among its ranks, has firmly committed to Spanish production. It is the only manufacturer that produces 100% electric tourism in each of the plants present in our country: Vigo, Zaragoza and Madrid . The Galician factory will be in charge of, from now on, producing 6 new commercial vehicles. The Vifo Center, with more than six decades of experience in the manufacture of vans and vans, will take over the most pioneering models of the firm: Peugeot e-Partner and e-Rifter, Citroën ë-Berlingo and ë-Berlingo Van and the Opel Combo-e Life and Combo-e Cargo.
Guaranteed experience
As we mentioned before, the Vigo Center has been producing light commercial vehicles for 63 years, but it began its activity in 1958, with the production of the Citroën AZU . This was a derivative of the 2CV and led to the acquisition of other projects such as the Citroën AK, AYu, C15 and the following generations of Berlingo and Peugeot Partner .
Not satisfied with history, the Vigo plant has taken the lead in manufacturing electric commercial vehicles. From now on, its production lines will be responsible for bringing out the new Peugeot e-Partner and e-Rifter, the Citroën ë-Berlingo and ë-Berlingo Van and the Opel Combo-e Life and Combo-e Cargo .
All of them are manufactured on the EMP2 platform of the Stellantis group and the batteries also leave their facilities, specifically the 3,500-square-meter battery workshop that has 150 employees capable of making 20 devices an hour.
What has improved?
The plant’s intention is to produce 91 electric vehicles a day by September, increasing its level to 224 units in November. For this, Stellantis has invested a total of 33 million euros , in addition to 10,000 hours of training for its workers.
This evolution involves many departments, starting with the Stuffing Workshop. In this space, the sheet metal parts are formed that will later form part of the bodywork and that, now, must adapt to the extremely high customization capacity of the PSA group. Nor do the consequences of painting a car go unnoticed, for this reason Stellantis has worked on the Cataphoresis, Watertightness and Squeeze lines. Assembly, logistics and quality are other departments most affected by the change in the industrialization of electric vehicles , which implies much more than not emitting during circulation, they must also be efficient in their creation.
