Volvo's Ghent plant gets a new challenge

Volvo decided to build its first full-electric car in Ghent, Belgium, for a good reason. It is the most flexible factory in the automaker's global network.

Longtime Ghent executives such as Geert Willems, who heads final assembly, helped the plant earn that distinction.

How?

By making three cars on three different platforms.

That happened from 2018 until mid-2019 when the V40, underpinned by former owner Ford's EUCD architecture, was built alongside XC40s and V60s using Volvo's CMA and SPA platforms, respectively.

This was quite a feat considering that every other Volvo plant in the world makes either CMA- or SPA-based models.

Adding to the complexity: Since 2017 Ghent has been building plug-in hybrid versions of Volvo's cars. That started with EUCD-based versions of the old-generation V60, which was discontinued in 2018, and restarted with the XC40 last December.

Today, one out of every nine cars assembled at Ghent is a plug-in hybrid.

V40 production finished in the middle of last year, but when those three cars off three platforms were rolling through the plant it was Willems' team that made sure the cars were customer-ready.

He told me his four-person squads have 3 minutes to complete a combined 300 to 350 checks on each vehicle.

About 90 percent of the XC40s and V60s pass all the checks, he said.

The next challenge for Willems, who has worked at Ghent for 24 years, comes in May when production of mild hybrid variants of both the XC40 and V60 start. That will be followed by an even tougher test: assembly of the full-electric XC40 Recharge starts in September.

Willems said he welcomes the challenge because for more than two decades no two workdays have been alike, which is exactly how he likes it.