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Fiat are in the middle of
preparations to install a second Grande Punto line at the
Mirafiori plant in Turin which will add an extra 80,000
units to annual production. The giant Mirafiori plant in
Fiat's hometown is currently running well below capacity,
and locating the second Grande Punto line here makes logical sense.
To build up to the arrival of the Punto at Mirafiori, Fiat
intends to temporarily lay-off 5,000 production staff for
the first two weeks of April, reports Forbes. In
addition 1,500 workers will be made temporarily redundant
for four weeks from April 16th, adds Forbes.
Production of the Grande Punto will commence at Mirafiori
from May 15th.
The 80,000
capacity at Mirafiori will add to the 360,000 Grande Puntos
per year that the Melfi plant in Southern Italy is expected
to produce. Currently Melfi is assembling over 1,200 cars
per day. Fiat initially targeted sales of 360,000 units per
year of the new compact model, but are shortly expected to
revise this figure upwards. Since its launch last September
the Grande Punto had attracted an order book of over 165,000
by the end of last month, split evenly between Italy and the
rest of Europe. The Grande Punto was the best selling car in
Europe during January and Fiat predict another strong month
for February when pan-European figures are released next
week.
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The new Stilo model,
due in 2007, will be built at the Cassino plant
which is the current home of the existing Stilo and
the Croma (above, at the Geneva Motor Show). |
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Fiat are in the middle of
preparations to install a second Grande Punto line
at the Mirafiori plant in Turin which will add an
extra 80,000 units to annual production. |
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Meanwhile, the Cassino plant, which lies about 120km south
of Rome, just within the borders of the Lazio region, is now
undergoing comprehensive restructuring as it prepares to
build the new Stilo model there next year. Starting from this
month the factory will begin working three day weeks in an
agreement signed between Fiat, the unions and local
government.
From October through to March 2007 staff employed on Croma
production line will work a five day week, while those on
the Stilo line will take advantage of the government's
temporary lay-off compensation scheme, guaranteed that their
jobs will remain safe. The assembly lines and paint shops
will be restructured through an investment of 230 million
euros.
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