Factory workers at Audi will soon be spending their breaks in a more relaxing way.
18 May 2015 | 3031 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Factory workers at Audi will soon be spending their breaks in a more relaxing way. The company has designed new group corners and break rooms for both of its production plants in Germany, together with the faculties for wood engineering and interior design of Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences. The ...
This is an Autocar Pro Plus article. Subscribe to continue reading.
Factory workers at Audi will soon be spending their breaks in a more relaxing way. The company has designed new group corners and break rooms for both of its production plants in Germany, together with the faculties for wood engineering and interior design of Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences. The design and modular construction of the employee lounges are unique in the automobile industry.
The approximately 27,000 employees at Audi’s production facilities in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm spend time in the group corners every day. Eight to 12 colleagues on a shift have their breaks there – close to the assembly lines. The concept of the new employee lounges is modular – like the cars from Audi. Nearly all components can be flexibly combined and exchanged. The type of partition can be adapted to the surroundings: wooden panels, panes of glass or magnetic boards. The employee lounges will be installed as standard in the Audi plants in Germany. In addition to the group corners, the company is applying the new concept also to the break rooms – as an option with a lounge area with low tables and comfortable chairs.
Audi will install the new group corners and break rooms in its new production buildings and assembly sections. “We have ultramodern production facilities with pioneering technologies. With the new employee lounges, we have put an innovative concept into the production halls for our workforce. Their variable design allows us to adapt them to the various conditions and requirements of the assembly lines,” stated Audi’s Board of Management Member for Production Prof. Dr. Hubert Waltl.
Audi’s Board of Management Member for Human Resources Prof. Thomas Sigi said: “Our goal is to be an attractive employer all over the world – so we naturally want to offer a working environment that is pleasant and motivating. Especially in our group corners and break rooms, it is important that our employees feel at ease.” Peter Mosch, the chairman of Audi’s Group Works Council, added: “Everyone knows how important it is to take breaks during a working day and to recharge one’s batteries. The more pleasant the atmosphere is in the break rooms, the better one can regenerate and return to the next phase of work.”
The redesign of the space for relaxation is the result of an initiative of the plant directors in Ingolstadt und Neckarsulm, Peter Kössler and Fred Schulze. Audi employees in production and planning and the Works Council cooperated with the faculty for interior design and the faculty for wood engineering and construction of the Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences in both the planning and the prototype phase.